Danielle Levy

Some 20 years ago Stephen Glass just made up people, quotes, events, whatever he needed to fabricate articles which ended up published in magazines like Rolling Stones and New Republic. He received raves, raised suspicions, was found out, fired, and later wrote a book about it. Now he’s a graduate of Georgetown University law school and a paralegal for a Los Angeles law firm. He tried to get a license to practice law in New York, and withdrew his application when he realized he would be rejected on moral grounds. He moved to L.A., passed the California bar and applied for a license there. He was turned down and won an appeal after a ten day hearing during which his employer, his professors and his psychiatrist all testified it should be awarded to him. That gave him the opportunity to handle some cases and do a lot of pro bono work for the firm employing him. Then the committee of bar examiners appealed his license on morals grounds. Since the appellate court ruled in Glass’s favor, they asked the California Supreme Court which has the final say about law licenses to look into the case. At the hearing the justices had harsh words for Glass, leaving observers to wonder how they could rule in his favor. People who make mistakes, particularly big ones, deserve the opportunity to redeem themselves, or at least have another chance. In the years since his mistakes, Glass has been trying to forge a new life and move forward as a productive member of society. Refusing him a license may be some people’s idea of justice, but may not be what’s best for the society as a whole—Can justice be just if it does not have compassion, and even forgiveness?

Mexico has recently launched a crusade against hunger, a move that is based on the right to food which was part of their 2011 constitution. Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Guatemala are also countries which are moving in the direction of the right to food. In Africa too the right to food is gaining. In Zambia, for example, the 2011 food, security and nutrition action plan works toward it. The UN Rapporteur assigned to this issue says that the right to food directly or indirectly influences policy, clarifies the causes and solutions of hunger, and works toward accountability. There is as yet no enforcement system, should countries not implement their own rules, no agencies international or local will make them accountable. Research shows, however, that the countries where progress has been made in reducing hunger, share certain traits: political commitment; involvement and empowerment of civil society; the use of a long term approach; coordinated policies in education, gender, water and sanitation; pro-poor economic development; trade and domestic financial investment backed by external matching funds. Research also shows that one time efforts over short periods do not achieve results. The elimination of hunger may still be a long way off, but it’s heartening to know that at a time when the U.S.is curtailing Food Stamps benefits and eligibility, the right to food is making inroads.

One out of three inmates in California prisons is deemed to have some form of mental illness. Prison guards have been using pepper spray when prisoners do not obey what they are asked to do, regardless of whether or not they are able to understand the requests. Now a federal scrutiny into the use of force ordered the California department of corrections to make public 122 tapes of such incidents which had been sealed. There has been at least one death attributed to pepper spray, and one of the tapes involves a naked person being sprayed for about half an hour sometimes at close range—perhaps an extreme example, but nevertheless a documented occurrence. As a result of U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton’s order, the department is working on new rules to curb allowing the use force to subdue mentally ill prisoners. The new rules have not been released but department of correction officials hope they will be in place by the end of the year. New rules for mentally ill inmates are obviously essential, but they are not enough. What is needed is a total rethinking of what to do with those who are mentally ill and end up in prison.