West Broadway, by D. Hayward.

         I decided to do one photo essay blog for entertainment on West Broadway, the neighbourhood I live in.  It is a very low-income neighbourhood and many non-profit agencies call it home.  As such it is affected by social welfare policies, without funding the social services present in the area could not provide services and the people would suffer.  But the neighbourhood is seeing more renovations and upgrades to apartments and houses, but the increased rents could mean low-income people may have to go elsewhere.  It is not always the most pleasant place to live in. I have seen domestic disturbances spill out into the street and bystanders getting involved.  The police are frequently in my building, and are not always friendly.  My car window was smashed once with a large chunk of limestone.  I also have seen someone chase down a couple of potential car thieves down with a golfclub.  But it is no surprise that so many youth end up wandering the streets with the low graduation rate in the whole downtown area.

This appeared on the block beside the building below, I believe the taggers are identifying the two as "A" and "B" block.  Oct/27/2010/D.Hayward

                                          Typical graffiti tag, “West Side.” Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

                                          Typical graffiti tag, “West Side.” Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

                                          Typical graffiti tag, “West Side.” Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

                                           Typical graffiti tag, “West Side.” Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

                          This tooth appears alot. Not sure what it means, Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

                              Occasionally someone tries to make a philosophical point. Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

                                 Garbage disposal is a big issue in the area, as this dumpster message attests  too.

The Nine Circles Community health centre on Broadway is a non-profit agency specializing in HIV/STI  care and  prevention. Oct/24/2010/ D.Hayward

                                                                           

          The Rent to Own pawnshop on Sherbrook. The scene of a recent stabbing. Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward.

                     Many non-profit organizations call the area home. Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

                        Sherbrook Inn where J.J Harper spent part of his last night. Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

                               The area is home to many First Nations organizations. Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

                                                       Backlane Dec/17/2009

                                           Burnout shell of a house Dec/17/2009

                                                                     Lot cleaned up Oct/24/2010.

                                           Interesting message. Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

                                        Typical of the old apartment blocks in the area. Oct/24/2010

The area is experiencing a resurgence with many renovations to buildings. Oct/24/2010/D.Hayward

 Crossways in Common Church on Broadway avenue is one of the more unique organizations in West Broadway.  It houses Artemis Housing Co-operative  (For people living with HIV/Aids) •  Day Nursery Centre  •  Hope Mennonite Church - West Broadway Community Services  •  West Broadway Youth Outreach  •  Young United Church.  I worked there for a short time and I found it to be amazing the amount of services it provides.  It also has Horizons Adult learning centre in the basement and holds many community outreach meetings, even A.A. meetings. Nov/19/2009/D.Hayward.

The pharmacy on Broadway, showing some of the positive artistic creativity in the area. Nov/19/2009/D.Hayward.

The Indigenous peoples of Canada and the tragedy of suicide.

Duality- A traditional style tipi in a yard in West Broadway, with Youngs United Church steeple in the foreground. Dec/17/09/ D.Hayward

          One of the most pressing mental issues facing our Indigenous peoples of Canada is the many tragic suicides of young persons.  The Indigenous peoples of Canada have faced so much adversity in their community that some of their youngest, most innocent children are responding too it with frustration and hopelessness.  Every year many lives are cut short; but what is being done about this and how is suicide viewed from an Indigenous person’s perspective?

A recent article in Macleans magazine entitled “The hurting: Award-winning novelist Joseph Boyden on the link between residential schools and the devastation of native suicide,” discusses the author’s personal experience talking to a Cree friend and an Anishinaabe Medicine man (Boyden, 2010).  The Cree friend of the author lived through her 17 year old son’s suicide.  In was in the worst possible manner; he hung himself in a friend’s closet, kneeling down with an extension cord tied around his neck (Boyden, 2010, para 1).  As if this was not enough for any mother to bear, five months later her 15 year old daughter hung herself, in her closet at home, in despair over her brother’s death (Boyden, 2010, para 5).  This happened on a James Bay reserve named Kashechewan, which may make it easier for people outside the community to ignore (Boyden, 2010, para 6).

            If you look closer to home, the Indigenous community in Winnipeg is no stranger to the tragedy of suicide.  A well known case in 2005 brought this to the forefront.  A 11 year old named Kathleen Beardy, distraught over her father’s arrest a week prior and the theft of her new puppy, hung herself in a tree with a dog leash (“Bullies took her dog, police took her dad,” 2005).  During the arrest of her father, Kathleen witnessed officers roughing him up to the point of nerve damage and a broken nose (“Bullies took her dog, police took her dad,” 2005).  Also present was Kathleen’s then pregnant 17 year old sister Beverly, who attempted to aid her father, but was restrained    (“Bullies took her dog, police took her dad,” 2005).  Almost unbelievably, Beverly Beardy left home for a night of partying in 2009, and ended up frozen to death in the back of a stolen SUV (McIntyre, 2009).  She was just 20 years old and left behind a three year old daughter, whom she had been pregnant with at the time of Kathleen’s death (McIntyre, 2009.)

            In an Indigenous person’s perspective there are a few main ideas on suicide.  An Anishnabe medicine believed that the residential school system released many evils including a high suicide rate (Boyden, 2010, para 4).  The destruction of the Indigenous family system through residential schools is also cited as a cause of high suicide, which was not a major issue before residential schools (Boyden, 2010, para 6).  An elder of Cross Lake First Nation, listed an overall sense of hopelessness coupled with addictions and poverty resulting from a lack of job opportunities as major factors in the suicide epidemic (Kitching, 2010).  The elder went on to say that it is important to discuss suicide in order to reduce the feelings that result in it (Kitching, 2010). 

            The biggest underlying cause for Indigenous people’s suicide is obviously the systematic destruction of their way of life and community.  Researchers have started to conduct more community based research in order to seek preventative measures.  An article by Issak, Campeau, Katz, Enns, Elias, and Sareen (2009), most of who are affiliated with the two universities in Winnipeg, investigated suicide prevention on remote reservations.  From their research they found that the Indigenous populations risk factors for suicide stem from family dynamics, community functioning, personal issues, lack of connection to the Indigenous culture, and repeated traumatic occurrences (Issak et al. 2010, p. 258).  The researchers called their group, the Swampy Cree suicide prevention team, and they are the first group to conduct suicide research in Canada with Indigenous peoples (Issak et al. 2010, p. 261).  They have received funding for a five year project which commenced in 2007 and will finish in 2012.  They are utilizing participatory action research in order to keep Indigenous peoples active in the research process, which aims to understand issues from their perspective (Issak et al. 2010, p. 261).  The name of the project is “From risk factors to culturally sensitive interventions: A programmatic approach to Aboriginal suicide” (Issak et al. 2010, p. 261).  This type of research is very encouraging and hopefully will yield results that could be applicable to Winnipeg as well.

            In a Canadian Indigenous worldview, life can be understood as a circle with various components, interrelated, connected, with human beings being at the centre of a “relational dance” (Morrissette, 2006, p. 171).  Another way of describing a Canadian Indigenous worldview is that “all of life is a manifestation of a spiritual reality” (Evans, 2004, p. 147).  The view of life as spiritual, as a circle with each part leading into the next, can somewhat explain Indigenous suicide.  When the Europeans settled here they broke the circle.  Indigenous cultures were reduced, children failed to learn the languages of their ancestors.  Anyone who has studied languages knows that certain concepts are lost in translation and can only be understood in the original language that they originated from.  Forced to live in the white dominated political sphere, the Indigenous suicide rate appears to be, in part, caused, by young people who are still struggling to find their place in a Eurocentric country.

            It is very hard to believe that the current approaches to the high rate of suicide of Indigenous Canadian’s are working.  Suicide strikes people of all cultures, but not to the same extent.  There seems to be a lack of firm ideas on how to help improve the mental health of Indigenous Canadian’s.  The best solution is to improve their overall lives.

            In my time in Brandon Manitoba working at the local pork plant, I worked with many younger Sioux from the Sioux Valley reserve.  It was my first exposure to Indigenous peoples on a personal level and I learned a lot from it.  I was a volunteer with the Union there so I heard many of the issues; suicide was not one of them but many were related to mental health.  I can recall one time when an Aboriginal man in his early forties passed away of a heart attack and he was not found until a co-worker went to his home.  The Union Representative explained to all of us that the health care system was not trusted by Aboriginals and that we all had to encourage them to access care, which our benefit plan covered in any case.  I remember being shocked by the way it was bluntly put to us; Aboriginals would rather die at home in many cases than seek care in the hospital.  If that resistance is there for physical care one can only imagine how hard it is to seek mental health aide.

I learned about the tough life young Sioux faced in the Brandon area.  One co-worker of mine was fairly comfortable with me and he told me about things like having the Brandon Police ask him to account for why he was waiting at a bus stop at 6 a.m. in the West End.  He told me of the gangs and having been beaten for not wanting to join one.  I learned about the hardships of being in and out of foster care and being placed in white families.  He told me it was horrible, he hated it but he was in it for three years while his mother sobered up.  He was an intelligent young man, so I was disappointed when he told me he had not completed high school.  I thought that just did not seem right so I made a strong effort to convince him to get G.E.D.  I even brought him all the info he would need to apply for it.  One day after we had been talking and I had been telling him of all the benefits of education, he said something to me that has stuck with me along time.  He said “You know I am just surprised; I am just not used to anyone caring.”  It really strikes me that for all the hardships Indigenous peoples go through in Canada, they actually are a pretty resilient group to keep going.  They are still just looking for that place to fit in, in a world opposite many of their traditional beliefs.  When I read about the suicide of a young Indigenous person, I often wonder “Did anyone care?” 

David Hayward.

References

Boyden, J. (2010, July 1). The hurting: Award-winning novelist Joseph Boyden on the link between residential schools and the devastation of native suicide. Macleans. Retrieved from http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/07/01/the-hurting/

Bullies took her dog, police took her dad.  (2005, April 10).   Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/31614569.html

Evans, A. (2004). Chee Chee: a study of Aboriginal suicide. Montreal, Canada: McGill-Queens University Press.

Isaak, C.A., Campeau, M., Katz, L.Y., Enns, Elias, B., Sareen, J. (2009). Community-based suicide prevention research in remote on-reserve First Nations Communities.  Mental Health Addiction, 8, 258-270. doi 10.1007/s11469-009-9250-0

Kitching, C. (2010, September 10). Discussing suicide to save lives. Winnipeg Sun.   Retrieved from http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/winnipeg/2010/09/10/15315461.html

McIntyre, M (2009, January 16). Left to die in stolen vehicle. Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/found_dead_in_stolen_vehicle.html

Morrissette, V. (2006) Towards an Aboriginal perspective that addresses ideological domination in social policy analysis. Chapter 5: Implications for Social Work (pp. 162-189). Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Manitoba.

The Black and White of NEO-CONSERVATISM

The purpose of my blog post is to display thought provoking inconsistencies within our judicial system based on different political ideologies; however I plan to focus on people with mental disabilities through a neo-conservative lens.  The article I have chosen to explore is a perfect example of a relationship between neo-conservatism and the disregarded population who are not categorized in some way to function within this particular ideology.  Examining the law and order belief of Neo-conservatives strongly puts forth the inconsistencies criticized in this radical view.

This article from the Winnipeg Free Press is about the unjust incarceration of an elderly man, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  On Sept. 2, 2010, Joe McLeod was arrested for assaulting his wife, Rose; after she attempted to show McLeod a photograph to help him in recognize her (“Family wants man,” 2010).  Even though there is never an excuse for violent behaviours; studies show “cognitive impairment in patients, often described as memory problems in these early studies, has been associated with a higher risk for caregiver abuse or violence” (Paveza et al., 1992, p. 493).  Further results also “suggests that a person with Alzheimer's disease is 2.25 times at greater risk for a physically abusive episode than an older person living in the community” (Paveza et al., 1992, p. 496).  Based on the presence of cognitive impairment people with mental disabilities, particularly Alzheimer’s, should not be expected to be held legally liable for their actions.

The imprisonment of Joe McLeod clearly depicts neo-conservative principles of both the ideology’s political beliefs and the view of the nation-state.  Neo-conservatives believe government interventions should not happened and Mullaly explores how they view the nation-state as the “necessary evil that maintains law and order” (Mullaly, 2007, p. 79).  This principle demonstrated their belief that it is necessary to enforce law and order; ignoring any exceptions, including people who are not mentally able to comprehend their actions in committing a crime.  These drastic beliefs over generalize the population, disregarding that our society is diverse, in every sense of diversity, that cannot be categorized in strictly black and white views.  The mentally disabled people in our society are just one example of the gray that needs to be considered.

This idea of black and white views connects with another issue I want to explore; the zero-tolerance policy around spousal abuse.  According to the department of justice “In 1990, Manitoba established the first specialized family violence court in Winnipeg, [including the] zero-tolerance [and] pro-arrest polic[ies]” (“Spousal abuse policies,” 2000, p. 40).  This legislation highlights the neo-conservative’s position on the strict guidelines of how to deal with spousal abuse.  Even though the policy indicates a zero-tolerance view, the spousal abuse policies and legislation do identify the existence of challenges within the policy indicating “there is increasing recognition that a co-ordinated response is required—one that integrates criminal justice, social service, mental health and community responses” (“spousal abuse policies,” 2000, p. 39).

I believe this ideology cannot function within our society because “although there may be a grain of truth in many neo-conservative arguments, there is a tendency to exaggerate this grain of truth and to generalize on the basis of insufficient evidence” (Mullaly, 2007, p. 88).  Neo-conservative views also describe social justice issues as “there are no social problems, only personal problems that occur when individuals do not look after themselves” (Mullaly, 2007, p. 79).  The extremeness of this judgment displaces the mentally disabled people in our society because some personal problems require help from a social society.  Neo-conservative ideology’s belief on government interventions is non-existent, however “the primary role of the state is to maintain law and order… But anything beyond protecting people’s lives and property by maintain law and order becomes, in the eye of the neo-conservatives, a threat to liberty” (Mullaly 2007, p. 77).

This article is a perfect contrast to our group post on liberalism referring to a mentally disabled person, Vincent Li, suffering from schizophrenia and psychosis.  Li brutally and violently murdered an innocent victim on a Greyhound bus in 2008.  These ideologies, however similar, differ regarding an important issue around individualism versus society.  Liberalism understands the necessity for society to intervene when the welfare of its citizens are at stake; in the case of Vincent Li he was found not criminally responsible.  In my opinion, mentally disabled people should be dealt with under the liberal ideology where the distinction of who really needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law differs from a more appropriate ruling based on the limitations of the individual.

I have several personal connections to people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and I feel I have a conceptual understanding of the deterioration of the disease.  I have witnessed the emotionally exhausting effects on the friends and family of the people affected by this disease.  Even through observation, I could not truly comprehend how devastating it would be as the victim to be alone in your mind and alone while institutionalized.  The fear I witnessed on a general day could only substantially increase for a mentally ill person cut off from the only regularity remaining in there confused life.

            In conclusion, neo-conservative views are too radical, and the principles within this ideology are not inclusive to everyone within our society.  Through personal experience and education, I believe people with mental disabilities need more resources and support when dealing with the clearly defined zero-tolerance policy and a balance needs to be considered.

-Darcie B.

(2007, July 19). Definition of Alzheimer’s disease. MedicineNet.com. Retrieved from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2213

(2009, March 5). Greyhound bus killer found not criminally responsible. CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/03/05/mb-li-verdict.html

(2010, October 6). Family wants man with Alzheimer’s moved out of remand centre. Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Family-wants-man-with--104423844.html

Department of Justice Canada. (2000). Spousal abuse policies and legislation. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/fv-vf/rep-rap/spous-conju.html

Mullaly, B. (2007). The new structural social work (3^rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Paveza, G., Cohen, D., Eisdorfer, C., Freels, S., Semla, T., Ashford, J., Gorelick, P., Hirschman, R., Luchins, D., & Levy, P. (1992). Severe family violence and Alzheimer’s disease: prevalence and risk factors. The Gerontologist, 32(4), 493-497.

The Liberal stance on dementia

One of the most challenging mental health disabilities, as Canada’s population ages, is Alzheimer’s or dementia among elderly Canadians, which robs individuals of cognitive functions.  The Alzheimer’s Society of Canada defines the disease as the most common form of dementia and explains how it affects behavior, memory, communication, and logical reasoning, which are all significantly diminished.  For anyone who has had a family member suffer from dementia, it is known as one of the most difficult diseases to cope with.  Suddenly your loved one does not recognize you; or leaves the house and cannot find their way back.  Between the ages of 80 and 90, dementia strikes 20-40 percent of Canadians, or a current staggering population of 500,000 people in Canada (Picard, 2010). 

A recent article in the Globe and Mail entitled “Why Canada needs a national strategy on dementia” describes the need for increased care and support as per Liberal party thought (Picard, 2010).    Liberals differ from neo-conservatives in that they believe that individuals and families are not solely responsible for social problems like health issues, or caring for the elderly (Mullaly, 2007).  Liberals see society as people interacting within an interdependent social system, with problems occurring when the system is not balanced (Mullaly, 2007).  The resulting “social disorganization” can only be eliminated by fixing the issue and restoring balance to the system so it works again (Mullaly, 2007). 

In 2004 a Liberal Task force on Seniors suggested all levels of government should establish a home care strategy plan that would become part of our universal health care system (Chappell, 2006).  In the Globe and Mail article, as a dementia solution it is suggested there should be supports in place for families so that dementia sufferers are able to stay at home as long as possible (Picard, 2010).  It is also mentioned that currently, in keeping with conservative thought, it is expected or assumed that if an individual is stricken with dementia, the family should take responsibility for his or her care (Picard, 2010).  It is mentioned that this assumption has families overwhelmed and suffering from extreme stress (Picard, 2010).  This is known as caregiver burden and can cause health problems, and lost wages, if family members have to take time off work to care for the sick  (Chappell, 2006).  In liberal thought this social disorganization leaves the social system off balance (Mullaly, 2007).  The solution suggested in the article, is that the government should educate and support families to better deal with dementia, and not blame them by forcing them to shoulder the burden alone (Picard, 2010).   A recent Liberal Party forum was held in Ottawa to discuss how to decrease the burden on caregivers of people suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia, which confirms the liberal focus on assisting caregivers (“Liberals are,” 2010).

The idea of government intervention and support makes perfect sense in terms of restoring the status quo, which liberal changes seek to do (Mullaly, 2007).  The untold costs of caregiver burden, not only on the families involved, but on society in general, could potentially be enormous.  One cannot just assume that it is cheaper for Canada to leave care to family members.  The lost productivity at workplaces, plus the increased strain on health care services due to caregiver burden, may far outweigh the costs involved with educating people and providing more resources. 

In my personal life I know the costs of dementia as my late grandmother suffered from a form that the doctors could not exactly diagnose.  In a matter of five years she went from being a talkative, expressive woman, to not being able to talk.  It is a heart-wrenching situation and I saw the effect it had on my grandfather as he struggled to provide care in his home.  Eventually he had to stop because of his increasing age, and a lack of home care supports.  It was the hardest thing he had to do, when he let his wife be committed to a personal care home.  I could see the guilt, so I think that it is very important that real solutions be found to help keep people in their homes as much as possible.  I think families deserve the best supports that are available.  After all, it is easy to forget the contributions that elderly persons afflicted with dementia made to Canada, and the quality of life we enjoy today.

By David Hayward.

                                   Assiniboine River July 6th 2008/D. Hayward

References

Chappell, B. (2006).Social welfare in Canadian society. Toronto, Ontario: Thomson Nelson, 260-61.

Liberal Party. (2010, January 29). Liberals are working for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.  Retrieved from http://www.liberal.ca/newsroom/news-release/liberals-are-working-for-people-living-with-alzheimers-and-dementia/

Mullaly, B. (2007). The new structural social work. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press, 101-02.

Picard, A. (2010, September 17). Why Canada needs a national strategy on dementia. The Globe and Mail.  Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/dementia/why-canada-needs-a-national-strategy-on-dementia/article1712700/

The Alzheimer’s Society of Canada. (2010, March). Alzheimer’s disease: what is Alzheimer’s disease? Retrieved from http://www.alzheimer.ca/english/disease/whatisit-intro.htm

Neo-Conservatism and Mental Illness

Conservative Perspective on Proposed Disability Services Cut at U of W.

         

          The article posted on the CBC website (Disabled services cut at U.of Winnipeg) was about the story that was circulating around the city and appearing on the news. The alleged email that had been sent around talking about cuts the University of Winnipeg was contemplating. The outrage began when it was discovered that the proposed cuts would be to disability services. Of course this caused an uproar as many people rely on these services so they can attend classes and thrive at the university each day. The article ends with John Corlett (vice president of academics) saying the cuts would be temporary, and that the internal email was not an accurate depiction of the stance the University holds. The liberal view of this proposal is consistent with how they would want to tackle a problem. Unlike neo-conservatives, they welcome change more readily. The comment Corlett made about the cuts only being temporary is an example of how although conservatives want to fix the problems they say the welfare state has caused, the process of correcting issues requires a slow course of action.

          Regardless of how long the cuts may have been for, the bottom line is the rumours of services being cut was enough to cause worry for many people and if it had gone through, a number of students would have been disadvantaged. This entire situation is a prime example of a neo-conservative position regarding “problems in society” and how it’s the individual’s responsibility to look after himself. If services for the disabled were to be cut it would be “every man for himself” or as discussed in the fourth chapter of Mullaly and reiterated in class, a case of “survival of the fittest”. There would be an immense number of students who would not be able to cope with the challenges they would have to face without the help disability services provides.

          The idea of an individualistic society, keeping your problems to yourself and trying to manage in a world that does not accommodate any special needs you may have may be detrimental to the development and well being of those who require assistance. A neo-conservative belief is that everyone is entitled to freedom and equality (Mullaly 2007). But it seems that even this simple idea is a complex reality for many people. For some there seems to be a cost to keep up with society. As stated by Mullaly, the neo-conservative belief for individual rights includes equality of freedom, but social inequality.

          In my own experience I’ve seen how services can impact ones’ life and give them the tools and strengths to participate in society. From family members with speech problems, to relatives and friends with forms of autism and other types of mental illness, The programs they were and still are a part of are so important to their overall health and development. If services they were enrolled in were cut, the ability for them to function in society with a disability would have posed a problem. Viewing the welfare state as having a negative effect on society and wanting more private industry is a common belief among neo-conservatives. The outcome for people who can’t afford the services they require to function in society would not be a desired one. I don’t want to think of what the reality could be for some of my friends and family if these programs were not running.

Neo-Conservative values regarding achievement tend to be associated with status and measuring or comparing where people are on the economic scale including which class they fall into. If you need assistance to be a contributing member of society it can be more difficult when you deal with mental illness. The controversial attitude that “you can be successful like me if you just get an education” or “it’s your problem not societies”  does not always take into account the different obstacles each of us face whether it be depression, autism, mood disorders, personality disorder and many other challenges.  

From another perspective, a socialist position would be that everyone is equal and society will work together to keep it that way. The idea of inequality and exclusion when it comes to decision making is frowned upon (Mullaly 2010). I’m not trying to say any ideology is better than another, all of the political ideologies have their pros and cons. There are benefits that lift up a society and consequences that can bring it down.

Mullaly, B. (2007). The Neo-Conservativve Paradigm. In B. Mullaly,
            The New Structural Social Work: Third Edition (pp. 70-90).
            Oxford University Press.

Jennilee M.

Liberal Lens for Vincent Li

What does the liberal government look like from the lens of a person with a mental disability? If I may, I would like to look through the lens of Vincent Li who is currently in the Selkirk Mental Health Centre for long term treatment. Li was found not criminally responsible for the gruesome murder of Tim McLean on a Greyhound bus on July 30, 2008 (Greyhound bus killer found not criminally responsible, 2009).

The events leading up to Li’s institutionalization are grotesque and disturbing and this case has carried with it a lot of emotions and sensitivity all across Canada. Ultimately in the end the court recognized that Li committed the act of murder however psychiatric evidence suggested (and proved) that Li was schizophrenic and was suffering from a psychotic episode at the time of the murder (Greyhound bus killer found not criminally responsible, 2009).  

The conservative take on Li’s case was that he did the crime and thus he should do the time. The family of the victim also holds this traditional, as do many people who commented on the CBC news article (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/03/05/mb-li-verdict.html). I think that this is a normal response to social justice whereby it is the responsibility of the individual to look after him or herself. When not taken care of, problems such as schizophrenia and mental disabilities are likely to arise. If you have never suffered from a mental disability it is hard to be empathetic and understanding of someone who does suffer from one.  People with a conservative view in regards to this case, would see only the act of Li stabbing McLean, and not the more liberal view whereby he did stab him but it was because he was having a psychotic episode involving hearing voices from God telling him that McLean was a demon and that he had to kill him in self-defence.

Furthermore contrasting to the conservative view, the court in this case took the liberal stance whereby they agreed that Li committed the crime but they recognized that the crime was a result of psychosis and schizophrenia and thus he should not be held criminally responsible because he was clearly mentally ill at the time of the murder.  The decision for Li to be institutionalized and undergo treatment is to “make him better” so he can be a functioning equal member of society again one day. The liberalist view is to change the individual or their subsystem to make it easier for individuals to carry out daily obligations. By providing Li with adequate care and more effective methods of communication, and socialization it is believed that he will be rehabilitated and/or re-socialized to be more congruent with society.

As presented in class, the function of social welfare is that members must be physically, socially, psychologically, financially, and materially healthy. In Li’s case social welfare was hindered in that not all of these needs were met and thus physical, psychological, and social harm. Many people have criticised the court’s decision in part because they do not understand mental disability. The court recognized that Li was an immigrant to Canada and that other factors such as discrimination and problems at home may have contributed to his social welfare. This is demonstrated in Mullay (2007) as a liberalist view in that there are numerous interdependent social systems that are not perfect and may lead to unhealthy functioning. Such as disrupt equilibrium results in social disorganization and personal disorganization. It could be argued then that Li’s personal disorganization was a result of his migration to Canada resulting in discrimination in his day to day functions thus promoting stress in areas of his life such as family, work, and education. The end result was a mental disability that he was not able to control.

While the sensitivity of this case is still extremely high, for traditional views of punishment it is comforting to note that in Manitoba we have more of a conservative view of consumers of mental health whereby doctors have more rights to put and keep people in hospitals or institutions. In Ontario it is tougher to keep people in hospitals and patients have more rights. This is important to note because while Li avoided jail time, he is still being held in a psychiatric center against his will. He is reviewed once a year by the board to assess whether or not his is fit to be reintegrated into society. Li has just been granted the privilege to walk outside (supervised in a gated region) which in my opinion is less freedom then that of an inmate in jail. So while he doesn’t hold a criminal record for his actions, he has lost the rights to live freely and is still in some form of a jail setting. His yearly evaluations can be viewed no differently than a parole board evaluating an inmate, and thus Li is being punished for his actions regardless of his mental state.

In conclusion Li’s case demonstrates that clearly mental illness is not always seen as a disability and often the mentally ill are a threat to the society. Vincent Li’s “not criminally responsible” verdict, while wavering back and forth, is a perfect example of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench having a liberal stance towards mental disability. The outrage and sensitivity of this case has clearly proven that in contrast to the liberal Criminal Justice System, the majority of society very much holds the view that if you do the crime you should do the time and does not take into account the social and environmental stresses imposed upon the criminally responsible individual. In my personal opinion I think that it will be very difficult to change this traditional view of cases (such as Li’s) involving persons found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disability because it is a newer idea and more difficult for people to relate, understand and cope with such verdicts. The current Canadian view is that justice is served with an “eye for an eye” and thus in a sense a liberal view of equality for actions however a conservative view of traditional punishment.

~ Tara

References

Greyhound bus killer found not criminally responsible (2009, March 5). CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/03/05/mb-li-verdict.html

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Welcome

Welcome to our first blog! We are a group of social work students, who will be writing on various topics pertaining to welfare policy analysis from the lens of people with mental disabilities. Stay tuned.....