When one thinks about curbing gang activity...

of a community, one of the first people that you think of is Chief Greenberg of South Carolina who put a nip in the bud of inner-city gangs and crime.

I couldn't help but think of this great man when the Austin Chief of Police was on the news mentioning about the noteable increase of gang activity in the schools and the community. While most people often refer to him as the first black chief, many Charlestonians also remember him for his ridding of the gang activity in their blessed city. I know, because I once lived there for a period of time.

I began to wonder about what happend to him, where is he when you need him, etc and discovered that he has, in accordance to an Officer.com article of August 16, 2005, First Black Police Chief in Charleston, South Carolina, Retires After 23 Years, retired??? While I believe the article was remiss in not crediting him with his role in curbing gang activity, it did mention that he will be lecturing in the future. I, for one, will be having my ear to the ground in hopes of actually being priveldge of hearing him speak in person one day soon!!

Pysche = soul?

Okay, I am sure that I am not the only one who equated the study of psychology to include the study of the mind - behaviors and mental processing health. However, I am taking Psychology for the first time now in gearing up for my forensic psychology classes and I never really equated psychology to be anything about the soul. When I read, though, that Psychology is actually derived from two greek words (psyche -meaning soul; and, logos - study of a subject), it certainly makes one think about psychology from a whole 'nother perspective.

The soul? hmmm.

The spirit of the mind and soul - a phrase often connected with theology; but, interesting to connect the concept of the soul in the midst of the study of the psyche, what was otherwise perceived to just be the study of the mind.

So, now, I am thinking - am I going to be studying the criminal's mind or their soul? Can the soul and the mind be one of the same thing in essence?

Either way, it looks like it is going to be an interesting journey ahead!!

Criminal Minds - Wednesdays 8pm - CBS

Wow! What a show!

It stars "Greg" from "Dharma and Greg" and some other leading actors and actresses. It certainly drew me in with a not-so-obvious murder-suicide case of a family. Is is just because that I am interested in forensic psychology. I don't think so; it certainly is well produced.

I am certainly looking forward to seeing this show more often.

First Death Notification

I had my first death notification this morning of a 16 year old boy today. He had a fabulous network of family and friends (teachers and caregivers too) who loved him greatly. He had cerebral palsy and double hydrocephalus, and got sick over the weekend with vomiting and fevers and sometime between 2:30am and this morning he died in his sleep. A frail thing; however, his adoptive parents had adopted 27 children throughout the past 35 years - all with special needs. Strong parents to be able to be so very giving. And, the caretaker had been his caretaker for the past 7 years who would help with some of his nursing type of needs. I spoke to the teacher, who the mother had asked for me to call and notify. She had worked with him on a homebound basis; and, while most of her children got well and went back to school, this makes #5 for her that was taken away from her to be with the Lord.

Amazing people surround us.

Later, I went to pamper myself a little with getting my nails done in order to defocus and re-center myself. It certainly helped. My first death notification process went smoother than I had anticipated it to be; perhaps it helped that they child had been sick prior to the death this morning throughout the weekend; perhaps it helped, too, that the child had had some conditions that made it seem that is was a miracle that he was this long on this Earth. Who knows?? All I do know is that I realise that each situation is going to be different; but, at least, I am more aware of what they can be like in person - rather than just on paper or in training.