FCL NEWSLETTER -- August/September, 2001

Preventing Violence

Though violence prevention strategies have gained respect over the past 10 years, suicide and homicide remain as leading causes of death, particularly among our youth. Furthermore, state efforts to reduce violence are not given the priority they deserve, according to a critical review by the Little Hoover Commission. The Commission's report, Never Too Early, Never Too Late To Prevent Youth Crime and Violence, was published in June.

The report surveys more than a billion dollars worth of programs in more than a dozen state agencies that claim to have some value in preventing violence (see chart, page 3). It describes various prevention strategies, including after-school youth programs, early childhood education, and family resource centers that clearly contribute to safer communities. Most of the programs work to strengthen neighborhoods, families, and individuals so they are more resilient and productive in stressful situations.

However, according to the report, numerous school districts, health agencies, law enforcement agencies and communities either remain unaware of the variety of tools at their disposal, or lack the minimal funds needed to make good use of them. And most state agencies have not made the transition from experimentation with new concepts to effective program implementation.

It will take a more focused effort and state leadership for cities and counties to develop enough trained leaders to implement high-quality violence prevention programs for most of the young people who are at risk. Neither the funding nor any plan for such an effort is in place, and during the first year of the 2001-2002 Legislative Session, there was little progress in this direction.

Three bills that sought to improve performance in this important area are worthy of note. They are now two-year bills and will be considered further in early 2002.

AB 298 (Darrell Steinberg, D., Sacramento) proposed to expand funding for after-school programs to serve students in some of the 2500 schools that do not currently have such programs, and for community-based youth development organizations. The bill was held in Senate Appropriations Committee.

SB 131 (Martha Escutia, D., Los Angeles) proposed to give statutory support and grant funding to collaborative efforts involving law enforcement and health professionals to address the trauma of children who are victims of or witnesses to violence. The bill had a $3 million appropriation, and was held in Senate Appropriations Committee.

SB 939 (Nell Soto, D., Ontario) directed the State Department of Health Services to establish a violence prevention policy center, to provide technical assistance and training in violence prevention for communities, and to make grants to community collaborative programs. The bill was held in Senate Appropriations Committee. With purchases of electric power absorbing billions of dollars and huge amounts of legislative attention, none of the above measures could develop the momentum necessary to overcome the bureaucratic and turf issues that accompany any issue affecting more than one state bureaucracy. It also appears that there are lingering doubts about having the state assume responsibility for violence prevention. Proponents of nonviolence now have a few months to build consensus in this area before the above bills must move or die in January.

Fortunately, $116 million in state budget funding was assigned to continue the grant programs established in 2000 under AB 1913 (Cardenas, D., Mission Hills) and supervised by the Board of Corrections. There was also a $30 million increase in funding for after-school youth programs. Compared to the billions of dollars committed each year to address the consequences of violence, however, these sums are woefully small. The Little Hoover Commission report makes clear that we have work to do. California's leaders must present the need for violence prevention, and must promote the investment of political, financial, and technical capital to address the problems endured by over-stressed families and neglected children at risk for violence. The report correctly points out that nonviolence cannot be an afterthought; it must become a priority of government.

Thorndike's Law of Effect states that "animals, including humans, tend to repeat those actions producing satisfying consequences and refrain from those producing dissatisfying consequences." This appears to describe everyday life: naughty children may be quiet when given candy, some employees work harder when offered a bonus, and some students may study to get an A. But do children stop bullying if they are spanked?

Alfie Kohn, in his controversial book, Punished by Rewards: The Trouble With Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes, challenges our thinking about systems built on rewards and punishments. He says that rewards manipulate behavior, rupture relationships, ignore real motives, and kill a person's intrinsic desires. When the reward stops, a person may be less likely to perform than if you had never offered a reward.

Kohn's focus is on the paradoxical effect of rewards, but he sees similar problems with use of penalties to control behavior. "The troubling truth is that rewards and punishments are not opposites at all; they are two sides of the same coin. And it is a coin that does not buy very much." (p. 50)

Rewards and punishments manipulate behavior, induce a change that is superficial, and miss the heart of the problem. "[P]unishment typically leads not to improvement but to defiance, defensiveness, and rage." (p. 135) The idea that punishments, like rewards, make problems worse is alarming when we view our deep investment in penal systems. Should we consider whether there is not something in the very nature of punishment that renders people who emerge from confinement more likely to be violent?

? Satsuki Koyama

10 Leading Causes of Death in California 1990-1998

Rank	Ages 10-14	Ages 15-24	Ages 25-34

  	Unintentional	Unintentional	Unintentional
1	Injury	        Injury	        Injury
	1,563	        13,013	        15,082

2	Cancer	        Homicide	HIV
	645	        11,580	        11,782

3	Homicide	Suicide  Homicide
	579	        4,221	        9,132

4	Suicide  Cancer	        Suicide
	252	        2,037	        6,347

	Congenital	Heart	
5	Anomalies	Disease	        Cancer
	240	        878	        5,257

Recent Books on Violence Prevention

Violence: Reflections on Our Deadliest Epidemic (1997), James Gilligan

James Gilligan, M.D., was called into the Massachusetts prison system because of the high rates of suicide and murder in the institutions. By the time he left, these rates had dropped almost to zero, and he had developed a challenging theory about the major causes of suicide and violence. He thinks that those who commit horrifying crimes are very often defending themselves against a deep sense of shame and a loss of self-respect.

Dr. Gilligan asserts that our legal and penal systems, to the extent they are based on notions of retribution, have a tendency to perpetuate violent behavior. He thinks his success in addressing violence in prison could be matched in other institutions, but only if those responsible are willing to consider the factors at work in the minds of those who are in custody.

Emotional Honesty and Self Acceptance

Educator Ronald Brill set out to uncover the psychic motives for violence among youth and found that emotional dishonesty often leads to anger and a loss of self-respect, expressed in aggressive behavior.

This year, FCL has been blessed with four summer research interns. UC Davis undergraduates Kenrick Mercado and Victoria Trinies, together with UCLA students Soo Sun Choe and Satsuki Koyama, have been performing research and writing assignments and working to update FCL's Inventory of Violence Prevention Programs.

Victoria says that actually seeing the letters of support dropped off in legislative offices, watching the networking between lobbyists and observing the need to mobilize the public have been educational for her. She also is fascinated by legislative committee meetings, particularly by the dynamic between those speaking on a bill and the committee members. She says she has an improved grasp of what it takes to see legislation enacted.

Kenrick finds that maneuvering the hallways and staircases of the Sacramento Capitol building has helped to stimulate his thinking regarding possible careers to build from his studies in international relations and political science. He says he realizes that there are great humanitarian causes for which to fight, and that the ability to defend the defenseless and speak for the voiceless requires education.

Satsuki finds it exciting to look at issues from the perspective of bills that make their way through the legislative process. She will be assisting in the revision of FCL's pamphlet opposing the death penalty.

With sadness we note the pass-ing of two citizens of Berkeley, each of whom had an enduring impact on the Friends Committee on Legislation and its work.

A feisty dreamer, Clare Millikan served for many years on the FCL board, helping with harvest festivals and reminding us to champion many worthy causes. Clare died in January at the age of 85.

Born in 1915 in Godalming, England, Clare lost her schoolteacher father, George Leigh- Mallory, in his attempt to climb Mt. Everest when she was eight years old. Her mother Ruth was an artist. Although she grew up in a privileged household, there was an atmosphere of radicalism. Her father advocated home rule for Ireland long before the idea became current. Clare graduated with top honors in history from Cambridge University, and worked for a year as a tutor at Mills College in Oakland before returning to England to marry Glenn Millikan. They had three children ? George, Richard, and Mark ? before her husband was also killed in a climbing accident.

Clare joined Berkeley Friends Meeting in 1955, and was soon active in the life of the Meeting, serving as clerk in 1983. Friends recall that Clare joked that the post office should give her residence its own zip code to accommodate the large volume of appeals from worthy organizations. Dedicated to the end, she prepared for her own memorial services by filling a basket with envelopes from her favorite causes and leaving instructions that everyone should pick at least one envelope in her memory.

The FCL community more recently lost Betty Bacon, who died in June at the age of 86. Betty logged in over half a century of human rights activism and was a proud lifelong radical. After college, Betty worked as a union leader, poet, editor, and a teacher at the Jefferson School in New York. She moved to California in 1953, seeking to avoid the McCarthy era blacklist. Betty then began writing children's books. She also wrote some of the first environmental books for young people, as well as books about Native Americans and Jewish holidays. She believed that children should have books that help them understand social problems. In 1958, Betty earned a master's degree in library science. In her 20-year library career she helped found the Bay Area Storytelling Festival and forged relationships with children's librarians throughout the world.

Betty's connection to FCL began in 1952, the year of its founding. From her home in Berkeley she served as clerk of the Northern Regional Committee and later joined the Administrative committee. A frequent participant in civil rights demonstrations of the 1960s and '70s, Betty helped young people challenge the draft during the Vietnam War, and campaigned against the death penalty and nuclear arms. She tirelessly worked for the rights of prisoners and women, and on several occasions organized the annual FCL "Lobby Day" at the State Capitol. Associates remember her for her devotion and steadfast commitment to FCL, and her unfaltering belief that people could change the organization of society so that it would benefit everyone.

We honor the legacy of Clare and Betty by continuing our efforts toward that end.

Staff Attends the Quaker Yearly Meeting

Each year, the FCL staff attends the annual gathering of Quakers from meetings in California, Hawaii, Mexico, and Guatemala, known as "Pacific Yearly Meeting." We set up a display of literature, participate in meetings, and listen to concerns. This year, our buttons with messages of non-violence and equality were in such great demand that the display was seriously depleted by week's end.

Steve led Young Friends in sharing experiences of bullying and serious violence in their schools. The discussion explored ways that stress and anger erupt into dangerous confrontations. We heard about life-threatening outbursts at "privileged" and even "Quaker" institutions.

During the meeting for memorials, Friends remembered the lives of two young meeting attenders cut short by gun violence in the year just ended.

Kenrick and Steve participated in exercises from programs known as "Alternatives to Violence" and "Help Increase the Peace." In schools, neighborhoods, jails, and prisons, these workshops lead people to understand how their attitudes and feelings can resolve dangerous situations. They show students, citizens, and prisoners how to exercise "transforming power" by expecting the best, looking for a non-violent solution, thinking before reacting, respecting one's self, and caring for others.

Victoria and Vickie participated in an exploration of environmental stewardship based on the spiritual concerns of Friends. Victoria was delighted by the enthusiasm and commitment to social issues at the gathering, and was amazed by the variety of social projects Friends take on. She says the "source of the fire that keeps FCL going" was evident in the passionate people she met.

Risk and Resiliency Factors for Violence

Risk Factors