I was tabling for the Community Justice Center at the Farmer's Market with my friend Mike McCarthy, owner of Cosmic Bakery. As usual, our conversations in between chats with passers by ranged widely. We spoke a bit about education, and this section from Ira Allen's history of Vermont came to mind:
The greatest legislators from Lycurgus down to John Lock, have laid down a moral and scientific system of education as the very foundation and cement of a State ; the Yermontese are sensible of this, and for this purpose they have planted several public schools, and have estab lished a university, and endowed it with funds, and academic rewards, to draw forth and foster talents. The effects of these institutions are already experienced, and I trust that in a few years the rising genera tion will evince that these useful institutions were not laid in vain ; remember, however, that our maxim is rather to make good men than great scholars : let us hope for the union, for that makes the man, and the useful citizen.
The more we educate our children, starting as early as possible, to be good citizens with civic virtue, the less we'll need the restorative justice and re-entry programs Mike and I volunteer for. Governor Shumlinhas the right idea:
There is a direct link between our non-violent offenders and early childhood education. Most primary school teachers can identify which of their students will run into problems later in life. The evidence is irrefutable: the years up to age five are a critical time for brain development. It should come as no surprise that one dollar spent on early education saves seven to sixteen dollars later in life. To give all of our children a bright future and bring long-term fiscal discipline to corrections, special education and human services spending, we must take bold preventative action.
And it's a two-way street. Cut down on recidivism through programs like Circles of Support and Accountabiliy (COSA), the state saves money on incarceration, which we can apply to education. That's how you break the cycle and improve the safety of our communities.
ntodd
I looked right past you today, didn’t I?
My mind is not fully engaged at the moment, I’m afraid; but I’ll be back to normal in a day or two.
You’re absolutely correct in this piece. It’s no good to just advocate for services that reach the very young, if we then simply wash our hands of folks once they’ve grown-up and screwed up. Life is a long haul for most people and we are wasting precious human resources by discarding them to the vicious cycle of recidivism.
Think of how many times one may (and often must) re-invent oneself in adult life by taking up a new career. That is how we must come to regard prison alumni, since they now represent such a huge segment of the population.
Aggressive help with substance abuse, high school completion, retraining and constructive socialization: these should be the goals of our penal system not some sort of antidiluvian notion that the threat of punishment will act as a deterrent. That’s really working out so well in America.