In a previous post, I talked about David Kennedy and his unorthodox methods of fighting crime in urban areas. Police Chief Settingsgaard told me that he has “a team being trained by Kennedy and his staff.” At the same time, I wrote to the State’s Attorney’s office to see what they thought of Kennedy’s methods. I recently received this reply from Kevin Lyons:
Dear C.J.:
In reply to your inquiry about David Kennedy, I am, indeed, familiar with him and this topic. In fact, four Peorians (including a prosecutor from my office and a Peoria police officer) recently returned from Raleigh, NC, following a three day training conference on details of the High Point Project. Recreating the High Point (NC) Project in some cities has met with great success; in others, uh, not so much. But I felt it worthy enough to take a look to see if we may want to embrace this effort and achieve some success for three targeted areas within the city (sorry, but I can’t share with you the neighborhoods that have been designated for this).
These four people will soon complete two more sessions before the ‘project’ here begins. I don’t know whether it will work but I do know that entire generations are lost to the buying and selling of mind-twisting drugs and that changing an entrenched culture will only be accomplished by impacting whole neighborhoods and not just a person here, a person there.
Perhaps it’s because David Kennedy and I are both 50ish and have watched drugs give the grave to friends and neighbors for more than 30 years. Perhaps it’s because we have watched battles being lost for years when waged against criminal drug sales in America. Perhaps the High Point Project makes a little sense because countless other projects do not. We’ll see.
It is interesting, C.J., that you and I were both piqued by this particular approach because, at first blush, this would never be my style…rolling the videotape to the offender and his family and then giving him a free pass. It will be a time intensive task that will take a lot of time by authorities. Then again, as prosecutors say – “there is never enough time…unless you’re serving it.”
Fingers crossed. Thanks for your inquiry.
KEVIN W. LYONS
Peoria County State’s Attorney
My thanks to Mr. Lyons for responding and sharing his thoughts on this topic. It will be interesting to see how these methods work here in Peoria.
Lyons: “It is interesting, C.J., that you and I were both piqued by this particular approach because, at first blush, this would never be my style…rolling the videotape to the offender and his family and then giving him a free pass. ”
Ummm … actually, that is his style, sorta. He just talks like it isn’t.
Always nice to know that our elected officials are capable of thinking outside the box.
So Billy – you are against trying this approach? or you’re just against Lyons trying this approach?
I am skeptical of this approach. I’d trust Settingsgaaard more than Lyons. I want to see research beyond the mere annecdotal. The approach seems at odds with “broken windows” which does work, but requires vigilance and a committment to actually punish people who committ crimes some people consider too minor to be worthy oftheir lost skills. I think that people who point guns at people and pull triggers because of peer pressure or ego are pretty much a lost cause. This approach seems to assume making them feel bad will get them to stop. Feh. Sociopaths only feel bad when they don’tget the stuff they want.
I’m worried this is being tried because it’s a way to reduce overcrowding at the Peoria County Jail.
I think that people who point guns at people and pull triggers because of peer pressure or ego are pretty much a lost cause. This approach seems to assume making them feel bad will get them to stop. Feh.
Sooooo not true. You are totally underestimating the power and influence of peer pressure. Ask any parent of a teenager.
Beth, I am trying to think of what amount peer pressure could be brought upon YOUR children to kill someone.
always good for a snarky, ill-informed laugh mr. dennis once again shines…
I’m worried this is being tried because it’s a way to reduce overcrowding at the Peoria County Jail.
and, what, exactly, do you know about managing jail populations; from offense to sentencing, to recidivism to rehabilitation?
i tire of your serious hacki-tude, dude.
Billy – kids that have low self esteem, learning disabilities and/or chronic illness are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure. Without going into detail, I have some knowledge in this regard.
…and I’m diane, not Beth. You daydreaming again? 😉
“there is never enough time unless you are serving it…” and you are black, poor and from the city … like I needed another reason to dislike lawyers.
“Forgive us as we forgive others…”
Why is there never “enough time” for people like George Ryan (6 years and 6 months) or Rod Blagojovich… Ted Stevens, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Ken Lay, uh… who is the congressman caught with his pants down in the bathroom? Robert Blake, OJ Simpson… If you are white “enough” you get short sentences (although I suspect they will pretend to make an example of Blago simply because of his arrogance over the whole thing.)
People like us who “should know better” are given every break the system can give them, and those animals from the ghetto are tossed away like so much trash.
“It’s not racial… ”
Yeah yeah I know… OJ Simpson isn’t “white”… surprise! Yes he WAS… his football and Hollywood fame lightened him up just enough to get himself a respectable place in white society. (Killing 2 white people quickly darkened him up again… that’ll get a house servant kicked back out into the fields)
“has met with great success; in others, uh, not so much”
Sort of like every other project trying to reduce crime, eh?
How is “just say no” working?
How is the war on drugs working? Pot is better than we were kids and a lot more expensive… cocaine is worse and cheaper… and now we got Meth…
How long did the foot cops in troubled neighborhoods idea get kicked around before it was forgotten?
How about adopt a thug? That one ever get any traction?
Until we realize crime is no different than a healthy child acting out in a dysfunctional family, we are going to continue to make no headway in the social phenomenon of deviance.
Anyone who has worked with families knows that the “troublesome kid” is the
one who is usually responding appropriately to a dysfunctional home life. Our society is dysfunctional. Does anyone still have any doubts after the economic and political events of the past 5 years?
Allen Ginsberg wrote: The only thing that can save the world is the reclaiming of the awareness of the world. That’s what poetry does.
The world has enough accountants, lawyers and sheriffs… we need more poets.
I highly recommend a revisiting of The Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams.