I always have to loop back to applications to criminal justice. When a judge is evaluating release or lessening restrictions on the individual standing before her, she looks at his record and informally calculates the probability that he will reoffend. This assumes that the individual’s behavior is immutable. If we see that he has offended repeatedly for the same actions, we assume it is because of a flaw in his character. Wrong. The probability is based upon the wrong information. If he continually robs houses, why does he do it? The court does not ask this question. What if we find that he has no job skills and cannot find any other way to support himself? What if the laws will not allow him to get a job or an education because he has been in prison? (This happens.) What if we were to teach him job skills and mentor him in his transition into the community? I advocated this since 1998. Since that time, this has been tried by places such as John Jay College Institute of Justice and Opportunity, and it works. Probability be damned.

 

To read more articles, access David Geiger’s blog at www.davidegeiger.com

Read Goodreads reviews of In the Matter of Edwin Potter at www.davidegeiger.com

IMOEP YouTube and other videos at www.davidegeiger.com/videos

 IMOEP is available at Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, and www.davidegeiger.com

 

“As the mother of a schizophrenic son, this was a hard book to read. I was not unfamiliar with the history. I was aware of the atrocities, and I was frightened for the future of my son. After reading this book, I am more familiar with the stories, more horrified at the atrocities, and still frightened for my son’s future, but I am armed with knowledge, tactics, resources, and a realization that there are other caring people besides frightened parents that are trying to help these people suffering from serious medical disorders.”

--Elizabeth Chen, 4/5 stars on Goodreads

 

 

David Geiger is a licensed and retired professional electrical engineer who spent 7 years in psychiatric hospitals and over 40 years since 1979 in the courts as a result of his schizophrenia. He worked for Consolidated Edison in NYC for 20 years and won recognition and an award for his work there. He writes about his illness in the book as well as those who have the illness and are caught up in the criminal legal system.