Criminal Justice Failures

The Center for Court Innovation (US) has produced a new book that anyone advocating for justice reform, on either the political right or left, should read.

Daring to Fail: First-Person Stories of Criminal Justice Reform. A collection of interviews with leading criminal justice thinkers and policymakers, Daring to Fail offers valuable lessons about leadership, management and innovation.

and from page 3

Recognizing this, the Center for Court Innovation and the U.S.
Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance have launched
a multi-faceted initiative designed to promote innovation at the
grassroots level by encouraging criminal justice agencies to engage
in a process of trial and error – much the way a scientist would.
A large part of this effort has been devoted to studying criminal
justice reform efforts – both successes and failures – in an effort
to identify lessons for the innovators of tomorrow. By fostering a
more open and honest public discussion of failures in particular,
the project seeks to encourage self-reflection, transparency and
thoughtful risk-taking among criminal justice agencies.

Well done, well done! Learn from mistakes. Canadians, learn from the mistakes of our neighbours.

My favourite line from this book, though I haven't finished reading yet, is from page 11:

The other big failure is incarceration

Critical, honest thinking is crucial, especially at times like this.

Reminder, this blog expresses my personal opinions

Crash and reboot

I had a little crash on my iPad this week. Once with Kobo and then another little crash with the factory email app. I was thinking it was the OS upgrade that I finally got around to doing over the holiday break. Thanks to Steve Matthews for reminding me that Software Apps Crash Too.

These two little blips on my device (in the short 8 months of enjoying its presence in my life)are NOTHING compared to the number of desktop/server/laptop bonks that I have suffered through over the years. We are living in a world where device dependence is rapidly increasing.

With very few exceptions, 'computer' problems in my life have been software driven. Everything is software. Apps, operating systems, the code that makes your email work, the telephone server, the thing that makes your cell phone voice mail message arrive a week later than when it was recorded, everything. Software is written by humans. Humans err.

My anxiety over the Kobo app crash was a bit extreme. Or maybe not. It was like dropping 30 books in the bathtub, all at the same time and knowing that you don't have room in the freezer to do a freeze dry repair. I just finished reading a bunch of older Suzanne Brockmann novels and a new Jayne Ann Krentz, all on the crack pad.

Reboot, reboot, phew.


P.S. If you leave your iPod in your jeans and put it through the washer. If you listen to your Mom, and put it in the freezer for a week before doing anything else (like trying to turn it on to 'check it') your iPod will be just fine. You headphones are hooped though.