How Do We Respond to Violence? Strategies for Transcending the Punishment Paradigm

At the Beyond the Bars Conference 2017 on March 04, 2017, I attended a panel discussion from individuals discussing the punitive response to violence in this society and underscoring rehabilitation instead.

Panelists included:

Mariame Kaba: Organizer, Educator and Curator 

Ayoola Mitchell: Community & Survivor Outreach Specialist, Insight Prison Project 

Vincent Schiraldi: Senior Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Program in Criminal Justice                                     Policy and Management

Danielle Sered: Director, Common Justice, Vera Institute of Justice 

Moderator: Marlon Peterson, Founder, The Precedential Group & 2015 Soros Justice Fellow

Ayoola started the panel by detailing out her experience with violence. Her 23 year old son was shot 17 times. A few years later, her 19 year old son was shot and murdered. She found out last year that the individual who murdered her son died last year. She remembers feeling sad and not at all vengeful when either of her sons were shot. She stated not wanting the perpetrator to go to prison and instead to be rehabilitated appropriately. "This is the power of forgiveness." 

Mariame has lived in Chicago for 20 years and identified as a victim of violence. She stated that education is of utmost importance. And yet if you are poor you cannot be educated. "And you can't end poverty without ending capitalism." 

Danielle also reported being from Chicago and a victim of violence. She stated that the incarceration of her perpetrator did not deliver healing. She placed importance in Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) programs in addressing violent acts. She discussed the disproportionality in how ATIs are offered to perpetrators of violence in the criminal justice system. "We all know that Whiteness is the oldest form of ATI in the US." When working with perpetrators of violent acts, Danielle stated she saw three common denominators, "Shame, isolation, exposure to violence and inability to meet one's economic needs."

Vincent stressed the importance of "youth first." He stated that youth should never be sent to prisons or jails regardless of their alleged crime. He discussed that these are no place to rehabilitate youth and have vast consequences to their physical and mental health. He spoke about Khalief Browder's case as unfortunately not being one of a kind. He added that violence by Correction Officers are extremely under-reported by male youth. 

This session profoundly impacted me and I think to many others as these panelists spoke about forgiveness. Most of them identified as victims of violence and yet, they spoke about rehabilitation versus punishment. I found this amazing and extremely humbling. 

The US criminal justice system certainly needs to move away from punitive measures in addressing violent acts. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."