Camino OIKOTEN

[G. Hammond]

I do not consider New York's policy of offering entering the Armed Forces of the US vice serving prison/jail time the same as experiencing the Camino. Among other things the standards of the US Armed Forces may have once readily taken offenders but currently if recruiters are admitting them it is without knowing their criminal history or they are doing it against policy. The myth that the  US Armed Forces readily takes offenders is just that...a myth...and it is an insult to both those who serve in defense of the US; as well as Camino pilgrims to equate offenders of anykind with others' service to the nation or spiritual/growth intentions.  As for European judicial processes they are different from US policy for admittance to the Armed Forces. Jane

--- Original Message ----- 
  From: Rosina Lila 
  To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU 
  Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 12:13 PM
  Subject: Camino OIKOTEN


  Hello you all,
  For more than ten years Belgium has applied an "Oikoten" quasi-punitive judicially approved, whereby young people, between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five years of age,  who  have been convicted of fairly minor penal offenses, may be sent to walk the Camino, under suitable supervision, in lieu of going to prison.
  The Belgian authorities report that about 60% of these "oikoten" are reintroduced into society successfully, and that their recidivism is less than half  that of those who have been imprisoned.
  A plan has been sent to the Spanish parliament to apply the same system to young first-time offenders in Spain.  Reportedly, the Parliament has accepted the plan for study and possible adoption. 
  I may add that here in New York we have a somewhat similar system.  Representing a young, first-time offender, convicted of a not terribly  serious offense,  attorneys often request that the young person be given the option of enlisting in a branch of the armed services in lieu of being sent to prison.  After taking into consideration the totality of circumstances surrounding the offense, and the character and history of the young person,  our judges often agree.    
  Warm regards,
  Rosina
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.oakapple.net/pipermail/gocamino/attachments/20030711/612b1335/attachment.htm