Thank you all for your hard work to keep Boston University safe. The past few weeks have been anxiety provoking for us all, and I very much appreciate the steps the university and the police departments have taken to return us back to normalcy.
As I read of the arrest of one suspect Thursday evening, I felt a mix of relief and trepidation. Relief, obviously, because walking along St. Paul Street will begin to feel less threatening. Trepidation accompanied these thoughts, however, as I began to wonder what would happen to the adolescent who turned himself in.
My perspective is as one who has worked in social services and with restorative justice. There is a broad understanding in our society that the criminal justice system does not rehabilitate criminals productively. I do not know the backgrounds of the young men who have been perpetrating these crimes, but I must believe that they deserve every chance we can give them.
As a social work and theology student, coursework at BU has taught me that relationships and providing support services to a very young perpetrator — along with certain necessary punitive measures — are critical in helping this child find reform and a future life as a productive member of society.
These children — yes, they are children — have made very poor decisions that have affected a large number of people. My plea for those who will be involved in deciding punishment and the justice process for these young individuals is that they think deeply about the possibilities for restoration that might lead these young lives into becoming better, changed, more productive lives. There are a number of resources for restorative justice available to aid in thinking about this, including the expertise of some of our own faculty, students and alumni. This institution has taught me that great things are possible thanks to those who work for justice and a better world. In light of these teachings, it is my hope that BU can be a leading example in implementing innovative responses to violence that lead to real, beneficial, progressive change in our society.
I thank you again for the time and resources that have been expended in the midst of this crisis at BU.
Respectfully and with gratitude,
Alicia Cameron
SSW/STH 2014
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