The sixth panel I attended at #Readercon was "A Post-Police World," with L. Timmel Duchamp, Josh Jasper, @publichumanist, and Nicole D. Sconiers, moderated by @pablod. A more intense panel than I expected.
As with my previous recaps, I'm not sure which words in my notes are quotes, and which are paraphrases. Also, there's some terminology in here that I may not have a full grasp of. Feel free to correct what I get wrong.
A question from Josh Jasper: If we remove cops, can we still have procedurals?
From L. Timmel Duchamp: Growing up, I was taught police don't solve crimes; they're there for afterward.
From Nicole D. Sconiers: America is very punitive, and there's a human cost.
From Nicole D. Sconiers: There's an abuse to prison pipeline. What alternatives exist?
From Josh Jasper: We need to treat people's trauma as it happens, and be comfortable talking about it, and what drives people to do bad things.
From Josh Jasper: We need to talk about the drive to punish people we view as less than us.
L. Timmel Duchamp added: Also, mentally ill people.
And @publichumanist brought up podmapping: Who do you call when you're being harmed, or see someone being harmed or harming? Focus on community-based alternatives.
From @publichumanist: Our current framework asks :
- What's the law?
- Who broke it?
- How do we punish them?
Vs. Restorative Justice:
- Who was harmed?
- What relationships were affected?
- How do we repair that?
(Note: my last line above is inference. I missed a few words.)
From @publichumanist: Society isolates us, and crime is seen as individual harm rather than affecting the community.
And @publichumanist noted the importance of building relationships and trust.
From Josh Jasper: Prison punishes more than just one person; it punishes the community.
From Josh Jasper: We should look at the desire for revenge and ask, what's the effect?
And @publichumanist asked: Does punishing the person transform the conditions?
From @pablod: Someone confronted me with the consequences of my actions, and that was more powerful [than being punished].
Then, @pablod asked: Are there things the police are uniquely suited to dealing with?
From Josh Jasper: Police solve mysteries - but so do Holmes, Monk, and the characters on Leverage.
Another question from @pablod: The police purview is so broad, including mental health, community services, etc. What other ways can we build up competence in society so we don't have a punitive approach?
From @publichumanist: Bystander training emphasizes we all have a role to play in prevention.
Another question from @pablod: Police procedurals are a fantasy of justice: our conception of the actual justice system. How can we shift that paradigm?
From Nicole D. Sconiers: We need to acknowledge the trauma of police shootings. Writers have a responsibility to address this.
From @publichumanist: Trauma is something we don't address. Hurt people hurt people. A big way to prevent violence is to care for people who have been harmed.
@publichumanist Then, @publichumanist described a restorative justice model called the circle process: Everyone impacted by the crime gets together (along with facilitators), talks openly, and discusses how to address it.
Some resources mentioned during the panel:
- Common Justice (in NY)
- Howard Zehr Institute
- Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective
- transformharm.org
What narratives would you love writers to create?
@pablod: Handling murder without law enforcement.
L. Timmel Duchamp: Communication rather than action.
Josh Jasper: Show empathy.
(more answers below)
What narratives would you love writers to create? (continued from above)
@publichumanist: Podmapping: Who can I call for help
Nicole D. Sconiers: Community-based and survivor-based systems: the current prison system isn't working.
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