The relics of the saint, who wrote the wonderful autobiography, Story of a Soul, and who was made a doctor of the Church—one of three women so honored—by Pope John Paul II, is being brought into an English prison in October, as reported by the Catholic Herald of Great Britain.
An excerpt.
“The relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux are to be taken into a high-security London jail as part of a visit to England and Wales this year.
“A casket containing some of the bones of the "Little Flower" will spend October 12 in Wormwood Scrubs.
“The prison is home to nearly 1,300 adult male prisoners, about 300 of whom are Catholic. All are classed as category B on a scale of A to D, meaning it is necessary for prison authorities to make escape "extremely difficult".
“Mgr Keith Baltrop, the tour organiser, said the idea was to give prisoners a chance to pray for the intercession of St Thérèse, a French Carmelite nun who was described by Pope Pius X as the "greatest saint of modern times".
“He said it was important to take the relics to "places not just where the faithful gather but where she is most needed".
“He said: "We are taking her to the big Church of England chapel and the relics are going there for approximately three and a half hours. They will be left there and it will be left for the prison authorities to enable as many people as possible to come and venerate them."
“He added: "God has made her a particular figure for our modern age. She was extremely humble but she had this sense that she was going to be a great saint. God had chosen her to be a powerful channel of grace…
“St Thérèse, who died in 1897 from tuberculosis at the age of 24, also said that she intended to spend her time in heaven "doing good on earth".
“She is famous for her theology of the "little way" - carrying out even the smallest and most mundane daily tasks or deeds with love. She was made one of just three women doctors of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
“She is considered such a powerful intercessor that in 1927, as the Soviet Union fell into the grip of Stalinist Communism, she was named by Pope Pius XI as the patron saint of all works for Russia, as well as a co-patron saint of France and co-patron of the missions. Her relics were flown to Baghdad in December 2002 in the hope that her intercession would prevent the Iraq war.”
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Encyclical & Personalism
As we await the release of Pope Benedict’s third encyclical—said to be on the social teaching about economics—this hint from Inside the Vatican indicates that Pope Benedict will be relying on thinking from two Catholic philosophers of the last century, Jacques Maritain and Emmanuel Mounier.
Maritain’s works played a role in my conversion to Catholicism, and I came to appreciate Mounier—who also influenced Dorothy Day—by reading his book A Personalist Manifesto, whose first sentence is: “We shall apply the term personalist to any doctrine or any civilization that affirms the primacy of the human person over material necessities and over the whole complex of implements man needs for the development of his person.” (1938, p. 1)
An excerpt from the Inside the Vatican article.
“I was told today that one of the Pope's advisors on the upcoming encyclical is Father Mario Toso, a professor of Social Philosophy at the Pontifical Salesian University, and from 2003 to 2007 the Rector Magnificus of the university. This role has not been officially confirmed, but it makes sense: Toso is one of the leading social philosophers in Italy, and he is a Salesian, a member of the order of Don Bosco... and the Salesians are now in the ascendant in Rome, with the leading Salesian in the Curia being the highest official after the Pope, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State.
“Father Toso has studied the political personalism of Jacques Maritain and Emmanuel Mounier, and researched the democratic populism of the great Italian priest, Fr. Luigi Sturzo.
“Toso is among the few Catholic thinkers who in his studies has reflected on the nature of the welfare state. He has proposed a new social consensus based on the common search for the genuine good of mankind. As a Consultor of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, he has taken part in studies on non-violence and problems of land distribution.”
Maritain’s works played a role in my conversion to Catholicism, and I came to appreciate Mounier—who also influenced Dorothy Day—by reading his book A Personalist Manifesto, whose first sentence is: “We shall apply the term personalist to any doctrine or any civilization that affirms the primacy of the human person over material necessities and over the whole complex of implements man needs for the development of his person.” (1938, p. 1)
An excerpt from the Inside the Vatican article.
“I was told today that one of the Pope's advisors on the upcoming encyclical is Father Mario Toso, a professor of Social Philosophy at the Pontifical Salesian University, and from 2003 to 2007 the Rector Magnificus of the university. This role has not been officially confirmed, but it makes sense: Toso is one of the leading social philosophers in Italy, and he is a Salesian, a member of the order of Don Bosco... and the Salesians are now in the ascendant in Rome, with the leading Salesian in the Curia being the highest official after the Pope, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State.
“Father Toso has studied the political personalism of Jacques Maritain and Emmanuel Mounier, and researched the democratic populism of the great Italian priest, Fr. Luigi Sturzo.
“Toso is among the few Catholic thinkers who in his studies has reflected on the nature of the welfare state. He has proposed a new social consensus based on the common search for the genuine good of mankind. As a Consultor of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, he has taken part in studies on non-violence and problems of land distribution.”
Friday, June 19, 2009
Year for Priests
The Year for Priests begins today and the magnificent priest who is held up as a model is the Cure of Ars, John Mary Vianney.
Fr. Vianney is my birth saint and as such I have read much of the material about him, but the most wonderful is the book of his sermons: Sermons of the Cure of Ars: Sermons for all the Sundays and Feast Days of the Year, and fortunately, there is a website that has extensive excerpts of his sermons.
Benedict XVI announced the Year for Priests.
An excerpt .
“Dear Brother Priests,
“On the forthcoming Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday 19 June 2009 – a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of the clergy –, I have decided to inaugurate a “Year for Priests” in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the “dies natalis” of John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests worldwide. This Year, meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a more forceful and incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world, will conclude on the same Solemnity in 2010. "The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”, the saintly Curé of Ars would often say. This touching expression makes us reflect, first of all, with heartfelt gratitude on the immense gift which priests represent, not only for the Church, but also for humanity itself. I think of all those priests who quietly present Christ’s words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world, striving to be one with the Lord in their thoughts and their will, their sentiments and their style of life. How can I not pay tribute to their apostolic labours, their tireless and hidden service, their universal charity? And how can I not praise the courageous fidelity of so many priests who, even amid difficulties and incomprehension, remain faithful to their vocation as “friends of Christ”, whom he has called by name, chosen and sent?
“I still treasure the memory of the first parish priest at whose side I exercised my ministry as a young priest: he left me an example of unreserved devotion to his pastoral duties, even to meeting death in the act of bringing viaticum to a gravely ill person. I also recall the countless confreres whom I have met and continue to meet, not least in my pastoral visits to different countries: men generously dedicated to the daily exercise of their priestly ministry. Yet the expression of Saint John Mary also makes us think of Christ’s pierced Heart and the crown of thorns which surrounds it. I am also led to think, therefore, of the countless situations of suffering endured by many priests, either because they themselves share in the manifold human experience of pain or because they encounter misunderstanding from the very persons to whom they minister. How can we not also think of all those priests who are offended in their dignity, obstructed in their mission and persecuted, even at times to offering the supreme testimony of their own blood?
“There are also, sad to say, situations which can never be sufficiently deplored where the Church herself suffers as a consequence of infidelity on the part of some of her ministers. Then it is the world which finds grounds for scandal and rejection. What is most helpful to the Church in such cases is not only a frank and complete acknowledgment of the weaknesses of her ministers, but also a joyful and renewed realization of the greatness of God’s gift, embodied in the splendid example of generous pastors, religious afire with love for God and for souls, and insightful, patient spiritual guides. Here the teaching and example of Saint John Mary Vianney can serve as a significant point of reference for us all. The Curé of Ars was quite humble, yet as a priest he was conscious of being an immense gift to his people: “A good shepherd, a pastor after God’s heart, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy”. He spoke of the priesthood as if incapable of fathoming the grandeur of the gift and task entrusted to a human creature: “O, how great is the priest! … If he realized what he is, he would die… God obeys him: he utters a few words and the Lord descends from heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small host…”. Explaining to his parishioners the importance of the sacraments, he would say: “Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put him there in that tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for its journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest, always the priest. And if this soul should happen to die [as a result of sin], who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again, the priest… After God, the priest is everything! … Only in heaven will he fully realize what he is”. These words, welling up from the priestly heart of the holy pastor, might sound excessive. Yet they reveal the high esteem in which he held the sacrament of the priesthood. He seemed overwhelmed by a boundless sense of responsibility: “Were we to fully realize what a priest is on earth, we would die: not of fright, but of love… Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption on earth… What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of his goods … Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest, and they will end by worshiping the beasts there … The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you”.
Fr. Vianney is my birth saint and as such I have read much of the material about him, but the most wonderful is the book of his sermons: Sermons of the Cure of Ars: Sermons for all the Sundays and Feast Days of the Year, and fortunately, there is a website that has extensive excerpts of his sermons.
Benedict XVI announced the Year for Priests.
An excerpt .
“Dear Brother Priests,
“On the forthcoming Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday 19 June 2009 – a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of the clergy –, I have decided to inaugurate a “Year for Priests” in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the “dies natalis” of John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests worldwide. This Year, meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a more forceful and incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world, will conclude on the same Solemnity in 2010. "The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”, the saintly Curé of Ars would often say. This touching expression makes us reflect, first of all, with heartfelt gratitude on the immense gift which priests represent, not only for the Church, but also for humanity itself. I think of all those priests who quietly present Christ’s words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world, striving to be one with the Lord in their thoughts and their will, their sentiments and their style of life. How can I not pay tribute to their apostolic labours, their tireless and hidden service, their universal charity? And how can I not praise the courageous fidelity of so many priests who, even amid difficulties and incomprehension, remain faithful to their vocation as “friends of Christ”, whom he has called by name, chosen and sent?
“I still treasure the memory of the first parish priest at whose side I exercised my ministry as a young priest: he left me an example of unreserved devotion to his pastoral duties, even to meeting death in the act of bringing viaticum to a gravely ill person. I also recall the countless confreres whom I have met and continue to meet, not least in my pastoral visits to different countries: men generously dedicated to the daily exercise of their priestly ministry. Yet the expression of Saint John Mary also makes us think of Christ’s pierced Heart and the crown of thorns which surrounds it. I am also led to think, therefore, of the countless situations of suffering endured by many priests, either because they themselves share in the manifold human experience of pain or because they encounter misunderstanding from the very persons to whom they minister. How can we not also think of all those priests who are offended in their dignity, obstructed in their mission and persecuted, even at times to offering the supreme testimony of their own blood?
“There are also, sad to say, situations which can never be sufficiently deplored where the Church herself suffers as a consequence of infidelity on the part of some of her ministers. Then it is the world which finds grounds for scandal and rejection. What is most helpful to the Church in such cases is not only a frank and complete acknowledgment of the weaknesses of her ministers, but also a joyful and renewed realization of the greatness of God’s gift, embodied in the splendid example of generous pastors, religious afire with love for God and for souls, and insightful, patient spiritual guides. Here the teaching and example of Saint John Mary Vianney can serve as a significant point of reference for us all. The Curé of Ars was quite humble, yet as a priest he was conscious of being an immense gift to his people: “A good shepherd, a pastor after God’s heart, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy”. He spoke of the priesthood as if incapable of fathoming the grandeur of the gift and task entrusted to a human creature: “O, how great is the priest! … If he realized what he is, he would die… God obeys him: he utters a few words and the Lord descends from heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small host…”. Explaining to his parishioners the importance of the sacraments, he would say: “Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put him there in that tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for its journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest, always the priest. And if this soul should happen to die [as a result of sin], who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again, the priest… After God, the priest is everything! … Only in heaven will he fully realize what he is”. These words, welling up from the priestly heart of the holy pastor, might sound excessive. Yet they reveal the high esteem in which he held the sacrament of the priesthood. He seemed overwhelmed by a boundless sense of responsibility: “Were we to fully realize what a priest is on earth, we would die: not of fright, but of love… Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption on earth… What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of his goods … Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest, and they will end by worshiping the beasts there … The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you”.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Fortitude
One of the great Thomist scholars was Josef Pieper (1904-1997), and one of his greatest books is The Four Cardinal Virtues.
In it he writes about the foundational interiority that governs exteriority, and in this excerpt writes about the apparent contradiction between Christ’s teaching of turn the other cheek with his behavior of not turning the other cheek when struck by the servant when he was before the high priest. (John 18:23)
“Thomas Aquinas, in his commentary on St/ John’s Gospel, has pointed to the apparent contradiction between this scene…and the injunction of the Sermon on the Mount: “I say unto you, resist not evil, if one strike you on the right cheek, offer him the other” (Matt 5:39). A passivistic exegesis is quite unable to solve this “contradiction.” Thomas explains (in agreement with Augustine): “Holy Scripture must be understood in the light of what Christ and the saints have actually practiced. Christ did not offer His other cheek, nor Paul either. Thus to interpret the injunction of the Sermon on the Mount literally is to misunderstand it. This injunction signifies rather the readiness of the soul to bear, if it be necessary, such things and worse, without bitterness against the attacker. This readiness our Lord showed, when He gave up His body to be crucified. That response of the Lord was useful, therefore, for our instruction.” (p. 132)
In it he writes about the foundational interiority that governs exteriority, and in this excerpt writes about the apparent contradiction between Christ’s teaching of turn the other cheek with his behavior of not turning the other cheek when struck by the servant when he was before the high priest. (John 18:23)
“Thomas Aquinas, in his commentary on St/ John’s Gospel, has pointed to the apparent contradiction between this scene…and the injunction of the Sermon on the Mount: “I say unto you, resist not evil, if one strike you on the right cheek, offer him the other” (Matt 5:39). A passivistic exegesis is quite unable to solve this “contradiction.” Thomas explains (in agreement with Augustine): “Holy Scripture must be understood in the light of what Christ and the saints have actually practiced. Christ did not offer His other cheek, nor Paul either. Thus to interpret the injunction of the Sermon on the Mount literally is to misunderstand it. This injunction signifies rather the readiness of the soul to bear, if it be necessary, such things and worse, without bitterness against the attacker. This readiness our Lord showed, when He gave up His body to be crucified. That response of the Lord was useful, therefore, for our instruction.” (p. 132)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Hello Good Men
Written by Michael S. Rose, the author of Goodbye Good Men: How Liberals Brought Corruption into the Catholic Church in 2002 , his book Priest: Portraits of Ten Good Men Serving the Church Today, written in 2003, is an excellent book, wonderful reading, and eternally relevant.
Many of us—including your blogger—are very fortunate to attend a parish with magnificent priests; but many of the faithful are stuck with the kind of priests written about in Goodbye…and reading Priest reminds us that there are many great priests out there, and that the Church will always, until the final triumph, battle attacks against its priests from the gates of hell.
An excerpt.
“Although each priest featured in the chapters that follow has played his own unique role in today’s Church, together they share a number of similarities. Each understands and accepts the teachings of the Catholic Church. Each understands and accepts the role of the priest in the Church and in society. Each loves his vocation as a priest and actively encourages and promotes other such vocations. Each faithfully serves the Church, doing what priests were ordained to do: offering the sacraments, preaching the gospel, teaching the Faith, and leading souls to Christ and eternal salvation. At the same time, each understands the many challenges that confront the Church today, and the many obstacles and temptations with which priests must contend. Not one expresses himself with the intent of minimizing the challenges or downplaying the many struggles. Each understands and acknowledges that this particular calling is not for the faint of heart.
“In the words of one priest: “No wimps need apply.”
“All is not well in the priesthood today—but neither was it in apostolic times. After all, the twelve Apostles were the Church’s first priests. Peter denied Christ thee times; nine other apostles were cowards who dared not follow Jesus to Golgotha; and Judas, the first “bad priest,” betrayed the innocent blood of his Lord. That leaves only John, “the apostle whom Jesus loved” (cf. John 20:2). Nevertheless, it is not the priesthood that is the problem—not today and not in apostolic times. The problem is more often than not a failure of young men to hear and faithfully answer their calling; a failure of seminaries and bishops to form and educate their future priests properly; a failure of the ordained to focus on the duties of their state in life; and a failure of the laity to offer the proper spiritual and moral support for their pastoral leaders.” (pp. ix-x)
Many of us—including your blogger—are very fortunate to attend a parish with magnificent priests; but many of the faithful are stuck with the kind of priests written about in Goodbye…and reading Priest reminds us that there are many great priests out there, and that the Church will always, until the final triumph, battle attacks against its priests from the gates of hell.
An excerpt.
“Although each priest featured in the chapters that follow has played his own unique role in today’s Church, together they share a number of similarities. Each understands and accepts the teachings of the Catholic Church. Each understands and accepts the role of the priest in the Church and in society. Each loves his vocation as a priest and actively encourages and promotes other such vocations. Each faithfully serves the Church, doing what priests were ordained to do: offering the sacraments, preaching the gospel, teaching the Faith, and leading souls to Christ and eternal salvation. At the same time, each understands the many challenges that confront the Church today, and the many obstacles and temptations with which priests must contend. Not one expresses himself with the intent of minimizing the challenges or downplaying the many struggles. Each understands and acknowledges that this particular calling is not for the faint of heart.
“In the words of one priest: “No wimps need apply.”
“All is not well in the priesthood today—but neither was it in apostolic times. After all, the twelve Apostles were the Church’s first priests. Peter denied Christ thee times; nine other apostles were cowards who dared not follow Jesus to Golgotha; and Judas, the first “bad priest,” betrayed the innocent blood of his Lord. That leaves only John, “the apostle whom Jesus loved” (cf. John 20:2). Nevertheless, it is not the priesthood that is the problem—not today and not in apostolic times. The problem is more often than not a failure of young men to hear and faithfully answer their calling; a failure of seminaries and bishops to form and educate their future priests properly; a failure of the ordained to focus on the duties of their state in life; and a failure of the laity to offer the proper spiritual and moral support for their pastoral leaders.” (pp. ix-x)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Persuasion Reducing Youth Crime?
Though this treatment program, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, which uses the hammer of criminal evidence behind the words of persuasion, and its cousin restorative justice, may be effective in turning some youthful offenders from a life of crime—according to larger studies like the Los Angeles study documented in the book No Matter how Loud I Shout and the Orange County study documented in the book the 8% Solution—effectiveness is as often as much due to the arrest itself as any subsequent treatment.
The study in Los Angeles looked at first-offenders, as noted by Edward Humes, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter in his book about the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles, No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court:
“In 1990, researchers began watching first-offenders arrested in L.A. County in the first six months of that year, Richard among them—11,493 kids in all. Five men and women sat in a special secure room at probation headquarters and read file after confidential file, tracking every one of those kids—for three years. They did not intercede in any case, but merely watched, omnipotent and removed, part of a grand experiment that let each case spin out as it always had, even horror stories like Richards.
“By the end of 1993, the results of their painstaking work had become so appalling to the Probation Department and the juvenile court—and so profoundly threatening to the future of both bureaucracies—that officials have made no public announcement of the findings. But they boil down to this:
“A little over half—57 percent—of kids who are arrested for the first time are never heard from again. They go straight, shocked by the system, mostly ordinary kids who make one mistake, and know it.
“Of the rest, just over a quarter—27 percent, to be precise—get arrested one or two more times, then they, too, end their criminal careers. But the last 16 percent—that’s sixteen kids out of every one hundred arrested—commit a total of four or more crimes, ranging from theft to murder. They become chronic offenders.” (pp 29-30)
The 8% Problem
A six year study, that was published in neighboring Orange County, California covering the period between 1987-1993 and based on a different cohort structure, corroborated many of these finding, but came up with the figure of 8% of youthful criminals who were responsible for fully 55% of juvenile crime.
As Schumacher and Kurz (2000) note.
“To answer these questions, our research staff examined two groups of first-time offenders, one with 3,304 youths who were charged with crimes during the first 6 months of 1985 and another with 3,164 juveniles facing criminal charges in the first 6 months of 1987. All these youths were initially tracked for 3 years, and representative subsamples were followed for 6 years.
“What our research staff discovered surprises most people. As table 1.1 shows, the vast majority of these kids (70%) committed just one crime during the 3-year tracking period. They committed no additional crimes in Orange County, which the police sought to bring to juvenile court’s attention during these 3 years…Another 22% were accused on one or two more crimes (for a total of two or three crimes) during the 3-year follow-up period, but their criminal careers also appeared to end.
“In addition, there was this small, but very troublesome, 8%. These youths, like Gina, were arrested repeatedly. In fat, this 8% of first-time offenders went on to comprise 55% of our repeat cases…
“From our 7-year study, we found that more than half of the 8% Problem kids continued lives of crime as young adults. As Table 1.2 shows, these serious, chronic juvenile offenders were formally handled by Orange County’s justice system an average of eight times and served nearly 20 months in adult and juvenile custody facilities in the 6-year follow-up period.” (The 8% Solution: Preventing Serious, Repeat, Juvenile Crime) pp. 4-5)
An excerpt from the Wall Street Journal article.
“Developed by David Kennedy, a criminologist at John Jay College in New York, the crime program combines elements of initiatives run in the 1990s in Boston and in High Point in 2004 that were credited by authorities with helping reduce youth gang and drug violence. Boston authorities say their program cut youth homicides by two-thirds and homicides citywide by half. The High Point plan eliminated drug markets citywide, the city says.
“Under the project, law-enforcement officials and prosecutors in the cities identify individuals operating in violent-crime areas who haven't yet committed serious violent crimes, and build cases against them, including undercover operations and surveillance. The culmination is a "call in" when the case is presented to the would-be suspect in front of law enforcement, community leaders, ex-offenders and friends and family.
"The prosecutor talks to them and lets them know: 'we could arrest you now but we won't because the drug dealing stops today, the violence stops today,'" said Jeremy Travis, president of John Jay. "If you continue, you now know the consequences and you've seen the case against you but we don't want to send you to prison."
The study in Los Angeles looked at first-offenders, as noted by Edward Humes, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter in his book about the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles, No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court:
“In 1990, researchers began watching first-offenders arrested in L.A. County in the first six months of that year, Richard among them—11,493 kids in all. Five men and women sat in a special secure room at probation headquarters and read file after confidential file, tracking every one of those kids—for three years. They did not intercede in any case, but merely watched, omnipotent and removed, part of a grand experiment that let each case spin out as it always had, even horror stories like Richards.
“By the end of 1993, the results of their painstaking work had become so appalling to the Probation Department and the juvenile court—and so profoundly threatening to the future of both bureaucracies—that officials have made no public announcement of the findings. But they boil down to this:
“A little over half—57 percent—of kids who are arrested for the first time are never heard from again. They go straight, shocked by the system, mostly ordinary kids who make one mistake, and know it.
“Of the rest, just over a quarter—27 percent, to be precise—get arrested one or two more times, then they, too, end their criminal careers. But the last 16 percent—that’s sixteen kids out of every one hundred arrested—commit a total of four or more crimes, ranging from theft to murder. They become chronic offenders.” (pp 29-30)
The 8% Problem
A six year study, that was published in neighboring Orange County, California covering the period between 1987-1993 and based on a different cohort structure, corroborated many of these finding, but came up with the figure of 8% of youthful criminals who were responsible for fully 55% of juvenile crime.
As Schumacher and Kurz (2000) note.
“To answer these questions, our research staff examined two groups of first-time offenders, one with 3,304 youths who were charged with crimes during the first 6 months of 1985 and another with 3,164 juveniles facing criminal charges in the first 6 months of 1987. All these youths were initially tracked for 3 years, and representative subsamples were followed for 6 years.
“What our research staff discovered surprises most people. As table 1.1 shows, the vast majority of these kids (70%) committed just one crime during the 3-year tracking period. They committed no additional crimes in Orange County, which the police sought to bring to juvenile court’s attention during these 3 years…Another 22% were accused on one or two more crimes (for a total of two or three crimes) during the 3-year follow-up period, but their criminal careers also appeared to end.
“In addition, there was this small, but very troublesome, 8%. These youths, like Gina, were arrested repeatedly. In fat, this 8% of first-time offenders went on to comprise 55% of our repeat cases…
“From our 7-year study, we found that more than half of the 8% Problem kids continued lives of crime as young adults. As Table 1.2 shows, these serious, chronic juvenile offenders were formally handled by Orange County’s justice system an average of eight times and served nearly 20 months in adult and juvenile custody facilities in the 6-year follow-up period.” (The 8% Solution: Preventing Serious, Repeat, Juvenile Crime) pp. 4-5)
An excerpt from the Wall Street Journal article.
“Developed by David Kennedy, a criminologist at John Jay College in New York, the crime program combines elements of initiatives run in the 1990s in Boston and in High Point in 2004 that were credited by authorities with helping reduce youth gang and drug violence. Boston authorities say their program cut youth homicides by two-thirds and homicides citywide by half. The High Point plan eliminated drug markets citywide, the city says.
“Under the project, law-enforcement officials and prosecutors in the cities identify individuals operating in violent-crime areas who haven't yet committed serious violent crimes, and build cases against them, including undercover operations and surveillance. The culmination is a "call in" when the case is presented to the would-be suspect in front of law enforcement, community leaders, ex-offenders and friends and family.
"The prosecutor talks to them and lets them know: 'we could arrest you now but we won't because the drug dealing stops today, the violence stops today,'" said Jeremy Travis, president of John Jay. "If you continue, you now know the consequences and you've seen the case against you but we don't want to send you to prison."
Monday, June 15, 2009
Prison Ministry Degrees & College Programs
Education for criminals, inside or outside prison, is a winner all around and one hopes to see these types of programs, reported by USA Today, expanded
An excerpt.
“Several religiously based schools offer educational programs in prison.
“Liberty University in Virginia, New York Theological Seminary and Mercy College are among them, according to Mark Early, president of Prison Fellowship, a national prison ministry.
“Columbia International University, a conservative Christian school, operates a degree program in South Carolina, graduating 15 inmates in December. At New York's Sing Sing Prison, more than 100 convicts have completed the Mercy College program, Early said. Forty-five have been released and haven't returned to prison.
"This is very effective," he said.
“At the Parchman graduation, inmates draped caps and gowns over black-and-white prison stripes. The nearly two-hour commencement ceremony at the sprawling Mississippi Delta prison included guitar-heavy renditions of "Amazing Grace" and "Knocking on Heaven's Door," performed by the prison gospel band, L.I.F.E, an acronym for Living in Fellowship Everyday with God.
"Thank you for giving us the crimes that we committed," Thomas C. Smith prayed. "That we might be agents of change right here in this prison."
“Among the graduates was Jerry Mettetal who entered Parchman 20 years ago on a life sentence for killing a sheriff's deputy and another person.
"This will be my new job," said Mettetal, a former member of the Simon City Royal prison gang. "I came here and for a long time I didn't care. God allowed something to come into this prison to show that people can change."
“James Wash, serving a life term for murder, said some inmates had to survive beatings to be released from prison gangs. When he left a gang to earn a bachelor's degree, Wash said he was only "questioned" by the members.”
An excerpt.
“Several religiously based schools offer educational programs in prison.
“Liberty University in Virginia, New York Theological Seminary and Mercy College are among them, according to Mark Early, president of Prison Fellowship, a national prison ministry.
“Columbia International University, a conservative Christian school, operates a degree program in South Carolina, graduating 15 inmates in December. At New York's Sing Sing Prison, more than 100 convicts have completed the Mercy College program, Early said. Forty-five have been released and haven't returned to prison.
"This is very effective," he said.
“At the Parchman graduation, inmates draped caps and gowns over black-and-white prison stripes. The nearly two-hour commencement ceremony at the sprawling Mississippi Delta prison included guitar-heavy renditions of "Amazing Grace" and "Knocking on Heaven's Door," performed by the prison gospel band, L.I.F.E, an acronym for Living in Fellowship Everyday with God.
"Thank you for giving us the crimes that we committed," Thomas C. Smith prayed. "That we might be agents of change right here in this prison."
“Among the graduates was Jerry Mettetal who entered Parchman 20 years ago on a life sentence for killing a sheriff's deputy and another person.
"This will be my new job," said Mettetal, a former member of the Simon City Royal prison gang. "I came here and for a long time I didn't care. God allowed something to come into this prison to show that people can change."
“James Wash, serving a life term for murder, said some inmates had to survive beatings to be released from prison gangs. When he left a gang to earn a bachelor's degree, Wash said he was only "questioned" by the members.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
