Inside
NCR John
goes to Rome; Teresa moves up
The popes recent words on
prisons should resonate with a special poignancy in the United States, where
prisons now hold almost a quarter of all those incarcerated throughout the
world.
John Paul IIs words, however, appear to have had little
effect. They certainly havent penetrated the presidential campaign
rhetoric. Bush and Gore at last notice were still trying to out-tough each
other on crime. The great American lockup continues unabated, driven by
privatized prisons and rigid sentencing rules that increasingly bar judges from
exercising discretion in leveling punishment.
Approximately 1.8 million people are behind bars in America. That
figure represents a doubling of the prison population in the last 12 years. On
any given day, 1.96 million children in the United States have a parent or
close relative in jail or prison. One out of three young African-American males
is under some form of criminal justice supervision.
The number of women inmates has tripled since 1985, and 78 percent
of them are mothers.
We covered a lot of that ground a year ago in a July 2 cover
story, America Imprisoned. But the magnitude of the problem
convinced the NCR staff, in a meeting earlier this summer, that we
should expand our coverage of prison issues in coming months. So expect to see
our Crime and Punishment logo on stories in the future.
In this issue, Patricia Lefeveres interviews with Catholic
experts in prison ministry and the criminal justice system open a door onto
realities that remain hidden from most of us.
John L. Allen Jr. has been with NCR since 1997, but the
accumulated effect of his reporting and writing is far greater than one might
expect from a three-year stint in a rumpled corner of our Kansas City newsroom.
I know from phone calls and notes that a lot of you have been impressed with
the quantity and quality of his work. Youre not alone. A lot of old hands
around here are impressed, too, with the range of issues he has managed to
cover and the depth and sophistication he has brought to our news pages.
Hes done all that while writing a critical biography titled Cardinal
Ratzinger due out this fall from Continuum.
In the coming years, hell have the chance to expand his own
and the newspapers horizons in Rome, where he recently opened an
NCR bureau.
He and his wife, Shannon, landed in Rome July 1 and, as
youll see in this issue, he wasted no time getting to work.
For all his seriousness, you should know that Allen is a
Simpsons aficionado. Who knows what got left behind to make room in
the luggage for the collection of shows he has faithfully taped over the
years.
Allen is shown here at the Bocca della verita (the mouth of
truth). Legend has it, he writes, that if I am a liar,
the mouth would snap shut on my hand. What better endorsement of my reporting
could we have?
Hes told us he still has both hands. He may still have all
of his digits, but you should also know he uses only two fingers to bang out
those stories. Imagine how prolific he might be if he learned to type. He can
be reached at jallen@natcath.org
Multi-talented Teresa Malcolm, who
began in NCRs production department in 1995 and has filled a
variety of spots since, will take over the opinion editor position vacated by
Allen. Malcolm (her TV preference, for the record, runs to Star
Trek and she has rather eclectic tastes in movies) codesigned the Briefs
pages for NCR and has compiled and edited that section for several
years. Among other assignments, she reported on the youth segment of the
popes visit to St. Louis; from Thailand, where she once served in the
Peace Corps; and from Guatemala and Mexico for last years Destinations
section.
As opinion editor, shell be handling columns, reviews, other
opinion pieces and special sections on subjects such as ministry and higher
education. She can be reached at tmalcolm@natcath.org
-- Tom Roberts
My e-mail address is robertstw@aol.com
National Catholic Reporter, July 28,
2000
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