My Short Take on the Reducing Lethal Violence symposium at Loyal University

I attended the symposium on preventing violent crime at Loyal University on Friday.  I planned on attending the whole day, but got caught up having to take care of other responsibilities during the lunch break that took a while.  I listened to the some of the second half of David Kennedy's talk, but unfortunately missed Nikki Jones' talk.  Female crime and violence is an under-studied area of criminology and she's making some good contributions.  I saw Ronal Serpas, Robert Sampson and Karen DeSalvo speak.

I haven't heard many police chiefs speak or address the public, but I get a sense that Serpas does more than most, and he's willing to accept the limitations of policing for solving violent crime way better than most.  There's no doubt room for improvement, but he's pretty good for what's usually the case.  At the beginning of his talk an audience member called out a question on police brutality.  It's a necessary question, and while it was the wrong time to ask such a question it brought up an important issue.  While Serpas didn't answer his question then, during the Q&A period he discussed recent work to create a new form of assessment within the police department that is more closely aligned with the department's goals of better "customer service." This might help address what that questioner yelled out.  Regardless, the question brought up the need of constant oversight of the police department.  Institutions that formally give people power over others, such as the police, are inherently susceptible to abuse and need to be independently monitored.  The city has an independent police monitor, but from what I've heard, she doesn't have much power to do anything.

Preventing Lethal Violence in New Orleans Symposium at Loyola: Live Stream

Live stream coverage Friday, October 26th from 9-5.

Watch live streaming video from loyolauniversity at livestream.com

Stephen Colbert and Donald Trump

This is too good to pass up. It's Stephen Colbert's counter offer to Donald Trump's offer to donate money to a charity of Obama's choosing if he releases his college application and records (I'm guessing this means transcripts), and passport records. I post both offers below.

Here's Colbert's:

Here's Donald Trump's offer.

Preventing Lethal Violence: A Symposium at Loyola University

This looks like an amazing event. Some of the leading researchers on crime and violence will be speaking on Friday, October 26th at Loyola University. I cut and pasted the line-up after the break.  Click here to go to the site.

Eugene Jarecki: The War on Drugs

Here's Jon Stewart's interview with Eugene Jarecki on the war on drugs and his new documentary "The House we Live In."

Part 1:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Eugene Jarecki Extended Interview Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Part 2:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Eugene Jarecki Extended Interview Pt. 2
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Florence + The Machine: Dog Days are Over

I'm totally hooked on this song right now, like crazy hooked.  I heard it in spin class and then at Cold Stone.  I had to ask the guy behind the counter who sang it.  He told me the band's name, but didn't know the specific song so I hunted it down. Now it's on a constant loop at my place.  My step son is going crazy. I see it as revenge for having to listen to Naruto all the time.

 

Clemency for Women in Louisiana

This is impressive.  A former student of mine was working on a class project (not for my class) that a number of students wanted to continue when the semester was over.  Their goal is to advocate for women who were victims of domestic abuse, killed their abuser, and then were incarcerated for their actions.  The name of the organization is called Clemency for Women in Louisiana.  They're writing petitions, taking part in demonstrations, and asking Louisiana residents to contact parole boards, representatives and Governor Jindal on the behalf of these women.  Check out their website and see how you can get involved.

Here's a sample letter they crafter that you can use if you're not sure what to say (below the page break).

Heads Up New Orleans: Juvenile Delinquency Preventions Programs that are Effective

These are taken from Crime Solutions.gov which is the research evaluation based branch of the Office of Justice Programs. These are brief summaries of the programs that are effective (thus the V+) and can be implemented in New Orleans to help reduce youth violence.  Crime Solutions also has data on corrections and reentry, courts, drug and substance abuse, law enforcement, victims and victimization, and other areas.  I encourage you to check it out.

Evidence Rating	Summary
Aggression Replacement Training® (ART®)		A multidimensional psychoeducational intervention designed to promote prosocial behavior in chronically aggressive and violent adolescents using techniques to develop social skills, emotional control, and moral reasoning.
Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Community-Based Mentoring (CBM) Program		A one-to-one mentoring program that takes place in a community setting.
Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention of College Students (BASICS)		A preventive intervention for college students designed to help students make better decisions about using alcohol.
Career Academy		Schools, within schools, that link students with peers, teachers, and community partners in a disciplined environment, fostering academic success, mental and emotional health, and labor market success.
Families And Schools Together (FAST)		A multifamily group intervention program designed to build protective factors for children, to empower parents to be the primary prevention agents for their own children, and to build supportive parent-to-parent groups.
Family Matters		A family-directed program to reduce tobacco and alcohol use among 12- to 14-year-olds.
Functional Family Therapy (FFT)		A family-based prevention and intervention program for at-risk youths ages 11 to 18.
Good Behavior Game		A classroom management strategy for children ages 6 to 10 designed to improve aggressive/disruptive classroom behavior and prevent later criminality.
Guiding Good Choices		A multimedia family competency training program that promotes healthy, protective parent–child interactions and addresses children’s risk for early substance use.
Harlem (N.Y.) Children’s Zone – Promise Academy Charter Middle School		A charter middle school that seeks to give students in grades 6–8 a well-rounded, high-quality education. The Promise Academy is part of the Harlem Children’s Zone, a 97-block area in Harlem, N.Y., that combines “no excuses” charter schools with communitywide initiatives to address some of the problems faced by underprivileged children.
Kirkholt (England) Burglary Prevention Project		A burglary reduction program that involved working with burglary victims, their neighbors, and potential offenders to remove opportunities and motivations to commit burglary.
LifeSkills® Training		A classroom-based tobacco-, alcohol-, and drug abuse–prevention program for upper elementary and junior high school students.
Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers (LIFT)		A program designed to prevent the development of aggressive and antisocial behaviors in children within an elementary school setting.
Midwestern Prevention Project (MPP)		A school-based comprehensive program intended to promote an antidrug message throughout communities and prevent substance use (alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana) among middle school students.
Multidimensional Family Therapy		A manualized family-based treatment and substance abuse prevention program developed for adolescents with drug and behavior problems. The program is typically delivered in an outpatient setting, but it can also be used in inpatient settings.
Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care–Adolescents		A behavioral treatment alternative to residential placement for adolescents who have problems with chronic antisocial behavior, emotional disturbance, and delinquency.
Multisystemic Therapy (MST)		A family and community-based treatment program for adolescent offenders who have exhibited serious antisocial, problem, and delinquent behaviors.
Multisystemic Therapy–Substance Abuse		A version of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) targeted to adolescents with substance abuse and dependency issues.
Nurse–Family Partnership		A home visitation program for low-income, first-time mothers to improve family functioning.
Operation Ceasefire (Boston, Mass.)		A problem-solving police strategy that seeks to reduce gang violence, illegal gun possession, and gun violence in communities in Boston, Mass.
Operation Peacekeeper		A community and problem-oriented policing program based in Stockton, Calif., that aims to reduce gang involvement and violence among urban youth aged 10 to 18.
Perry Preschool Project		Provides high-quality education for disadvantaged children ages 3 to 4 to improve their capacity for future success in school and in life.
Positive Action		A program that is designed to improve youth academics, behavior, and character and that can be used by schools, families, or communities.
Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PATHS®)		A prevention program that promotes emotional and social competencies and reduces aggression and behavior problems in elementary school–aged children.
Safe Dates		A school-based prevention program for middle and high school students designed to stop or prevent the initiation of dating violence victimization and perpetration.
Second Step®: A Violence Prevention Curriculum		A universal prevention program designed to reduce impulsive and aggressive behavior in children and adolescents by increasing their social competency skills.
SNAP® Under 12 Outreach Project		A specialized, family-focused intervention for boys under 12 who display aggressive and antisocial behavior problems.
Street Lighting in Dudley (England)		A program to reduce the prevalence and incidence of crime by improving street lighting in residential areas.
Street Lighting in Stoke-on-Trent (England)		A program that upgrades street lighting on residential roads and footpaths to decrease crime and fear of crime.
Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10–14		An adaptation of the Strengthening Families Program that aims to reduce substance use and behavior problems during adolescence through improved skills in nurturing and child management by parents and improved interpersonal and personal competencies among youths.
Strong African American Families (SAAF)		A 7-week alcohol-, drug use-, and early sexual activity–reduction program concentrating on rural African American youths (ages 10–14) that improves parenting practices and family communication and teaches the youths resistance skills.
The Incredible Years		A parent training, teacher training, and child social skills training approach to reducing challenging behaviors in children and increasing their social and self-control skills.
Triple P – Positive Parenting Program		A multilevel system designed to enhance parental competence and prevent or alter dysfunctional parenting practices. By enhancing parenting practices, the program aims to reduce family risk factors for child maltreatment and children’s behavioral and emotional problems.