Allston-Brighton Volume 4, Number 16 April 19, 1990 Newsstand Price Only 50¢ Breaking out of the system Boston Pre-release Center provides prisoners with a way out By Scott Rolph In the slate deparunent of cor­ rections, Abu Hanif Abdal-Khallaq is somewhat of an anomaly. ~he e· ommonw~alth An African-American who grew ~'f ~ fi aHo.drn,ttf~ up in Dorchester, Abu, the superin­ to~ton tendent of the Boston Pre-release Center, is equally adeptatspealcing f'rt~ .R clUH street vernacular and imparting crimi­ '!.'ml~ r nological philosophy, at interacting with prisoners on a social, human !lorchtiftr Jn4iHl chuttHi level and wearing the badge of au­ thority. While many in the city of Bos­ ton have only recently turned their attention to crime and how the city should respond to it, Abu has oper­ ated one of the most successful in- stitutions in the state in terms of rehabiliiating prisoners for over 15 Abu Hanif Abdal-Khallaq is superintendent of the years. Boston Pre-Release Center in Dorchester. Though he's considered a mav­ erick in the system, he has engen­ dered respect among his peers and, indeed, the criminal justice system would be best­ his prisoners for fulfilling the ideal of his served to adopt a more humane correctional correctional philosophy. policy-one that strives to enable prisoners And even as the lingering memory of to redirect their lives. I George'sBush'sWillyHortoncampaignads That philosophy is largely born out of his permeates this country's sensibilities, and experience at the pre-release center, where anti-crime rhetoric points to the need for he and his staff have crafted a balance be­ more prison cells, Abu continues to say our tween discipline and freedom that has pro- correctional policy is woefully misdirected. __in_s_tead_o_f_m_o_re_p_n_ ·so_n _sp_ac_e_ ._sa_y_s _A_b_u.________ c_o_nt-in_u_ed_o_n.:..p..:ag:_e_ 1_o_J :1 7 Environmentalism as good business ::}.~,::'.... :-~...... b .... 1 e..... :, p- ;r-:~-f'-: .....Jt_w __.-. er-.,~-h· ~-.....;.. 11t....;•. •·. -w -lease-.-..~:-· ·· <m:-.:;:r-!;!~-'.~·_e-_; "1_:....~ -1- '.,,f-;'.:.,,~-~-,,/n-a""". ~=·~·==~""":=·~-~~-··fuo-.. -P-·~~-st-ie-s._;;·~'.~ Businesses adopt environmentally-friendly policy ¥.By Stt)tt)()tph ·' q{ . ttS(Ote -~ blood fk>w. 1'he doc~ :> By Daniel Hurewitz profitable to be an environmentalist" In the last year alone, DuPont CEO Edgar Environmentalism has left behind ' Woolard gave a speech called "Corpo- its childhood days in the pages of ... / ' rate Environmentalism," Texaco's Greenpeace newsletters and Si­ .!J ' AlfredDecranesp(jreon"TheGreen­ erra Club magazines. It has !.I . ' ing of the Energy World," and soared through the special o ' former Deputy Secretary of focus sections of our na­ , the Treasury R.T. McNamar tional news magazines, and ~'to ~ spoke about "New Issues for across the health and science ~~..,,,.,. "~ ~ the Economic Summit The En­ editions of our daily newspapers. 't-~ ~ vironment and Growth." And it has landed, quite suddenly, on ~ ~ ForthecoverstoryofFortuneMaga- the covers ofour business journals and the zine' s February 12 issue, David Kirkpa- agendas of corporate boards and marketing trick wrote to the business community, strategists. "Environmentalism won't fade away. It's Quite simply, according to Boston-based going to get bigger. It's going to get more copywriter Alec Beckett, "It has become Continued on page S Educational Murder in Killer Comedy Rap Allston Page 13 Page 4 Page8 Offbeat romance Rappers Tough Pollce are Investi­ · /Love You Times are anxiously gating the murder To Death awaiting the release of an Allston man Is screwball com­ of their rap who was shot In his edy at Its best. Times It Up. apanment Monday. ~~..;;.;;;,:::;..m Page 2 The Journal April 19, 1990 INTERVIEW City Councillor David Scondras fights to expand the role of government Boston City Councilor David Scondras is serving his sixth But before you even gel to the year as the District 8 Councilor. With a bachelors degree in salary issue, there's a deeper one, which Math from Harvard and a masters in Economics from North­ is an awakening on people's part about eastern, the Lowell-born politician taughtand worked in elder what our collective enterprise is. We care before winning his seat on the council. Scondras, who is forget what it is we do for each other. openly gay, has successfully sponsored human rights and We really do. We have a confusion in assault weapons legislation. He is currently vying fora seat on our minds. We don't understand, at least the Harvard Board ofOverseers .Journal staff reporter Daniel we don't articulate what it is that gov­ Hurewitz this week asked Scondras to outline his views of ernment is. And forget "government," government and the challenges that lie ahead for the City of because we talk about government as if Boston. it were somebody else. Let's talk about that part ofour life that we have decided we will lead together, as an organized Let's begin with the question ofideology.DavidScondras has society. And our contribution to our been described as the liberal extreme of the council, as Mr. "common wealth," what we share. Progressive. How you would define your ideology? Let's look at that for a moment Ideology is a funny word. I've never really understood it Somebody gets up in the morning, they I don't have any religion, that can be defined. I don't make go to the bathroom, they flush the toilet, politics my religion. I'm not married to any specific philo­ they don't have to worry about where it sophical view of the world .... goes. That's government The night before, I could explain to you what makes me tick, I suppose. they'd taken out some garbage. And all I believe life is about its own celebration, life is about of a sudden it disappeared. That's gov­ enjoying life. The object of life is to enjoy life. ernment. Don't have to worry about it Governments are instituted to remove the obstacles to that They tum on the water to wash their enjoyment. The purpose of government is to facilitate human mouth out. Didn't have to worry that beings desire to flourish, to let people grow. Not to dictate they would get sick.. Government how they grow, not to define what growing means, not to tell The most important thing we do 1 people what to think, or what to say, or what to wear, or where is our collective efforts to create an to go. But to help people go where they say they want to gc, environment that's clean, and safe, and and do what they say they want to do, become what they say enriching for each other. they want to become. What does it mean ifwe' re not fulfilling So when you look around at Boston in 1990, what do you see those goals? When we're graduating as primary concerns for Boston city government? kids who can't read from high school? The same concerns they've always been. That you can't What does it mean when we have a fulfilling and flourishing life when half of your people don't implement recycling? What does earn under $24,000. That you can't have a safe and exciting David Scondras it mean when we don't understand why city when you have thousands of people who are homeless, we have to stop polluting our environ­ when you have others who are living in terror because they're Right now, we're facing a fiscal crisis. But there isn't ment? What does it mean when we don't invest in our afraid of walking alone in the street at night That you can't any fiscal crisis. The reality is what we're facing is a moral children? really be comfortable in your life when you have so many crisis. And a crisis ofself-interest. .. It is in our long-term What it means is a future that will be less personally people who can'tfind work, when you have the kind of school self-interest to take care of the earth, the air, and the water, enriching. Ironically it means we won't make as much system that doesn't provide the kind of opportunity to kids to the environment, and the children. That's in our personal money in the future, either. It's just a fact of life that our be able to live life as they see fit, to grow. self-interest. economic security as well as our personal sense of freedom I don't think the situation is new. Athens 300 B.C., Boston and growth depends on having a lot of folks around us who 2000 A.D.: same issue. Food, shelter, caring, transportation, What does that mean.for instance.for education in Bos­ are competent and reasonably happy. housing, medical care, opportunity, hope, safety. ton today? What specific solution hasn't been raised? Money. People keep wanting to get something for And what does it mean in terms ofy our job, in terms ofyour How does a government tackle those issues? nothing. You've got to understand something. In the end, task as a city councilor? We don't need to be speculative about that. Governments there's an old saying in America: you get what you pay for. It makes it harder. It makes ita lot harder. Because we're have tackled those issues, and they have succeeded. The issue That's true, to a very large extent. City salaries, I think our facing a legacy of over a decade of neglect from the federal is not how you do it; the issue is whether you're willing to, starting salaries are around $12,000.