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Showing 6 posts filed under: Victim [–] published between May 01, 2011 and May 31, 2011 [Show all]

I just hugged the man who murdered my son

told by Mary Johnson and Oshea Israel on National Public Radio's StoryCorps:

While most StoryCorps interviews are between family and friends, this conversation comes from two people who easily could have been enemies.

In 1993, Oshea Israel was a teenage gang member in Minneapolis, Minnesota. One night at a party Oshea got into a fight, which ended when he shot and killed another boy.

Now 34, Oshea has finished serving his prison sentence for second-degree murder.

May 25, 2011 , , , , ,

A scary, but exciting prospect

by Lynette Parker

Recently, I was in the Bahamas to conduct a training seminar on the Sycamore Tree Project® for Prison Fellowship Bahamas. A diverse group of people including prison officers, volunteers, and police officers gathered to learn about this in-prison restorative justice programme. Through the day and half of training two emotions stood out: fear and excitement. 

For many, especially the prison officers, the idea of bringing victims into prison to meet face-to-face with prisoners (but not their own offenders) was novel and a bit overwhelming. Although the programme has a positive track record in close to twenty countries, the training participants still had serious concerns about how this would work. For one thing, how do you handle victim anger? Why would victims want to go into prison? Isn’t this just setting up an explosive situation?

May 24, 2011 , , ,

Dialogues can offer healing for crime victims

from Ryan Marshall's article in the Carroll County Times:

Recovering from a crime can be a deeply personal process for victims, but Maryland's corrections system offers victims who are interested a chance to interact with their attackers.

The state is able to arrange dialogues between victims and the person incarcerated for their crime.

May 23, 2011 , , , , ,

Victims' Commissioner highlights financial costs for families in the aftermath of murder

from the blog entry on Justice:

Families who have lost loved ones under terrible circumstances are facing costs of £37,000 on average as they struggle to pick up the pieces, according to figures released today.

The Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses, Louise Casey, released the figures ahead of the publication of her policy review into the help and support given to families bereaved through murder, manslaughter or culpable road death, next month.

May 20, 2011 , , , ,

Sycamore Tree: Week 3

from Penny Parker's blog entry on Penny and Prison:

A week with huge expectations: we have three visitors coming with us.  Ann (not her real name) a young lady, victim of a robbery, whose car was violently attacked while she was in it and whose bags were stolen and Ray and Vi, whose son Christopher was murdered by a gang of violent youths high on alcohol and drugs. Ann and Ray and Vi are effectively surrogate victims for the men - a taster, in a group, of the experience of a victim – offender conference or mediation.

May 18, 2011 , , , ,

Victim's daughter meets IRA bomber: An interview with Jo Berry

by Lisa Rea

On October 12, 1984 an IRA bomb planted by Patrick Magee demolished Brighton’s Grand Hotel in Brighton killing 5 people including Sir Anthony Berry, MP for Southgate and a member of the Thatcher government. The bomb hit on the last day of the conservative party conference held at the hotel. The IRA bomber Magee was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He was released after 14 years under the negotiated Good Friday agreement.

The following is from an interview Lisa Rea conducted with Jo Berry, daughter of Sir Anthony Berry. She did this interview from her home in Macclesfield UK. Jo Berry chose to meet with Pat Magee in November 2000. Today the two work together on many initiatives including addressing peace conferences, giving workshops in prisons, and speaking at universities.

Q. How did the meeting(s) happen? What was the process?  Were you, and Pat, adequately prepared to meet? Walk us through what happened.

May 12, 2011 , , , , , ,

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