I think of mentors and helpers, men and women of kindness and compassion, heroes who listen to their better angels, as triggers for good.
Criminal Justice
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Education grants for prisoners are not only practical, they also promote human dignity
A bill to restore Pell grants for those in prison would be an investment in human capital, writes Raymond Moylan, but more importantly it honors the principles of Catholic social teaching and strikes a blow against “throwaway culture.”
Posted inExplainer, Politics & Society
Why a repeal of the 2nd Amendment would not be enough to stop gun violence
Unlike other nations that prohibit or narrowly restrict ownership of high-body-count weaponry and ammunition, the United States is hindered in establishing effective gun control by federal and state constitutional roadblocks. Understanding these roadblocks is essential to devising a route around them.
Posted inLast Take, Politics & Society
Cyntoia Brown and how the U.S. criminal justice system fails black women and girls
Cyntoia Brown was 16 years old when she was charged as an adult and convicted of premeditated first-degree murder, felony murder and “especially aggravated robbery.”
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Vatican to open tombs looking for young woman missing since 1983
The decision was made in response to the request of Emanuela Orlandi’s family, he said, and their questioning “the possible concealment of her cadaver in the small cemetery located within Vatican City State.”
Posted inFeatures, Politics & Society
Understanding the wounded psyche of gang members
Another way to get inside the heads of gang members: look at the early childhood loss they’ve suffered.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Panel: Conditions in detention centers fail to treat asylum-seekers as human beings
St. Peter’s University and America Media hosted a discussion that focused on the challenges facing Latino communities in the United States.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Mexican Catholic leaders decry insecurity, plead for peace after murders
The Mexican bishops’ conference issued a plea for peace and Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes asked priests to celebrate Masses “for all the victims of violence in the country” after a pair of kidnappings and killings in the national capital provoked outrage and worsened perceptions of insecurity.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
As violence in Mexico continues to rise, can a new National Guard help?
According to the federal government, at least 8,493 people were killed during the first three months of this year. If this trend continues, the year will end with approximately 35,000 murders in Mexico—more than the already record-breaking 34,202 homicide victims of last year.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
For prison inmates, health care comes slowly and unpredictably
The paramount concern of all prisons is safety. This is understandable, but it still seems unfair when security eclipses the health and well-being of inmates, writes John T. Booth.