In this excellent article from Inside Catholic the institutional support—and not—that has sometimes characterized the care of the homeless and the mentally ill, and their emergence from Catholic institutional roots, is noted.
An excerpt.
“I'm an urban person myself, and a walker. Every day, I have the opportunity to look in the eyes of the victims of social-science modeling, who are often more than willing to help me "feel their pain." We could argue whether the mad in our streets are 95 percent of the homeless, or maybe only 82; that they are the majority is self-evident. The homeless problem existed a generation before Reagan could be blamed for it; two generations before Bush "created" it; and perhaps three before Sarah Palin could take the credit from all liberal media. The homeless are used as a lobbying lever to crank up social spending on a great variety of liberal causes.
“For the last couple of years, my life has also included frequent visits to a nursing home. Medical science has yet to deliver a pill that will suppress the symptoms of aging long enough to turn the old in these expensive institutions out into the street, to join the mad and the "elective indigent." But we're counting on bureaucracy to come up with a plan.
“These places are staff-intensive. And did you know that the staff have rights? They get paid bourgeois salaries, are protected by labor law, and work (usually) 35 hour weeks. A week has 168 hours, so that means 4.8 of them for each bureaucratically defined staff function. The staff thus frequently outnumber the inmates. Which is, if I am not mistaken, how euthanasia got on the public agenda, and we have all this glowing propaganda for "death with dignity."
“The huge, carefully interred truth is that all such eleemosynary activities -- not just homes for the old and the incurable and the mad, for orphans and the poor and for refugees, but every sort of school and university and hospital and mission known to the Western world and far beyond it -- originated in provisions of the Catholic Church. Many were sustained or added to by Protestants after the Reformation; but till the day before yesterday in historical time, the state restricted itself to prisons. Because that is what the state could afford.”
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Rehabilitation Programs Often Worsen Recidivism
This result, as reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer, is not a new phenomena, and as long as rehabilitation programs continued to be designed and managed by individuals, regardless of their intent or professionalism, who are not reformed criminals with graduate education, spiritual grounding, and organizational training, (see the Lampstand program model and the reference to deep knowledge leadership) failure rather than success will continue to be the benchmark.
The American criminal world has become too complex and resonates so much more deeply within the interiority of criminals than it ever has in the past, that attempting to pull people out of it without having deep experiential knowledge, as well as standing, within it, does not appear to be possible; which is why approximately 70% of prisoners currently being released from prisons nationally, are returning to prison.
Though we do not know the specific reasons this program is failing—others of similar structure in the area are doing better—the general reasons that traditional rehabilitation programs fail are obvious to most criminals, and often result from the narrative in which the old adage of “adding insult to injury” plays a central role.
An excerpt.
“Hamilton County's intensive probation program is so ineffective that the convicts in it are more likely to commit crimes than others convicted of similar crimes who never receive supervision, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
"That poor showing comes despite the fact the county gets the most state money of any county in the state and spends more per probationer than other urban counties.
"The Hamilton County Program's success rate of 29 percent is the worst in the state, according to the prisons department.
"Prison officials threaten to yank the $1.7 million they give the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court for the program which is designed to keep people out of prison.
"If Hamilton County, as with all other counties, doesn't reach a certain level of quality, DRC can no longer fund their ineffective programs," said Linda Janes, deputy director of the prisons' Division of Parole and Community Services. "We have to make sure, as good stewards of tax dollars, that the money is well spent and we obviously cannot continue to put money into programs that do not have any effect - or worse yet, cause more people to wind up in prison."
The American criminal world has become too complex and resonates so much more deeply within the interiority of criminals than it ever has in the past, that attempting to pull people out of it without having deep experiential knowledge, as well as standing, within it, does not appear to be possible; which is why approximately 70% of prisoners currently being released from prisons nationally, are returning to prison.
Though we do not know the specific reasons this program is failing—others of similar structure in the area are doing better—the general reasons that traditional rehabilitation programs fail are obvious to most criminals, and often result from the narrative in which the old adage of “adding insult to injury” plays a central role.
An excerpt.
“Hamilton County's intensive probation program is so ineffective that the convicts in it are more likely to commit crimes than others convicted of similar crimes who never receive supervision, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
"That poor showing comes despite the fact the county gets the most state money of any county in the state and spends more per probationer than other urban counties.
"The Hamilton County Program's success rate of 29 percent is the worst in the state, according to the prisons department.
"Prison officials threaten to yank the $1.7 million they give the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court for the program which is designed to keep people out of prison.
"If Hamilton County, as with all other counties, doesn't reach a certain level of quality, DRC can no longer fund their ineffective programs," said Linda Janes, deputy director of the prisons' Division of Parole and Community Services. "We have to make sure, as good stewards of tax dollars, that the money is well spent and we obviously cannot continue to put money into programs that do not have any effect - or worse yet, cause more people to wind up in prison."
Monday, November 23, 2009
Bishop’s Homily to Youth
The Catholic Key Blog posted a very nice homily Bishop Soto of the Sacramento Diocese recently gave.
An excerpt.
“As I post this, Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto has just concluded his homily for the closing liturgy of the National Catholic Youth Conference in Kansas City. It is the Solemnity of Christ the King. I have had the grace of being able to hear Bishop Soto preach to youth a couple of times on the west coast. He is a powerful preacher who puts Christ at the center of all he says and who strongly connects with youth and young adults. Suffice it to say, his homily was applauded by the 22,000 youth at Sprint Center tonight - Try that at your parish.
“Luckily, I was able to buttonhole Bishop Soto earlier in the day and asked him for an electronic version of his homily. He emailed it to me with the caveat that he may make some changes in the actual presentation. I was able to catch most of his homily live tonight, and below is a very faithful rendition of what Bishop Soto did preach:
“Every second 2.5 million emails are moving across the internet. More than 4 billion text messages are lighting up cell phones in the United States every day. One young woman was reported to have sent 14, 528 text messages in a month. That’s 484 messages a day, one text message every two minutes, not counting sleep time. Her father’s cell phone statement that month was 440 pages long. Welcome to the information age. In this mad search for the answer, in the helter-skelter grab for a connection are we any closer to the truth that will set us free?
“The Lord Jesus is tapping on the homepage of your heart. He wants to text the truth of God’s mercy on your soul. Jesus is the Word, the ultimate Facebook of God and invites you to be his friend. Jesus does not twitter. Rather he humbled himself so that he could meet you, connect with you and serve you in charity and in truth. He is the IP address of the way, the truth and the life.
“This means that truth, any truth worth knowing, is fundamentally part of a relationship with Jesus. Truth is most beautiful when it is part of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the wisdom of Pope Benedict’s most recent encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, Charity in Truth. Truth is most persuasive and most attractively revealed through the new covenant of charity found in knowing and connecting with the Lord Jesus.”
An excerpt.
“As I post this, Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto has just concluded his homily for the closing liturgy of the National Catholic Youth Conference in Kansas City. It is the Solemnity of Christ the King. I have had the grace of being able to hear Bishop Soto preach to youth a couple of times on the west coast. He is a powerful preacher who puts Christ at the center of all he says and who strongly connects with youth and young adults. Suffice it to say, his homily was applauded by the 22,000 youth at Sprint Center tonight - Try that at your parish.
“Luckily, I was able to buttonhole Bishop Soto earlier in the day and asked him for an electronic version of his homily. He emailed it to me with the caveat that he may make some changes in the actual presentation. I was able to catch most of his homily live tonight, and below is a very faithful rendition of what Bishop Soto did preach:
“Every second 2.5 million emails are moving across the internet. More than 4 billion text messages are lighting up cell phones in the United States every day. One young woman was reported to have sent 14, 528 text messages in a month. That’s 484 messages a day, one text message every two minutes, not counting sleep time. Her father’s cell phone statement that month was 440 pages long. Welcome to the information age. In this mad search for the answer, in the helter-skelter grab for a connection are we any closer to the truth that will set us free?
“The Lord Jesus is tapping on the homepage of your heart. He wants to text the truth of God’s mercy on your soul. Jesus is the Word, the ultimate Facebook of God and invites you to be his friend. Jesus does not twitter. Rather he humbled himself so that he could meet you, connect with you and serve you in charity and in truth. He is the IP address of the way, the truth and the life.
“This means that truth, any truth worth knowing, is fundamentally part of a relationship with Jesus. Truth is most beautiful when it is part of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the wisdom of Pope Benedict’s most recent encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, Charity in Truth. Truth is most persuasive and most attractively revealed through the new covenant of charity found in knowing and connecting with the Lord Jesus.”
Sunday, November 22, 2009
An American Life
I just finished reading Sarah Palin’s book: Going Rogue: An American Life, and it most certainly is that, a wonderful political biography of a quintessential American life which embraces the common sense values she—and many of us—grew up with.
She was raised Catholic and though she now attends an evangelical congregation, her life and politics—describing herself as a “Commonsense Conservative”— clearly, to me, rest on the social teaching of the Catholic Church.
An excerpt.
“What does it mean to be a Commonsense Conservative?
“At its most basic level, conservatism is a respect for history and tradition, including traditional moral principles. I do not believe I am more moral, certainly no better, than anyone else, and conservatives who act “holier than thou” turn my stomach. So do some elite liberals. But I do believe in a few timeless and unchanging truths, and chief among those is that man is fallen. The world is not perfect, and politicians will never make it so.
“I am a conservative because I deal with the world as it is—complicated and beautiful, tragic and hopeful. I am a conservative because I believe in the rights and the responsibilities and the inherent dignity of the individual.” (p. 385)
She was raised Catholic and though she now attends an evangelical congregation, her life and politics—describing herself as a “Commonsense Conservative”— clearly, to me, rest on the social teaching of the Catholic Church.
An excerpt.
“What does it mean to be a Commonsense Conservative?
“At its most basic level, conservatism is a respect for history and tradition, including traditional moral principles. I do not believe I am more moral, certainly no better, than anyone else, and conservatives who act “holier than thou” turn my stomach. So do some elite liberals. But I do believe in a few timeless and unchanging truths, and chief among those is that man is fallen. The world is not perfect, and politicians will never make it so.
“I am a conservative because I deal with the world as it is—complicated and beautiful, tragic and hopeful. I am a conservative because I believe in the rights and the responsibilities and the inherent dignity of the individual.” (p. 385)
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The Manhattan Declaration
Yesterday one hundred forty eight (signatories are still growing and now stand at 6298) Christian leaders (including many Catholic Bishops and Priests) released The Manhattan Declaration, vowing to stand fast in their obligation to speak the truths of Christians to resist the power of government supporting policies that have created an environment where:
“…in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions.”
Am excerpt.
“We, as Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, have gathered, beginning in New York on September 28, 2009, to make the following declaration, which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities. We act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God of holiness and love, who has laid total claim on our lives and by that claim calls us with believers in all ages and all nations to seek and defend the good of all who bear his image. We set forth this declaration in light of the truth that is grounded in Holy Scripture, in natural human reason (which is itself, in our view, the gift of a beneficent God), and in the very nature of the human person. We call upon all people of goodwill, believers and non-believers alike, to consider carefully and reflect critically on the issues we here address as we, with St. Paul, commend this appeal to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
“While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including a special concern for the poor and vulnerable, claims our attention, we are especially troubled that in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions.
“Because the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife, and the freedom of conscience and religion are foundational principles of justice and the common good, we are compelled by our Christian faith to speak and act in their defense. In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.
“We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season. May God help us not to fail in that duty.”
“…in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions.”
Am excerpt.
“We, as Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, have gathered, beginning in New York on September 28, 2009, to make the following declaration, which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities. We act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God of holiness and love, who has laid total claim on our lives and by that claim calls us with believers in all ages and all nations to seek and defend the good of all who bear his image. We set forth this declaration in light of the truth that is grounded in Holy Scripture, in natural human reason (which is itself, in our view, the gift of a beneficent God), and in the very nature of the human person. We call upon all people of goodwill, believers and non-believers alike, to consider carefully and reflect critically on the issues we here address as we, with St. Paul, commend this appeal to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
“While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including a special concern for the poor and vulnerable, claims our attention, we are especially troubled that in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions.
“Because the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife, and the freedom of conscience and religion are foundational principles of justice and the common good, we are compelled by our Christian faith to speak and act in their defense. In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.
“We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season. May God help us not to fail in that duty.”
Friday, November 20, 2009
Political Polish & Street Smarts
In the dangerous—and so often ineffective—work of gang intervention, it is crucial to have political polish to accomplish the necessary work with criminal justice, medical, and government professionals called upon in the course of that work, and the necessary street smarts to deal with the gangs; a leadership combination that is extremely rare.
The Lampstand program leadership model, built on criminal/carceral experiential knowledge and graduate level college accomplishment, can create deep knowledge leaders who can bring these into congruence.
This article in the Los Angeles Times examines the current situation there, as public leadership tries to fashion an effective and well-regulated program.
An excerpt.
“A city-sponsored training academy for gang intervention workers will open at least a year later than Los Angeles officials had hoped after a collision of philosophies and egos -- a hitch in the city's effort to modernize its campaign against street violence.
“Officials said this week that an independent panel has selected the Advancement Project, the legal advocacy, civil rights and public policy group, as the winner of a bidding process to run the academy.
“But that bid was never supposed to occur. The city's original plan -- to meld the best practices of two gang intervention programs into an "official" curriculum -- collapsed, according to interviews with city officials and City Hall advisors.
“Now, the academy isn't expected to open until at least the spring of 2010 -- a year later than originally envisioned. And it's not over yet: The head of a group that lost the bid called the selection process flawed and pledged to appeal the decision into next year, when the City Council will be asked to sign off on the contract.”
The Lampstand program leadership model, built on criminal/carceral experiential knowledge and graduate level college accomplishment, can create deep knowledge leaders who can bring these into congruence.
This article in the Los Angeles Times examines the current situation there, as public leadership tries to fashion an effective and well-regulated program.
An excerpt.
“A city-sponsored training academy for gang intervention workers will open at least a year later than Los Angeles officials had hoped after a collision of philosophies and egos -- a hitch in the city's effort to modernize its campaign against street violence.
“Officials said this week that an independent panel has selected the Advancement Project, the legal advocacy, civil rights and public policy group, as the winner of a bidding process to run the academy.
“But that bid was never supposed to occur. The city's original plan -- to meld the best practices of two gang intervention programs into an "official" curriculum -- collapsed, according to interviews with city officials and City Hall advisors.
“Now, the academy isn't expected to open until at least the spring of 2010 -- a year later than originally envisioned. And it's not over yet: The head of a group that lost the bid called the selection process flawed and pledged to appeal the decision into next year, when the City Council will be asked to sign off on the contract.”
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Church in an African Prison
The Catholic Church in Africa is undergoing a period of explosive growth, and part of the reason is visible in the care being put into its prison work, as revealed in this article from the Catholic Herald of the United Kingdom.
An excerpt.
“A line drawing of Jesus carrying his Cross adorned his light blue T-shirt as he stood, waiting for Mass to begin, occasionally moving to make space for the steady stream of men heading towards the makeshift confessional. One or two of them appeared incredibly sad, one of them perhaps not far from tears...
“Mass started late: one priest could not be in two places at once. Rarely have I felt the Liturgy to be such a desperately - needed lifeline of hope in the midst of hopelessness and suffering.
"Try to see life through the eyes of Jesus" - this was the message of the homily.
“Three men impressed themselves indelibly in my memory: the one who seemed so sad, the one with the blue T-shirt and a third, who crossed the chapel to greet us. He evidently considered himself of a higher social status as he shook hands, chatting cheerily for a few moments.
"He was a district secretary," Fr Donal Fennessey SMA explained afterwards. "He shot his nephew at point-blank range during an argument. At his trial, the judge said that if he could kill one of his own family, then nobody could be safe."
“My first Mass in a prison chapel was also the first and only time that I have, albeit unknowingly, shaken hands with a murderer. Yet, hearing the confessions of the prisoners through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and offering them the Eucharist is part and parcel of Fr Donal's normal Saturday routine when he visits the prison in Lafia, Nigeria.”
An excerpt.
“A line drawing of Jesus carrying his Cross adorned his light blue T-shirt as he stood, waiting for Mass to begin, occasionally moving to make space for the steady stream of men heading towards the makeshift confessional. One or two of them appeared incredibly sad, one of them perhaps not far from tears...
“Mass started late: one priest could not be in two places at once. Rarely have I felt the Liturgy to be such a desperately - needed lifeline of hope in the midst of hopelessness and suffering.
"Try to see life through the eyes of Jesus" - this was the message of the homily.
“Three men impressed themselves indelibly in my memory: the one who seemed so sad, the one with the blue T-shirt and a third, who crossed the chapel to greet us. He evidently considered himself of a higher social status as he shook hands, chatting cheerily for a few moments.
"He was a district secretary," Fr Donal Fennessey SMA explained afterwards. "He shot his nephew at point-blank range during an argument. At his trial, the judge said that if he could kill one of his own family, then nobody could be safe."
“My first Mass in a prison chapel was also the first and only time that I have, albeit unknowingly, shaken hands with a murderer. Yet, hearing the confessions of the prisoners through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and offering them the Eucharist is part and parcel of Fr Donal's normal Saturday routine when he visits the prison in Lafia, Nigeria.”
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