Citizen Reporter

ctrp368 Understanding Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice (RJ) isn’t a new idea but in the modern day world of criminal justice, few people know about the tremendous impact it is having in different parts of the world. In an era where everyone likes to talk about being tough on crime and locking away or executing the bad guys, RJ is making strides in areas our criminal justice system never could on its own.

The following podcast is to introduce the concept and practice of restorative justice as it is being used to address crime on a individual as well as mass scale. As we watch citizens of nations throughout North Africa and the Middle East, as well as in the United States, rise up and demand justice, it is more important then ever to examine how to best achieve this justice and address the emotion and trauma that comes with it.
My guests are:
Les Davey – CEO of the International Institute for Restorative Practice UK

Howard Zehr – Professor of Restorative Justice at Eastern Mennonite University’s graduate Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and is the editor of The Little Books of Justice and Peacemaking series.

2 Days to Uganda Elections

Poll Worker — Polling Station Worker, Uganda by: flickrmember peprice

We are less than 2 days from presidential elections in Uganda, a place that already is regularly left out of the front pages and trending topics in many parts of the world. When you add to its usual lack of coverage the fact that right now whatever international news is getting attention is focused on any and all protests in Algeria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Iraq or Bahrain, it is a bad time for anyone that wants to hear more from Uganda.

Myself in my own work, though I say I focus on under reported news, Uganda and Ugandan elections are topics that I have not touched on often enough. Still, with a president election this weekend, what I do know is that there is a president (Museveni) who has been in power for more than 25 years. Regardless if he would be a perfectly charming and benevolent president, 25 years qualifies as too long and a matter of suspicion for this citizen journalist. After having eliminated limits on how many terms a president can serve, the Ugandan leader has earned similar criticism and concern in his home country and among the international community.

In the lead up to this election, my sources on the ground have warned of fraud. They’re concerned with how easily it could happen, especially if the government can manipulate final vote counts. There is a need for eyes on the ground, for reporting, and observing. It seems anyone involved it trying to do so is going to have a major challenge on their hands. This challenge deserves the same kind of support we’ve seen pouring out over the past few weeks for Tunisia and Egypt.

One place I will be looking throughout this process, besides the various voices on twitter, is on the UgandaWatch site. UW is an Ushahidi report-mapping system where Ugandans can submit, via sms or web, reports about what they are seeing wherever they are in the country. This will help, though it doesn’t tell the complete story, to understand what is really going on compared to whatever the office of the president may tell us.

Let’s hope it is a good weekend for voters, journalists and election observers in Uganda.

ctrp367 Reflections on Revolutions

It is a new day in Egypt. You’ve heard about the tools, you’ve heard about the youth, but what happened and what happens in not only the region but in places like the United States. What do Egypt and the United States have in common and could youth in the US be inspired? And what can be said about Algeria, Iran, and other areas where something big might be happening and what is the nature of that something?

My guest is John G. Mason, professor of Political Science at William Paterson University (the same department and classroom in which I became socially and politically conscious). He does not claim to be an expert with all the answers on Middle East or North African politics. What John does know about is asking the right questions and keeping a critical eye on events even in a time when many have taken the focus off of the process now taking place in Egypt and Tunisia.

Liberation Square

Some of John’s recommended sources:

Juan Cole | Tom Dispatch | Courrier International

ctrp366 Violence Against Women in the Military

Photo via John Lasker An alarming number of women are dying non-combat deaths in the US military. When families try to find out why, they are prevented from getting that information. The US military doesn’t want to explain the details of how and why many of their female soldiers have died. In some cases they won’t even release the bodies or body parts to grieving loved ones.

John Lasker is an investigative reporter based in the state of Ohio in the US. He has been writing and researching this issue in an effort to get the details that have been kept from families and the issue of sexual violence against women in the military.

Beyond what John has been investigating, we also talk about how he publishes his articles. Namely his use of a new type of crowd funded journalism web portal, spot.us. We get into the familiar topics of the future of journalism, especially the critical investigative type that has almost vanished from traditional media publications.

Besides the links above to John’s work, he is also the author of the book Tech Noir, available now as an ebook.

Military Coverup of Female Deaths

Photo by US Army Korea - IMCOM on flickr

A growing number of women have, according to the military, died in non-combat situations. When grieving families ask for information about how their loved one died, they are frequently met with little detail, vague stories, and often kept from knowing what happened all together.

Investigative journalist John Lasker has looked into case after case of female military personel who have died non-combat deaths over the past few years. With each story he finds mounting evidence that there something more going on among the ranks of women in the US armed forces.

You can read his full article and help support his ongoing research on spot.us. On tomorrow’s edition on citizenreporter.org, John Lasker will be my guest and we will discuss the cases and his research into the larger issue of sexual violence against women in the military.

45 to 60 Days

The world is fixated on Egypt for the last 7 days and for good reason. However elsewhere in the world things are also changing in different ways and it is important that good journalists and critical minds don’t all converge in one place.

Just over two weeks ago much of the attention in the international press was focused on Tunisia, again, understandable considering the powerful and historically breathtaking images from the streets of Tunis. The departure of the president/dictator was a great victory for anyone who favors an open and democratic Tunisia. The event is hailed as the inspiration of Egypt and possibly a growing list of nations where iron fisted rulers are suddenly scared of what fate may await them.

You’ve heard about these things, but what of Tunisia since January 11? An acting President and a whole new slate of ministers, including a political party and cabinet member that had been banned and jailed under the tyrannical rule of Ben Ali. According to the constitution, in 45 to 60 days from the moment the acting president steps in, an election must be held. At this point no date has been set, but that doesn’t deter the questions of who will run, what parties will come forward, how will they work together in an eventual government, and what will be their program. I‘ve heard analysts say left of center, or islamic left, but I still wonder how it will all play out.

In the meantime there is word of many new freedoms, especially when it comes to the press. This is of course a great and essential development, but it is important in such a critical aftermath of a revolution, when the world’s short attention span has moved on, that critical and concerned observers not sit back and assume all will be well. Part of what ensures this process really takes place and has long lasting value, is that we keep asking questions, and keep up the pressure.