Congrats to Vincent Schiraldi, the juvie probation chief in Washington D.C. who was just tapped to head the probation department in New York City. See this Washington Post story on his new job.
I got to know Vinnie a little when he ran the Justice Policy Institute out of D.C. and helped us in Texas advocate for what turned out to be landmark probation reforms in 2003 and 2005. Indeed, JPI's 2000 public policy report "Texas Tough" (pdf) was an early precursor to the debates that led to Texas' later probation reforms.
I always respected Vinnie's smarts and his pragmatism. I last spoke to him shortly after he accepted the job in D.C., and he told me this was his chance to "put my money where my mouth is." Having previously worked as an advocate, he was thrust into the role of managing a juvie probation department in a major American city with serious and notorious crime problems. To judge by the Post coverage, Schiraldi didn't make the local union happy. But recidivism rates declined notably on his watch and according to the D.C. Mayor, "He's created and implemented innovative programs that will serve as national best practice models for years to come."
Congratulations, Vinnie, and good luck in your New York gig.
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10 comments:
There you go straying off topic again. How does your buddy getting a job in NYC have anything to do with Texas justice?
While I am glad when anyone is able to secure employment in these trying times, I can't help but notice how you conveniently refuse to discuss pertinent issues outside the boundaries of your state.
I'm not sure why you do this, although it is clear it has nothing to do with staying on topic.
First, I mention it because quite a few people in the TX crimjust reform community know Vinnie from when he worked on Texas stuff for a while.
As for being off-topic, the "topic" I've defined for myself is thusly described in the sidebar: "Grits for Breakfast looks at the Texas criminal justice system, with a little politics and whatever else suits the author's fancy thrown in."
Consider this "whatever else suits the author's fancy," and if you don't like it, don't visit here.
So why not add the caveat if you don't like it, don't visit here to the sidebar as well?
I'm not telling you what to post on your blog, but it's not like you have devoted it to family and personal life. You write about public issues that effect us all and that is why most of us come here, even those of us who don't work in the field.
Like it or not, that is what your readers will come to expect of you.
Anyway, congrats to Vinnie. I've never heard of him, but I'm glad for him and his family and wish him all the best.
I don't think it's necessary to add that caveat to the sidebar. Most folks understand this is a personal blog and I write about what I care about, not to fit anyone else's expectations. Nobody forces anyone to come here if they think I'm wasting their time.
Schiraldi is someone who worked on Texas crimjust issues in the past before taking his D.C. gig, including significant research that influenced public policy debates here. Even if you dont' know him, his contribution was important and memorable to those of us working on these issues at the time.
Google the Justice Policy Institute and you will learn about the four board members of that organization. One of the four is Katharine Huffman who was sponsored by the George Soros foundation. George Soros is considered to be one of the most dangerous influences in American society today. Everyone should learn about Soros.
It's not a personal blog when you use it to influence the public and elected officials. We all know you have an agenda, and while I might mostly agree with your politics, I don't buy into the personal blog thing.
And Shiraldi is a native New Yorker, so he just took a job in his home town. Big Deal. I know plenty of New Yorkers and Californians who came to Texas when things were booming in the south and government budgets were overflowing, only to go back up north when they got a good civil service job.
I'm not trying to denigrate the guy for going where the money is. Anyone with a family would do the same. But don't make him out to be some kind of saint. Whatever he might have done for Texas didn't matter so much as what he got of out going to DC and NYC.
And one more thing, Grits. Years ago I was in acquintance with an old, crusty Texas sonofabitch who said
If you want someone to critcize you, just do something
That guy was Sam Kendricks, maybe you heard of him.
"It's not a personal blog when you use it to influence the public and elected officials. "
Actually, it is a personal blog. It's a hobby, no one pays me, I do it on my own time, for my own reasons and purposes. I write about what interests me and don't hew to any organization or party agenda. Individuals may seek to "influence the public and elected officials," can't they?
Also, I don't think I made Vinnie out to be a saint, I just congratulated him on a new, high-profile gig, and mentioned that I appreciated his help when he worked with us in Texas.
The success and wide readership of GFB spawns a little jealousy, it seems.
Schiraldi is one of the best things that has ever hit the juvenile justice field. He's a visionary who will do the right thing for kids in the face of harst media criticism and internal attempted assasination. He brought DC into the modern era and will do the same in New York. Don't take it from this blog post--watch and see for yourself.
And to Grits: Thanks for writing about things happening outside of Texas that can inform us who are here. To reject such information is simply foolish.
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