In this time of so much public indencency, it is worth remembering the thousands of decent people who toil silently every day to improve the world.
834
@Richard Cohen Unfortunatlely we also have to notice how Boris Johnson immediately abused the incident, to the anger of Merritt's father. Corbyn gave a nuanced and dignified reaction but I am sure only one little soundbite 'people convicted of terror do not necessarily have to serve their full jail term, (it depends on...)' will be heard and misused.
13
Thank you for taking time to write this, to provide context that demonstrates the complexity and nuance of crime and justice.
9
God bless you, Jack.
We mourn the loss of people like you with well known phrases - only the "good die young", trying to express the shock of our loss of what seems to be the very best of people in senseless acts by the most reckless among us.
In Bellevue Hospital, through my decades of training and service in surgical service, we used to bitterly joke that trauma "patients' prognosis was inversely proportional to their social worth."
This meant that the single parent who supported their own parents and put their children through college was likely to die of any tiny trivial injury that brought them in - but that the convicted child molester who had bombed a church during services was likely to walk out of the hospital (eventually) after being shot twice in the head, set on fire, and then drowned.
It's a "funny old world". And we are grateful that you graced it. We are sorry for your loss.
10
Learning Together sounds similar to the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) in the United States. It was founded when Congress senselessly abolished federal funding for coursework for prisoners. Graduates of the BPI have a recidivism rate of only 5%, compared with over 50% for other released prisoners. Such programs lead to a net savings to the taxpayer. BPI is now being copied by other universities throughout the U.S.
https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/college-behind-bars/?utm_source=promourl&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=collegebehindbars_2019?utm_source=promourl&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=collegebehindbars_2019
10
It’s interesting to read all the letters from people who think terrorists are inherently and permanently twisted and should be jailed for life without exception and without the possibility of parole. And this opinion is based on what actual knowledge? Were all of the Irish terrorists treated this way? Should all of the “terrorists” being jailed or soon to be jailed in Hong Kong be treated this way? The Uighurs? How about those who fought to free India or Vietnam or Algeria from colonial domination? How about those who opposed Franco in the Spanish civil war or those who opposed Pinochet or the other right wing regimes in any number of South and Central America? How about South Africa and other African struggles that go on to this day?
You could write pages of references to ugly disputes through history and around the world and get no closer to figuring out what to do about terrorism. I’m no sympathizer for the attacks that have victimized people in Britain or France or Germany who have extended a hand to those who subsequently attacked them. But I don’t think that every failed effort to rehabilitate a criminal proves that there should be no such efforts. We will never hear about the people who were released and never committed a criminal act again. But if all of the people we fear were jailed for life, we would need an amazing number of prisons.
73
@Mike Iker Thank you for one of the best thoughtful responses Mike.
8
I believe that Jack, (RIP), knew what he was doing and the dangers that might come from it, but decided that “the game was worth the entry fee”. I respect him for that.
Rehabilitation is possible, we should remember that. But that depends on the individual and on society’s ability to measure true rehabilitation. Bill Sands, in his book “My Shadow Ran Fast” (published in 1964), argued for indeterminate sentencing, strong rehabilitation efforts, and the inclusion of rehabilitated ex-convicts on parole boards. The last because, he said, it is very hard for “a con to con a con”. Mr. Sands was such a rehabilitated con, who worked hard after his parole, and eventually became a fighter for prison reform and for support for ex-cons to prevent recidivism.
It is better to not have people commit crimes, but no society has done this. Therefore, what to we do with convicted criminals. Centuries have shown that harsh treatment and eventual parole is not the answer. Neither is locking a man away for the rest of his life without the possibility of release. The death penalty does not work as a deterrent, and leads to the death of innocents. Therefore, we must learn to rehabilitate better than we do now, and learn to distinguish real rehabilitation from fake.
True rehabilitation or life incarceration, is the only real choice for convicted criminals. Let us, as a society, work towards rehabilitating those we can, and holding the rest in prison for our own safety.
5
I was once a young idealist like Jack. Perhaps teaching in an urban school and growing up during this era of terrorism and mass shootings has hardened my heart a little. Dylan Roof will never be rehabilitated. Neither was Mr. Khan. Neither will the right wing Norwegian who callously murdered so many left wing children and will still be eligible for an early release under their far more compassionate criminal justice system.
The US has to find a way to be more like Norway for the low level and non violent offenders, and more like Japan for capital offenses. Fast track and federalize the death penalty for terrorists and mass murderers ONLY and take it out of the hands of local judges running for re-election and racist jury members. This seems more balanced than the more zealous reformers who want to decriminalize everything and give everyone a second chance and the broken down status quo.
8
If only Trump had even a glimmer of Jack Merritt's attributes.
So sorry the world lost such a fine promising young man.
5
Centuries ago England exported its incorrigible subjects. Deportation seems a cruel idea today, but perhaps it was the most humane way to treat dangerous criminals who had committed murder, and who were inclined to do so again. One can think of few more incorrigible criminals than murderous political and terrorist religious fanatics who support mass murder and commit it. And with no death penalty, the British ought to consider that importing terrorists instead of exporting them may lead to more rather than fewer spontaneous terrorist attacks. Where to export them? Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen all come to mind.
2
God help us. There seems no end to beautiful, innocent lives being lost and cut short. Who to blame? Where to start? Where will this end? When?
2
Beautifully written article. Thank you.
2
Jack Merritt is a victim of his own good intentions and a naive worldview that doesn't account for hard-core theologically motivated evil. Can the view that people such as Mr. Khan be permanently separated from society be considered or even aired? This guy had more red flags than a Soviet May Day parade, yet he was set free by well meaning people such as Mr. Merritt, only to kill two people, wound others and terrorize many more. I think there is a kind of fantasy thinking about certain things, and then there is the unalterable reality of these same things. The fantasy beliefs can make you feel real good, almost like mainlining some kind of virtue heroin. The reality is, getting hooked on the good feelings and wishful thinking concerning these things can get you killed, as this case clearly shows.
14
By all means, England, don't forget what Jack Merritt now stands for. He stands for a country that is committing slow-motion suicide, a country that has completely lost the will to survive. All the platitudes bandied about after his death, including the ones in this article, are just more of the same. Let's light some candles. Let's have a memorial service. Let's re-affirm "British Values". Let's "stand with X" or "stand with Y". The British are now constantly standing in solidarity with one thing or another. And this is a perfect metaphor for their total passivity in the face of Islamic terror. Can you, even in your wildest, most fevered dreams, imagine Winston Churchill putting up with the repeated slaughter of British citizens in the heart of London? He is spinning in his grave. I weep for England.
63
Mr. Khan requested help to deradicalize according to Mr. Khan's lawyer.
Due to UK austerity, that help was never given. As a result, Mr. Khan was vulnerable to reradicalization.
The tragedy can be firmly laid at the feet of the fiscal austerity believers and their billionaire backers.
32
@Pat UK austerity is most definitely not the problem.
36
@Pat This tragedy must be firmly laid at the feet of person who did it. Blaming the government or some other entity is simply another way of advocating the solving all problems by throwing money at them. It does not work!
60
Sure, because of course there’s no such thing as being personally responsible for your actions. Let’s blame s decision to commit murder on the fiscal cutbacks in the UK. Sorry, this is the most ridiculous thing I have heard all week.
70
Jack unfortunately died because of political correctness.
The terrorist was known as a violent man with strong Islamic roots. The British establishment decided to allow this timebomb to walk the streets and prey on the innocennt unsuspecting citizens who did not realize a dangerous, ankle bracelet wearing monnster was in their midst.
Who wins when the innnocent die ?
There is little doubt in my mind that this Islamist should have been buried in the deepest pit they had .
78
All due respect to Mr. Merritt, but this is way larger than him and his family, I am afraid. It is sheer arrogance and foolishness to think or suggest otherwise.
And perhaps, Ms. Goldberg, you might consider not using his name in vain to advance whatever your agenda might be?
37
Allowing convicted convicted terrorists free after serving half their sentence, like a thief or drug dealer is madness. Thank you, America, for keeping the British 'Shoe Bomber' in a high security jail for life, jailing for life the terrorist Abu Hamza, even if it took eight years to extradite him. At least the USA has the political will and support to remove terrorists off your streets permanently.
85
The rate of incarceration in the UK is the highest in Europe by far .
50 % higher than France or Germany or Italy.
The average in Europe is around 100 per 100 000.
The UK has 150 .
The USA 750 per 100 000 !!!.
8 times more.
Probably because the UK, similar to the USA, has a high social inequality and low social benefits with lack of culture.
So it takes incarceration to contend violence due to economic and social pressures .
3
There must be a path to redemption for convicted criminals as two examples here show. Where to draw the line to minimize such potential failures of this policy?
2
Norman Mailer and Jack Abbott in the early 1980’s NYC. Just because someone can write powerfully does not make them a beautiful person.
1
The greater majority of offenders like Khan have a history of domestic violence and petty crime. The cause they choose is a dysfunctional mind's quest for meaning in a turmoil of disturbed thoughts.
It's the same for Neo-Nazis.
3
And of course ISIS claimed it as proof of their wretched inhumanity.
2
It is noteworthy that Ms Goldberg's article does not mention Islam or identify the murderer as a Muslim. Why is that?
6
I'm struck by the brave souls that took it upon themselves to fight rather than run. I am sorry they could not get there before this young man was senselessly killed.
4
This is so very disturbing on so many levels. Jack, a man of moralistic understanding, and ethical responsibility, murdered by someone he was offering communal assistance via a program he endorsed... is crushing to me. I grieve for his loved ones.
7
Words fail me. I just need to thank you for finding and sharing yours.
4
Worthwhile to recall the words of Maya Angelou:
“When people show you who they are, believe them the first time”.
In this case the blind insistence on redeeming the life of a violent man has ended up costing two young people their lives.
5
A lovely tribute to a great person, Jack. So sad that he had to die a needless death. I am sure he would have gone on to do great things in his life. I wish I had answers for people like Mr Khan. Actions like his, only makes life more miserable for people like him and really don't solve anything. Has 9/11 or the Mumbai killings helped anyone? Peace and understanding are the real answers and I hope everyone takes a moment to set their anger aside and pay respect to the wonderful person in Jack.
4
The same feeling of pain, frustration, a sense of incredulity even numbness as when the news of Aaron Swartz final moments were known (January 11, 2013). Or when the despicable ISIS beheaded James Foley (Aug.19, 2014) and before that Daniel Pearl (2002). There are so many men and women untimely dying a cruel and senseless death. Way too many. Their young and healthy faces come to my mind like in a movie. Otto Warmbier. Kayla Mueller. Kenji Goto. The list is way too long.
My deepest condolences to Jack Merritt’s and Saskia Jones’ parents, siblings, friends, those who felt their goodness first hand. Their death was not a random one. They likely were targeted. Targeted for trying to help?
2
Let’s not forget what killed him either. He was killed by an evil that can’t be rehabilitated. Is my calling the killing of two innocent people evil is now considered hate speech ? I was taught that Chamberlain was wrong and Churchill was right and we should take a stand against evil. Am I wrong ?
9
‘ “My son, Jack, who was killed in this attack, would not wish his death to be used as the pretext for more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily.”
Those words, pulling reason out of heartache, bear remembering.’
The words are worth remembering as a powerful and understandable emotional cry from a bereaved father, but they do the exact opposite of pulling reason out of heartache.
To do that we’d have to instead ask what Jack himself, or someone like him who was similarly compassionate and well versed in criminal punishment, would feel about his having been murdered in cold blood by someone given a review-free 50% discount on a sentence for planned ideological mass murder.
I’d be surprised if it didn’t alter his thinking in some ways wouldn’t you Ms Goldberg? The suggestion that it wouldn’t and that there is no basis to have a rational discussion about what might be appropriate reforms to adopt perversely seem to me to dishonour his memory, despite the opposite intention.
Vale Jack.
3
It is incredibly sad that this wonderful life was taken away by an ideologically motivated killer. Such killers cannot be “rehabilitated” because they don’t believe that have done anything wrong. In their own eyes, they are the virtuous and pure ones, fighting against the corrupt and evil society. It is useless to appeal to their better angels because it is precisely these better angels have made them into vicious killers. They must be treated as enemy combatants who refuse to lay down their weapons or surrender.
7
What Jack Merrit stood for got him killed. This article is exactly why Europe is experiencing so many terrorist attacks. Very sad.
5
Mr. Merritt appears to have been a noble but well-meaning fool.
His efforts would’ve been better spent in the Royal Marines fighting Islamic terror.
RIP, young man.
6
Too sad. Tears. Poor kid. He was full of hope and goodness.
Why is the dark suffocating the light in humanity. Where did we fail each other this time around???
4
Thank you, Emma and Jack!
3
All the best to the Merrit family. Jack is another real hero.
2
Thank you, Emma.
3
Terrorists would still hate the country they tried to bomb or attack. Why release them so easily?
7
Beautiful, loving optimistic youth killed by irreparable sociopathy is too much to bear. Too much. But the victims’ families will try. The rest of us may well question why the terrorist was released early.
5
There is a lesson here in allowing people who refuse to assimilate to migrate and reside among peace loving citizens. The fallacy of thinking that someone crazed by hatred based upon religious belief is likely to every be rehabilitated is part of what put the terrorist in London.
Intolerance and a refusal to respect the rights of others with dissimilar beliefs is simply incompatible with an open and democratic society. People who hold such hatred in their heads are a menace to public safety and peaceful public discourse.
The problem here is not any particular faith, but a hyper zealous viewpoint driven by people who are allowed to teach this poison of intolerance and hatred. There are nations and people of means who fund this kind of thing, who encourage this kind of thing and who many times do business with open and democratic societies. That should be re-evaluated.
7
We shouldn’t forget what Jack Merritt stood for. But Johnson is exactly right. What was this guy doing on the streets?
6
Jack was a beautiful soul. His work with criminal justice reform is much needed in a world too quick to label for convenience sake, then dole out the “mandatory” injustice.
Let’s not, however, confuse or conflate criminal behavior with Islamic Jihad. People who have violated criminal statutes walk among all of us and deserve second chances when certain measurable criteria are met. People who want to kill indiscriminately because you are not a Sunni or Shia Muslim and believe the mission of every Muslim is to convert all of humanity to Islam “by any means,” have taken active steps toward that end AND have been caught, deserve no such quarter. They should be permanently removed from society so as not to be given the opportunity to once again fulfill the Jihadist mission.
3
This terrorist act did not have one molecule of redemption for anyone or any group.
There is no excuse, no justification.
Releasing convicted terrorists into a community is insane.
And feeling guilty about incarcerating a terrorist for life is just a fancy way of surrendering to instead of resisting terrorism.
51
Ms. Goldberg:
Thank you for such a deep and righteous OP-ed. It is really horrible that Mr. Merritt had to give his life and that Usman Khan had not only not learned that he had been wrong but even worse, chose to commit this criminal conduct in a setting designed to help people like him.
But your righteous words give us hope!
Steve
2
Do the professors who indoctrinate naive grad students like the late Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones in their ideology of Diversity - Inclusion - Equity (or DIE) ever take any responsibility for the outcomes?
8
How sad. I hope the family whose life he destroyed can find it in their hearts one day to believe Jack Merritt was a different man when he himself was murdered. I know that's hard but I really do.
Sounds like this person would still be alive today if there was no idiotic policy allowing violent criminals to be released without parole review, despite the presiding judge's comments, if "certain conditions" were met. Sometimes incarceration should trump rehabilitation. Common sense, anyone?
4
Congratulations Ms. Goldberg, you have managed to write a piece on the problem of Islamic Jihad without mentioning either Islam or Jihad. This is not about prison reform or helping ex-cons or anything else but the West's stubborn refusal to name the problem..Islamic Jihad. The lack of appreciation to the all but unalterable mindset of religiously motivated Islamic terrorists is what killed this young man. He would have been better served if he'd realized that some special cases are beyond reclamation and are better left incarcerated for the safety of the rest of the population. But first let's admit what we don't want to admit, that when it comes to Islamic Jihadis, there is rarely such a thing as rehabilitation.
4
If someone commits a heinous crime before they are 30 their psychology is already severely distorted, dysfuntionalized and despicable. Better to keep them separated from society for a long time, or execute them. How many lifetimes will they have to go through to be just mediocre or normal? Probably many.
2
Thank you for "the rest of the story' as a popular newscaster used to say.
Terrorists enjoy a childish delectation of the evil they indulge in, killing and creating an ugly stir by their lethal crimes. In a place as class-riven as London, a nation as stratified as England, these effects are unfortunately childishly easy to achieve. A place where I once lived in a palace barracks as a young man, where we were told to keep the noise down because we were keeping the Viscount (Linley) awake...the only true aristocracy in the UK or elsewhere is that of intellectual achievement and resulting riches. But no. The Brits cling to their shabby system as if to conceal gross inadequacies of the body politic beneath its once-sumptuous folds...
3
With 5% of humanity America has 25% of the world's prisoners.
While only 13% of Americans are black like Ben Carson, Will Hurd, Tim Scott and Clarence Thomas, about 40% of the massively incarcerated are black African Americans.
Because blacks are persecuted for acting like white people do without any criminal justice consequences.
Prison is the carefully carved exception to the 13th Amendments abolition of slavery and involuntary servitude.
A Jack Merritt would be a criminal justice blessed great addition to the likes of Michelle Alexander and Bryan Stevenson in America.
The British Empire abolished the slave trade and slavery before America. And so did Mexico.
2
Bad enough what happened on London Bridge but now PM Boris Johnson making political capital out of this latest terrorist attack by accusing the previous Labour government for changing the law in 2008 with early prisoner releases. The terrorist Khan only received 8 years in prison for planning a terrorist attack on the London Stock Exchange; then automatically released last December with no checks.
Now we find out 76 other criminals released automatically as allowed by the present Foreign Secretary Priti Patel. She knows nothing? Evidently the whole system is failing after the government probation service was privatized to save money.
2
Poor Jack Merritt's Cambridge Master's degree thesis was entitled:
"A Critical Analysis of Over-Representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Males Aged 18-21 in the British Prison System."
2
Two people were murdered, both working in the same education program. The other was a woman named Saskia Jones. Remember and honor both, as well as the selfless people who jumped on Kahn, not knowing if they themselves would survive, but determined not to allow him to kill anyone else.
5
Only the good die young.
Rest In Peace, brave soul, rest In Peace.
One of the best ways to honor this young woman and young man is for all 1st world nations to review lax sentencing guidelines that dump killers and rapists back on the streets to victimize the innocent, repeatedly. Keep violent felons in prison where they belong, especially those men who are so clearly committed to murder. Free societies are not free if everyone is anxious and fearful of even stepping out their door any time of the day.
3
Jack Merritt volunteered for a program that aims to "help dismantle stereotypes".
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/inside-information-students-and-prisoners-study-together-in-course-that-reveals-the-power-of
A kind thing to do, but perhaps a little naive when dealing with certain criminals, not all. He was killed by a man who, clearly, corresponded to such a (radicalized) "stereotype", which can be distinguished from other former convicts.
An ex-murderer can mature. I do not believe that a deeply fanaticized religious radical will evolve. I hope to be proven wrong.
No, Merritt's death and the terrorist's release are not just private matters. The consequences of release and rehabilitation programs are a public issue. They will obviously and rightfully be subject to public discussion.
18
One's heart goes out for a victim like Jack Merritt simply because he was a victim of unbridled Islamist terror. At the same time we must not lose sight of the fact that it is people like Mr. Merritt who are a part of the problem because they champion society's worst aggressors in a misguided belief that no one is beyond rehabilitation. In this sense Mr. Merritt's death can also be viewed as collateral suicide.
2
Reading this just makes me sad...for humanity. Why is tolerance for the "other" such an impossible concept for so many? Why does a person like Jack Merritt, a flawed human being, as we all are, face such struggle to recover from past mistakes? Why would a person burn a twenty pound note in front of a homeless person?
I don't have any credible answers.
1
Suppose we never revealed anything about these killers. It would provide less encouragement for copycats. It would create less racial, religious and cultural tension.
What do we gain by learning the details?
1
I would like to echo the sentiments expressed here. There can never be 100% security - not even in the most draconian rule (as envisioned by our Right Wing gutter press) which is a recipe for much worse outcomes. It does seem to be an error to have had an automatic unmediated early release - in this case.
I can only add a recommendation of Mike Iker's very sensible earlier reply.
13
As a participant of a similar educational effort in the US I send deep sympathies to the family and friends and colleagues of Jack Merritt. There are many of us, like him, who disagree with those who think locking people up or state sanctioned killings are the answer to social, economic, and political problems. It is not the answer--it is only a tactic among others.
One terrible incident like this of a policy not being followed properly need not change the terms of release for everyone. All "murderers" are not alike and imposing long ("draconian") sentences without hope of release (as is our habit in the US) does not keep us any safer.
11
Heroes, sadly, die young.
Jack Merritt is a fitting example of "giving back" the opportunities he had. There is no finer occupation than to work to uplift others to the level at which they contribute talents and enthusiasm to society. Mr Merritt worked to develop confidence and meaningful capacity in those who needed the most help.
13
Sadly countries like the UK and US have spawned much of the hatred aimed at them. Sadder is that political "leaders" have racheted up the hatred without accepting any of the responsibility for these attacks. I guess we could fall back within our countries in an attempt to protect ourselves or we can realize that we're a small planet where everything is interconnected and where we need one another to survive. Absent that we will flail in the dark at every threat and live in eternal fear of everything.
17
The fact that Kahn was released without parole board assessment seems to be an overwhelming factor in this tragedy. Perhaps, as Mr. Merritt wrote, there's no need for "more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily," but what should be changed is releasing inmates with no review. Kahn may still be behind bars and his victims still living if just that simple process had been followed.
15
Individuals convicted of nonviolent offense should be treated differently from those who commit violent offenses. I would hope that the release of violent offenders would be carefully monitored.
My sympathies to Mr Merritt’s family & all the people who he could have served.
15
Mr. Merritt was no doubt a great person who followed his calling. It was also noble of his father to honor his memory and not to use the opportunity for revenge. But should killer like Mr. Khan be release without reassuring that he would no longer harm others?
As much as we want to help others, there are people like Mr. Khan who are beyond help (at least cannot be rehabilitated within his time in prison). Teaching a tiger the benefit of vegetarian diet simply does not work.
12
How sad, but now we are all part of this global civil war. Anyone can be a victime and it seems anyone can be a perpetrator. If only schools taught classes in how to deal with our emotions as well as math, science and languages.
4
"Remembering a Life Cut Short".
Merritt's murderer was prematurely released from prison after his conviction for "plotting to plant explosives in the London Stock Exchange in an attempt to murder innocent victims.
Convicted criminals are not the victims of injustice, but rather the perpetrators of cruel injustice.
18
The atrocity raises certain questions, some hinted below in comments\;
1- How was it that this terrorist passed through security on entering Fishmonger's Hall in the first place?
If there was no security, please explain how that could be.
2- Was the terrorist being monitored by the|Police monitoring group as he participated in mosque activities in the past year?
3-Was the difference between Islamist terrorists and non-terrorist ex-cons properly examined by the London police and Cambridge before sponsoring a conference for all sorts of ex-cons?
4
“My son, Jack, who was killed in this attack, would not wish his death to be used as the pretext for more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily.”
A convicted murderer on day release also rushed in to subdue the perpetrator.
Perhaps we begin to make the harder choices: find ways to embrace his son’s empathy, assess more clearly an individuals risk of recidivism, and create more rehabilitative programs during incarceration. We can’t know specifically what he would have wanted. But we do know how he lived.
19
One problem I see here was is release without any review. Indeed, the risk of recidivism needs to be addressed.
8
@JP I agree with you 100%, and thank you for your sensible and sensitive comment.
The US has the highest number of prisoners per capita in the world, according to online sources. Of course, they may be wrong. Does that make the US the safest country in the world? Not by my standards, and I have lived in a number of comparable cities in the US and other countries. If incarceration is not accompanied by rehabilitation, there is little use in have a prison system at all. Lets respect the way Jack Merritt lived and try to offer constructive criticism if we have to crisiticise at all.
13
One father to another, my deepest sympathies to Jack Merritt's.
At the same time, I believe he is wrong to ask for his son's murder to not be a "pretext for more draconian sentences." It should be exactly that, though of course "pretext" is the loaded, wrong word.
Capital punishment is needed for many of those who have taken lives with premeditation. It needs to be used only when guilt is absolutely certain, and it needs to be used without sitting in prison for decades.
Yes, I'm aware of, and applaud, the Innocence Project. Its work reminds us not to rush to punishment, but should not blind us to the need for removing evil from society.
13
@Steve_K2 “removing evil from society” cannot happen by killing it off. Evil thrives on retribution.
”Evil” lands in people’s hearts and/or minds and is given a home there because those hearts and minds are not already filled with truth
Sharing the truth of love and peace are proven ways of removing evil from society
And the people who share those truths have been being killed for sharing it, for a long time...
Beautiful words and thoughts.
11
Thank you, Emma. Your words as well as your memories through life will stand for Jack
7
What a heartbreaking loss of a young man with so much to give. Thank you to Emma Goldberg for bringing Jack Merritt's life to light for us.
16
Not just a case of biting the hand that fed him, but of stabbing the heart of a true benefactor. This case is the essence of tragedy for the father's words - understandable and commendable though they are - only serve to highlight the true irony that despite the best and purest efforts of good people, some prisoners are just so deeply damaged and "radicalised" that prison is the only answer.
The lessons to be drawn from these sad deaths are hard indeed, but the truth has to be that rehabilitation must always have bounds, and that it's sometimes naive to believe a terrorist who proclaims that he is now reformed.
25
Unfortunately, Mr. Merritt’s truly tragic death is a hard data point counseling against prematurely opening up the jail cells and letting convicted terrorists free. To deny the tragic irony here does a disservice to the very scholastic enterprise to which the victim devoted himself.
15
This has always been the cipher of an open free society and a total controlled tyranny. One is Not more gentle or less violent than the other in theory. Had this happened in America, the weapon of choice would have been an assault rifle and the dead would number in the scores. Currently, American removes children from parents and imprisons them to dissuade immigrants. Are Americans more safe or happy? In China, isolated stabbing attacks moved the government to separate families and imprison 2 million Uighers. Are the Chinese more safe? Any people deserve good governance and a fair criminal justice system and safety. Jack deserved a second chance and the freedom to contribute to his community. Khan deserved a bullet. A general umbrella release rule freed them both, probably in the interest of fairness and expediency. The better system would individually vett who deserved what and when. That takes investigators. Criminal and Medical. "Learning Together" provided the Educational. A third of the way there.
8
Jack Merritt would not be dead if he had understood that those who become terrorists cannot be trusted to reform. The English are far too lenient in their handling of criminals because they have not spent money on prisons and their main goal is to not have people in prison over a certain number. This brings many dangerous criminals who are not reformed back into the public and what happened with this terrorist who was supposedly no longer a threat back where they can kill more people. The proof is with what happened, not with a "reform" which did not work. In fact they do not check people apparently when they enter such meetings, and he had a fake suicide vest on which would have been found and saved Jack and the woman, also from Cambridge, who did not need to die. Much less the public...it could have been worse had citizens, and ex-cons not ex-terrorists who also attended the meeting not stopped him.
13
Mr Johnson is right to call for sentencing reform. It’s astonishing that a person who was convicted of conspiring to plant bombs to kill & maim innocent people was released from prison.
15
I live about three miles from Grendon prison. It is the most successful rehabilitation prison in the UK. It is saddening to contemplate such a horrific end to the good work Jack Merritt was doing there.
8
This incident revives the age old question, "how can we know if a person has reformed or not?"
There is no "one size fits all" answer.
6
That there us a hero. As opposed to braggarts.
And on his own, and his family’s own, bless him.
2
There's a world of difference between a person convicted of a nonviolent crime (such as shoplifting) vs. a terrorist who tried to blow up the London Stock Exchange. Nonviolent offenders deserve every break to help them reintegrate into society. Terrorists do not.
20
What a shocking loss for the family. One cannot help when looking at Jack Merritt's picture feel that he would have contributed a lot to the betterment of society and his community.
I cannot say I understand the wanton killing of people (or any creature for that matter) for trivial reasons.
Unlike Jack, I am much less forgiving. I personally think that people like Khan should be segregated from society for the full term of their sentence.
Those people like Khan who kill and willingly join organizations like Isis have zero sympathy from me.
7
RIP Jack - I wrote this for my mom many years ago. My Grandmother always told me "The day we fear the most, is but the Birthday of our eternity"
RECALL
In this space and time that we call memories,
Eyes closed tight…we wince to recall special moments long gone.
Some, we merely exist to relive, and others are meant for painful lessons learned.
Strumming through the cob webs, we coerce ourselves through this jaded door,
Only to find, this time, a feeling of remorse followed by expressions of grief.
Like a bank account, we deposit memories daily,
Some are easily recalled and others are over and done.
It’s those memories that reside within our hearts that cause special remembrance,
And miraculously, we have the ability to morph these from anguish to memories of tranquil joy!
*Sending a smile and all my love to you…….. I’ll be watching for you in the stars.
2
My condolences to Jack Merritt's family and friends. The world lost with Saskia Jones another caring, capable emphatic wonderful human being to the senseless violence of the islamic terrorism. . It is naive to believe one can release back to civilized society an indoctrinated islamic terrorist, especially one who had already tried to do harm, after a few years of incarceration. Islamic terrorists are committed to do harm on citizens of the Western world to a non muslim society, why was he released? Terrorist is not an ordinary criminal and can not be rehabilitated. He should never have been let out of prison. Those two young people would be alive if he was kept where he belonged.
13
Rest in peace, Jack Merritt. You meant well.
People such as Usman Khan are better viewed as enemy combatants who have not laid down their arms, rather than as criminals who are capable of reform and re-integration into a law-abiding life path in everyday society.
Mr. Khan was not driven by momentary passion or hatred towards specific victims, as a murderer might be, nor had he fallen into criminal ways, unable to pursue a law-abiding life through life's vicissitudes, as a pickpocket or drug-peddler might.
Mr. Khan regarded the society around him as alien, and himself as a soldier. He wished to kill people in our (to him) alien society, because he was driven by a sense of justice and believed that his cause ware pure. In his own mind, he was akin to a guerilla figher, or a special-ops commando inside our lines, ready to bring the fight alive as and when opportunity presented itself.
The fatal mistake of Britain's criminal justice laws and system was to treat him like any other criminal, with the full benefit of reduced sentencing, rehabilitation talks in elegant Regency-era guild hall sitting rooms, no different from an errant member of our society who had strayed into criminality.
He was a soldier who had not laid down his arms, and the system should have treated him as a prisoner of war, in an ongoing war.
278
@mscommerce MS tells it like it is. And the idea that the killer was an "enemy combatant" and not simply a criminal is an excellent way to look at it. I don't remember if the killer was a British citizen. If not, he should have been immediately deported on leaving jail. If he was, perhaps he could have been sent to Guantanamo through an agreement with the United States.
31
@Antoine Or was he a dangerously mentally ill person who needed proper care to be made safe?
Just identifying with a cause doesn't make you a soldier.
In any case a larger budget for managing such individuals will be required; even just to keep them in prison.
9
@mscommerce Nicely said. Furthermore, the commemoration of Jack Merritt's life and his ultimate sacrifice would not be complete without naming the political forces and individual politicians most responsible for allowing the murderous ideology of which Usman Khan was a devout adept to enter and flourish in the U.K.
2
Of course, it’s terrible that this young man was killed. But I cannot help but think that he was advancing irresponsible policy, driven by his own and others wishful thinking. In that case, innocent people would die anyway. This is one of the few cases where the would-be doctor of social ills was the lab rat for their own medicine. I think our public policies would be quite a bit more conservative and pessimistic in their outlook if their advocates had to live with their consequences.
70
@ett,you actually *can* help but think that, and you really should try. The kind of pessimism you promote is not realism. It’s just lazy, frightened thinking. Why are we here? To muddle along in fearful, armed isolation? Is that your view of civilization’s apex? Before you condemn others to the dead end dystopia you’re imagining, realize that it is precisely “what you can think” that will change the world for better or (much, much) worse.
10
Thank you for the column and memories. I do hope the program continues. One truly bad person should not stop an ongoing and necessary good. I would bet the total percent statistic of this one bad person, to the rest of those in the program, is tiny over the 5 years of its existence. That is where the focus should be. And Kudos to Cambridge for the program itself.
48
It’s very sad that no matter what transpires with rehabilitation or consideration to release convicted terrorists to give them freedom for a new start are marred by their refusal or inability to move away from their hideous harmful ideology.
The Young man and Young woman stabbed to death were there because they believed in 2nd chances as did one of the released prisoners who rushed to stop the savage attack
What’s the answer? We’re fighting an ideology and it’s not disappearing
This young man believed in people getting 2nd chances. I do too. We must in his memory be wiser in choosing who is committed to turning around their lives
38
The burned 20 pound note was a clever copy from a laser or inkjet printer. A trick we can now imitate to our hearts content without wasting more then the money for the ink or toner and the paper.
1
@meloop
Off-topic: Laser copiers and inkjet printers will simply refuse to function if you try to copy a currency note. That capability has been built into them from the earliest days, when counterfeiters used the very first models to make passable copies.
Try it. The machine wont work.
Perhaps we should bring back banishment. Instead of focusing on lofty, misguided notions of rehabilitation and forgiveness, we should find ways to remove people who are convicted of crimes of violence and aggression from our society permanently. Imprisonment, rehabilitation and recidivism all impose costs that society and its law abiding citizens should not have to bear.
7
@Jeff And we could call this magical place “New Australia,” where all our problems could be sent away never to return and we would be New New England, land of virtue and unicorns.
Thank you for this moving article. How sad that that this beautiful person with so many blessings is gone from this world. My condolences to his loved ones.
15
Thank you so much for this powerful, moving, and poignant remembrance. Lives matter. The words invoked to remember them matter. Both should and must matter more than the terrible violence inflicted on those who die.
So often media rushes in to fill the air with the news of the terrible that it becomes crippling. We stumble over headlines and pause over gruesome images and then fall back into apathy or despair. What does it say about our species that we fill our papers with bloody headlines and ghastly photos but so often forget the actual victims before they are cold? Too often we don't even know who we're really mourning. We need to be reminded of the actual magnitude of what was lost.
Jack was kindled to life on these pages. Instead of hearing about a "fatal stabbing on a bridge" I will choose to think of a young man, one of "boyishly good looks," passionately sharing a poem with the incarcerated. The light Jack kindled, the goodness he engendered is his legacy. It casts an infinitely, incomprehensibly wider sphere than the grotesque violence of the man who killed him.
The loss is ten times keener for knowing of Jack's passion for justice, but so too is the resolve to work to end this violence.
I wish Jack's family and friends sympathy and sorrow, and hope that the consolation of knowing someone so splendid --and knowing how many of us are now inspired by his life --is a balm. May his legacy live on.
20
I applaud Learning Together and people like Jack Merritt. May the program continue and grow. I would say, however, that releasing someone halfway through a sentence without a parole board review and mental health assessment by a competent psychiatrist, is unwise. With good people working together in a program like this, it would seem that adding competent, well-trained mental health practitioners to the program staff would be more needed than ever. Was Mr. Khan ever assessed?
21
Heartbreaking and unjust. So very sorry for the family for losing their son who was trying to make it better for others.
Wellness for others and in the process for oneself is something that has to be cultivated and taught from a young age at schools, so we can gradually make the world a better place, and perhaps reduce such violence along the way.
6
A nice tribute to a man with great generosity of spirit.
But when does this type of random killing cross the line? What if there was another terror attack today? And tomorrow? And the next day? My bet is that most of the comments seen here would shift from the need for greater penal reform to the demand for greater police protection. Yes, we myst work on making society a fair playing ground for all, but bad guys need to be rounded up and prevented from perpetuating their deadly deeds in the name of religion or any other cause.
11
My heartfelt condolences to Jack’s father,family and friends. A life cut short, a life well lived. Learning Together must be made available to the world community. The missing link, parole oversight must be established to prevent further tragedies.
5
I’m so sorry for your loss. Reading this brings tears to my eyes.
16
From reading a few of the comments below, I am wondering if the Cambridge project 'Learning Together' might be something that is offered around the globe. (Also, reading comprehension courses may be a way that we can learn how to read objectively.)
Emma Goldberg's opinion was so skilled in that her tribute brought to light the tragedy of individuals like Jack Merritt who were participating in that day of workshops; Jack had been on the other side of the fence and he was trying to help those who he could empathize with find a path forward, that they could find hope. What better service can one human being do for another.
The system is flawed, she states that. But, she was able to take the politics out of this act and talk about a project that was to show a solution. Jack's father's quote at the end of the article bears witness to that.
Thank you, Ms. Goldberg—your article made me think—something that I think we neglect to do.
24
This same program exists in the US. It’s called “Inside Out Prison Exchange.”
https://uoprisoned.org/inside-out
Thank you for honoring Jack's family with this powerful tribute. And thank you NYT for printing it.
36
My sincere condolences on your loss — and the world’s. Thank you for introducing us all to a wonderful young man.
29
Jack and Saskia’s murders are unforgivable, especially as their murderer pre-meditated the act. As the facts and details come forth, we will learn how the penal system and the release system went wrong. On the one hand, it is appropriate to treat people who have committed crimes with kindness and compassion; on the other hand, a release program needs to have safeguards and feedback loops to insure due diligence is performed for the benefit of the human being who had committed a crime and, at the same time, to protect the public. Perhaps small groups of citizens, almost like a jury, should be part of release hearings... they have no axe to grind, and may best judge objectively if a convicted criminal who might have reason or cause to obtain an “axe”, should be inside or outside the penal system.
9
I disagree. Professionals need to be involved to make these types of decisions. It's a shame that one really bad apple could ruin what sounds like a worthwhile program. Maybe that's what he had in mind.
Unfortunately, in the UK we are releasing criminals — including convicted terrorists— early from their sentences, while the police and security services have seen severe cuts so that rich people don’t have to pay their fair share of tax. Meanwhile, unlike much of the US, ordinary British people are not allowed to carry handguns for self defence. Even carrying a knife can land you with a prison sentence that is often longer than a terrorist caught organising a bomb attack will get.
It’s ironic that the target of this attack was a workshop organised by the kinds of people who argue that potentially dangerous criminals should be let out of prison early, even though we have inadequate systems in place to protect the public and ordinary citizens are effectively banned from arming themselves against this threat.
My view is that we need to operate internment: lock up any potential terrorist for as long as this Islamist war against the West lasts. We did this in WWII, putting many Italians and Germans found in Britain at the start of the war in prison camps; of course, many were no threat at all but the likely result was that the British public faced little threat from fifth columnists (of course it is difficult to prove a negative, but I’m certain that policy saved lives).
23
@JMan I am a fellow Brit and was moved by Emma Goldberg’s tender remembrance of one victim of the London Bridge murders. Sadly, I believe that JMan’s bizarre response (including “Meanwhile, unlike much of the US, ordinary British people are not allowed to carry handguns for self defence. Even carrying a knife can land you with a prison sentence that is often longer than a terrorist caught organising a bomb attack will get” and “My view is that we need to operate internment: lock up any potential terrorist for as long as this Islamist war against the West lasts”) misses the compassionate point of the article entirely - though I doubt there is any point in arguing statistics with JMan.
1
@basho The compassionate and forgiving Jack Merritt would most likely still be alive had it not been for the multiple failings and naivety of the UK's approach regarding radicalized terrorists and Islamic fanaticism. It's hard to ignore that underlying fact regardless of the article's intended tone.
3
Thank you for this beautifully written remembrance of a good human being...
17
His death proves that what he stood for was delusional and counterproductive, that Western civilization is so exhausted and riven by unnecessary guilt that it will voluntarily welcome its enemies into its home and be swept away by the tides of history. And we will be led by some of the best and brightest with pure intention and generosity.
43
What are the metrics? Before you can write or feel this way, you need the metrics.
Thank you as well for writing such a beautiful article.
13
What an amazing young man...wow, was the world just robbed of an incredible human being. A person dedicated to social justice, to prison rehabilitation, to helping others have the opportunities to live better lives, and giving of himself tirelessly. It seems like such a rote cliché to say that it isn’t fair, but it isn’t fair. I’m angry and devastated. To Jack’s family and the people of London...bless you. I hold you close in my heart.
20
Thank you for a very thoughtful article. I do not have an answer to the problems of the world, but David Merritt was one who was really trying to make the world a better place.
30
Ms. Goldberg, thanks for the sane writing in a sad 'moment' in a fraught climate. "Unadulterated goodness" will prevail in some hearts with your help, and Jack's.
36
Thank you Emma Goldberg for this beautiful piece on Jack Merritt who lived a meaningful life of caring and giving. People like Jack are much needed in the world and he certainly touched my heart through your writing.. Sounds like he will be missed and we were lucky to have him while we did. My family's condolences to his family and friends.
62
@Stephen Except that he is dead and so is another because his beliefs did not work out. Also the system of letting offenders out "automatically" when they have served half (not all) their sentence is not working, this type occurrence has repeatedly happened. This ex-terrorist (who did it again) had an ankle bracelet and it helped no one. Because there are so many policies and changes have occurred and it is so easy for this to happen. Jack was misguided sadly.
6
RIP Jack. You did good for mankind. My condolences to your siblings and parents and friends.
41
"One person who saw the attack unfolding and rushed to help was a fellow conference participant, James Ford, a convicted murderer on day release from prison." But now, the public reaction will exacted against the many James Fords in the prison system. That is a particularly frustrating tragedy.
39
I think there is a vast difference between people who kill in furtherance of an ideology versus those who kill because of some individual animosity toward the victim or kill as incidental to some selfish gain being sought. I think the latter have much more chance of later abandoning violence as their behavior.
While it certainly is possible for an ideologically motivated person to later reject that ideology, it should never be assumed that they have done so simply because of the passage of time and their own claims of such rejection.
65
Emma Goldberg, how like you to rescue courage from sorrow and pain. May you caring and love spread. Thank you.
48
Beautiful piece of writing. Beautiful life taken. Thanks for this!!
36
@Tara
Will this bring him back?
Surely the lesson to be drawn from this young man’s senseless murder is that ideologically motivated terrorists with stated lethal intentions towards their host society, should be treated with extreme caution and suspicion. And not on par with other everyday criminals. whether for sentencing, parole, or halfway-house talks and “rehabilitation” outreach.
119
Condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Merritt
37
Dear Ms Goldberg, Is there a way you could find and share Jack's poem you speak about? I work with inmates on non-violent conflict resolution and they would certainly appreciate hearing another good poem on forgiveness.
Thanks,
59
He was a brave and hard work young man ! Obviously his abilities in making a difference in the justice system will be in discussion for a long time, specially between the ones that wants the criminal justice be a simple definition and practically use it as an ideology. Whatever he was trying to accomplish with others to see a better approach, I give a lot of credit for his efforts . Unfortunately this terrible situation took his life. God bless his family, and RIP.
21
Looking at the horizon as the stormy day darkens into the night, I ask myself: what primal forces move Jack Merritt to dedicate life to the renewal of civility, and of Jack Ford to risk spontaneously to protect it in saving fellow citizens? Fighting the cold wind, dare I ask where do I stand?
25
@BarnOwl :People are dead and their deaths were preventable and law enforcement must be given the benefit of the doubt, lock the very dangerous up, throw away the key, whatever their religious orientation, for the good of society."Renewal of civility" with someone who wants to plant bombs and kill you?"Vous etes fou!"
1
Let's not forget Saskia Jones, Jack's fellow Cambridge alumnae who died that day too.
Two years Jack's junior, Saskia hailed from Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon and had completed her MPhil in Criminology at the Institute of Criminology at Cambridge last year (where Jack also studied).
90
@Lex The Guardian quote Saskia's family with these words in remembrance of her:
"[Saskia was] funny, kind, positive influence at the centre of many people’s lives. She had a wonderful sense of mischievous fun and was generous to the point of always wanting to see the best in all people. She was intent on living life to the full and had a wonderful thirst for knowledge, enabling her to be the best she could be."
We have lost out, Saskia, all of us, when you left here. May you rest in peace.
86
@Lex Most young want to see the best in people. It does not always work out. Especially where experts let another person like the "anti-Vax" conman lead the way. I live in the UK and I am sickened by their half solutions and saving money at the expense of real solutions. Sadly 2 dead because of their beliefs.
5
@JHM The kinds of debate and thought that goes into your criminal justice system, as tragically flawed as it is, is ten times more intelligent and humane as ours. You give consideration to studies and statistics and try to make sense of things. Americans don't care.
I think that it is somehow better, to have that intelligent humanity in your discourse and in your laws, and meet with a rare tragedy, than to vow towards inhumanity and close your minds to reason, which is the case in America, where our prisons have a 78% recidivism rate, with 2.5 million locked up, and yet nobody does anything to reform the system, including using common sense.
G-d bless him. What a beautiful soul. My condolences.
38
Thank you for sharing this story about his beautiful life. I am honored to have read it.
68
I thought I had no words. Feeling numb, senseless, I could not chase away the few words remaining in my head.
But, sitting-back --- is not an option. Humans must speak. Sadness can turn to rage. Likely, there is good reason for all the rage we see around us. The enraged have spoken, but no one listens to them.
We read today about civilians being bombed in Syria by Russian planes, including hundreds of small children in the last 8 years. We learn about Jack Merritt's death and the imprisoned, the permanently broken.
Authoritarianism is not the answer. War is not the answer.
Stop killing ourselves. Join a march for life. Take a path.
A few are guilty, all are responsible.
61
@Paul
Light candles. Place teddy bears there with a nice sign.
Let others take the hard decisions to resolve the situation.
5
@Paul , thoughts and prayers. Take a path. drink tea and think positive thoughts.
Peace Corps Volunteer, Red Cross in Viet Name 66-67, decades as a US Diplomat would not have saved my life if I had been in the place thee victims were.
3
I fear that our Fake President, with his signature ignorance, arrogance, and lacking any sense of basic propriety or decency, will likely provide to the British people his unsolicited, draconian medieval perspectives about this deeply sad and tragic occurrence when he visits London this week for the NATO meeting. On behalf of my fellow citizens, please accept our sincere apologies and sympathies in your time of national mourning and societal introspection.
105
@John Grillo
The last sentence of your post is quite eloquent. But I doubt that the preceding sentence about a U.S. politician belongs in a note of condolence.
That’s all well and good, but if anyone belongs in prison for the rest of their lives - and some people do - it’s Usman Khan.
72
There is nothing wrong with a Supermax facility to retain terrorists in safety. The idea that they can be rehabilitated is wrong. Including them with general prison population risks them radicalizing others. Supermax.
I thought I had no words. Feeling numb, senseless, I could not chase away the few words remaining in my head.
But, sitting-back --- is not an option. Humans must speak. Sadness can turn to rage. Likely, there is good reason for all the rage we see around us. The enraged have spoken, but no one listens to them.
We read today about civilians being bombed in Syria by Russian planes, including hundreds of small children in the last 8 years. We read about U.S. Navy Seal Ed Gallagher who admits he “just want(s) to kill as many people as possible.” We learn about Jack Merritt's death and the imprisoned, the permanently broken.
Authoritarianism is not the answer. War is not the answer.
Stop killing ourselves. Join a march for life. Take a path.
A few are guilty, all are responsible.
Pardoning people like Ed Gallagher is not the answer.
7
Thank you Emma Goldberg for sharing this with us all. Condolences to the Merritt family and the community of London.
27
Thank you for this tribute to the victim of this dreadful murderer, most respectful of the meaning of life for this lost soul.
It is most important to think our civilised policies in light of these events, without losing sight of what civilisation means. We live in this time where too many of our world leaders use emotions to serve their political agendas. It is a shame that intelligent people - I have the weakness to believe all our world leaders are smart people - use these short cuts to stay in power.
This tribute tells me that I should never let go without convincing my fellow citizens and friends and relatives that we have to be civilised in our endeavours.
8
Convicted terrorist Usman Khan's story shouldn't come as a surprise. He was simply following the book while Mr. Merritt was following his heart.
31
Just about everyone professes to hold the highest ideals these days, all the better to call fault from the sidelines out of a sense of moral superiority. Less common are those follow up on their ideals in a dedicated effective fashion. The only consolation that may be taken from Jack Merritt's untimely death rests in the certainty that many who are today reading about him in columns like this will be inspired to follow his example. Sincerest condolences to Jack's father and all those who were lucky enough to be his nearest and dearest.
28
What a heartbreaking, beautifully written, tribute. Thank you, Emma Goldberg, for shining light on this tragedy.
29
Reading the comments, I was reminded why the US has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Four of five time higher than than the UK, France or Canada.
Last numbers I saw was two and half million people in jail.
9
@Skiplusse Although your comment is off-topic, I'd like to follow up on it. Initially, I was also shocked by the extremely high incarceration rate in the U.S. and the extreme degree of trigger-happiness among U.S. law-enforcement officers. Over the years, however, I came to understand why things are the way they are: for a number of historical, cultural and economic reasons, the American society is far more heterogeneous and thus far less cohesive in its day-to-day life than any other country in the world, including other immigration-based societies such as Canada or Australia. Societies with the greatest levels of "organic" (as opposed to imposed) cohesion tend to enjoy the lowest crime rates, and vice versa. Wealth helps keep the peace, but only up to a point. Thus, one could argue that the high incarceration rate is the price the American society must pay for the various choices it has made since the days of its founding. It is not good or bad - it is what it is. To get to Canada's or U.K.'s incarceration rate without descending into chaos, America would need to cease being America - and that's not gonna happen.
2
@Skiplusse And more than 99% of them are exactly where they belong!
@Skiplusse Were you also reminded that NYC is much safer than London where the 5 star hotels tell you to avoid wearing jewelry and hide your cell phone.
Jack’s death highlights two facts :
1) There are many wonderful and caring people in the world
2) There a few monsters that live among us.
Sadly, some of the best of us are poor at judging the worst of us......
79
They still have a block and an axe somewhere in the Tower right. This guy needs to lose about 10 inches.
9
@Eldercop Too late for that. He’s already gained 6 feet (of real estate.)
9
@Eldercop The scary thing for us in the UK is that there are another 70 or so convicted terrorists who’ve been released from their sentences early and are wandering our streets.
2
Lovely tribute Emma. Godspeed Jack Merritt.
14
There are many criminals who are cannot be rehabilitated and should spend the rest of their lives behind bars. Jack may have been a gentle soul who believed in rehabilitation and redemption but his murderer proved him wrong. Some places, including some in the US, have ridiculous laws where murderers and terrorists are given less than life in prison and they are released to prey on others. This event should be a wakeup call to Britain that murderers and terrorists deserve life sentences and should never be released no matter how rehabilitated they seem or how repentant they claim to be. The public deserves protection from these less than humans.
38
@S.L.
"There are many criminals who .. cannot be rehabilitated ... "
Almost certainly true, but we presently seem unable to reliably distinguish between those who are rehabilitated and those who aren't. It's not reasonable to assume none are, else what would be the point of attempting rehabilitation in the first place?
That said, the judge who initially assessed the case considered Khan a serious threat to public safety, and gave him an indeterminate sentence. This was overturned on appeal, and he was given a determinate sentence. So the first judge seems to have gotten it right.
The larger issue here is perhaps the fact that the UK government won't spend taxpayers' money on adequate prison space. They prefer to spend it on freebies to buy votes. The result is that prisoners have to be cycled through prison as quickly as possible in order to make room for new inmates.
5
Utterly heartbreaking.
18
How truly terrible and tragic for Jack Merritt's parents-losing such a fine young man and a beloved son through a senseless act of violence; I grieve for them. And to think that other terrorists are, right now, plotting other attacks on innocent people-will it ever end?
21
From the little I have gleaned about this horrific attack it is simply unspeakably wrong and unfair that a young man so devoted to confronting and attempting to reform violent terrorism one person at a time would be taken from this life by violent terrorism.
15
Is it wrong that I read about this attack and thought 'Oh, they're lucky; he only has knives and not a gun'? It's human tragedy regardless and it traumatizes people that suffered from the attack but there's only so much that a lone wolf could accomplish with a knife. Another man picked up a fire extinguisher and brained him with it; yet another grabbed a decorative tusk from the wall and used it as a weapon. There were a lot of brave bystanders today and I'm relieved that the fatalities were limited to two people.
23
@Student
Limited to two?
Unfortunately two too many
Is it wrong that I read about this attack and thought 'Oh, they're lucky; he only has knives and not a gun'? It's human tragedy regardless and it traumatizes people that suffered from the attack but there's only so much that a lone wolf could accomplish with a knife. Another man picked up a fire extinguisher and brained him with it; yet another grabbed a decorative tusk from the wall and used it as a weapon. There were a lot of brave bystanders today and I'm relieved that the fatalities were limited to two people.
2
What a beautiful story and a tragic loss at the same time. While many of us understand that harshness is not justice, we should also be aware that leniency is not justice either as the cruel and merciless terrorist attack showed.
8
This is so unbearably sad. Thank you for introducing Jack to the world, letting us all realized the loss of such a force of realness, goodness, and fun.
13
It astounds me that convicted terrorists are deemed as capable of reform as criminals convicted of other, less ideologically-driven crimes. What on earth persuades reformers as well-intentioned as Jack Merritt that mere understanding and forgiveness will persuade a terrorist to become a model citizen of a Western European country, with values completely at odds with the terrorist’s ideology and purpose?
And the failure of the parole board to review the case just exacerbates the issue.
59
@Sconseter In NYC "understanding and forgiveness" probably won't, but then that's not what rehabilitation programs largely consist of. One thing to keep in mind is that many terrorists are only driven by ideology because they were desperately lacking any other sense of purpose in their lives. It is difficult to rehabilitate them, but it is by no means impossible.
1
@Simon
And modern Western society provides no purpose. It produces lots of directionless people, and that with radical Islam makes for a very dangerous combination.
Terrorist and extreme violent criminals are a danger to society and must be given the maximum penalty under the law, without parole, life in prison. I believe consideration for rehabilitation is a possibility/individual case, however, conducted behind bars in a maximum-security prison. For some of us, hope springs eternal for a Utopian society but it’s terribly tragic that Mr. Merritt, a great public servant, is deceased, because of a violent criminal, while Mr. Merritt was tirelessly working to reform the penal system, and gave this criminal a second chance, and he used that second chance to kill a great and irreplaceable man. My deepest condolences go out to the Merritt family.
27
A part of all of us died with Jack Merritt. I'd like to think most people are caring, hopelessly optimistic and should be able to use words instead of violence to express themselves. I often ask myself, why is it that some of us refuse to see the line? Many of us are looking for substantive stories to motivate us in avoidance of naiveness and angst. This is true in appearance, but not in fact, for the future may hold for us similar tragedies since some individuals have a tendency of being able to remedy their problems only by aggravating them, so that each day is much more tolerable before the solution is found to the difficulties of the present moment. These salutary or awkward consequences matters little to those who don't question themselves (Usman Khan) and are comfortable with bringing light to uncomfortable truths they lack the capacity to articulate without violence, opting instead to commit such heinous acts. Hence, some of us meditate upon the bad luck of being born without concern for the harm we can cause others or ourselves.
2
He was a convicted killer on work release.
4
@tom, please read the article. Jack Ford, who was a convicted killer on day release, rushed to help.
10
@maxie That's what I said.
When one thinks of an individual whose life is worth emulating, surely the individual should be Jack Meritt.
15
A number of the commenters are misreading and assume that Jack Merritt had served in prison. He was the leader of a program that brings together prisoners and university students—a program in which he was a participant with the writer when they were students at Cambridge. He sounds like he was a wonderful person who believed in and in acted on behalf of justice, rehabilitation and forgiveness.
80
I’m glad you clarified that for the people who misread it. Tragic enough that such a kind hearted, smart, compassionate fella was murdered let alone people thinking he was an excon.
7
When determining sentencing, maybe people with bombs should be considered to have less in common with people with knives and more with people in the subway with vials of sarin.
11
What he may have stood for pales beside why he died - because the UK has crazy laws to accomodate jihadists who want to live there but hate the Brits, their country, their laws, and their religion. Europe is overrun by these people and political correctness trumps common sense in dealing with them which in turn fuels nationalism and a return to rightist views. I think Merritt sounds like a typical young do-gooder with a half-baked idealistic world view. Hopefully his legacy will be draconian laws for maniacs.
49
@Eli You are getting hysterical. I understand the fear. But where is your proof that Europe is 'over-run'? More people with humanistic views and principles need to speak up and influence the national dialog and culture.
9
@Eli I don't understand objection towards people who want to do good?
5
@Blake
No one has any objection towards people who want to do good, even at their own risk, which they gave chosen: humanitarian workers etc.
I for one take issue with people who want to do good and put themselves - as we saw - and others such as myself at risk, which I did not choose.
7
Idealism can be a beautiful thing but it can also look foolhardy and naive. This poor young man didn’t live long enough to temper his idealism. Some people simply need to be locked up for the safety of society and, yes, to punish their wrongdoing. Terrorists need to serve longer sentences than non violent drug addicts.
52
Some prisoners need to stay in prison. Sometimes forever.
It depends on the crime. Child molesters and terrorists never reform, but are skilled liars.
46
Rest In Peace, Jack. You helped make a difference in this world...
28
How ironic that a good person who stood for rehabilitation should be slain by a violent offender previously released after serving a sentence for violent attacks.
It’s sort of a "let twenty pass and stone the 21st" situation. How can one tell who will "go and sin no more," and who will resume behavior that used to result in the death penalty?
10
Surely one can tell by the nature of the crime for which they were incarcerated. Terrorists are unlikely o have been reformed while imprisoned; those committing lesser crimes might well be put onto new paths.
Not rocket science.
15
But we want to think that our empathy for others will cure all hatred, solve all ills. Empathy doesn’t take away the agency of another. They are still free to think and feel as they will. To imagine otherwise is blindness- to one’s own narcissism. This is the foolish, childish narcissism of “abolish prisons!” and “end incarceration!”. It is only possible to think such thoughts from behind the barricades of bourgeois privilege. It’s simple wisdom to understand that I am a dangerous animal, made civil for the moment by my privilege and good fortune.
18
Sadder yet for the other innocent civilians that died.
This guy wasn't complicit- but he was no hero.
8
Mr Merritt and his murderer seem to have understood one thing together: that forgiveness quells hate. That hate only persists if there is conflict and oppression. Nazis wouldn't know what to do if they stopped attacking their enemies. No other goals. IS would dry up if it accepted forgiveness. Al-Qaeda's goal was to assert its existence by dragging its enemies to retaliate. They succeeded more than they expected. IS understands that. Mr Merritt understood that. His murderer understood that. How do we manage to elect to lead us the only people who don't seem to understand that?
Hmm. Or is it that they do understand it, but also need enemies?
8
What a wonderful nuanced way of looking at a man that gave so much during his short life.Thank you
9
To say life is unfair would be understatement. By all accounts, Jack Merritt was a wonderful human being, kind, empathetic, devoting his life to helping others.
And his life was snuffed out senselessly in a random attack by a fanatic. These terrorists are barbarians, and on the low part of the human scale in my opinion. Never could understand a religious belief that is interpreted as killing anyone who doesn't believe as you do.
The civilians who jumped into the fray to subdue Khan should be commended. More and more we are seeing the heroic results when four or five people attack a lone fanatic. Not only is he not expecting that kind of reaction, but it usually results in totally eliminating his murderous delivery system.
My son went to the mall on Friday when several friends. As he left I hugged him and said, "make sure you have a plan." Sad.
32
Sad and tragic for such a loss. Life is just not fair sometimes and a life with so much promise is taken out by a life bent on killing and revenge.
3
This is too sad.
And the police created another martyr who goes to heaven in the (islamic) extremist view.
I would hope that better re-indoctrination and anti-brainwashing programs in prison will happen, even after cost-cutting of post-Brexit.
However, I don't know how much isolation terrorists have in prison from fellow extremists.
There is also the large muslim population in Britain to placate?
5
@serenocormac Oh, yeah, here comes the "police did it" excuse. Yes, they shot him, but it was because he was wearing what looked like an explosive vest — the kind that had already been used successfully many times — and with London's history, felt they couldn't take a chance, I suppose. And then there's the fact that this guy had already stabbed two people to death.
Jack Merritt was a well-meaning individual, but his dad's utterances indicate idealogical stolidness in the face of a reality that he doesn't want to face. As a matter of fact, both the attacker and his two murdered victims would be alive if there were more "draconian" measures taken. This Usman Khan clearly had no interest in rehabilitation and anyone looking into it should have seen that. In fact, it sounds like they did.
9
@gwonk Well said.
What a beautiful and touching way to honor Mr. Merrit, who changed his life in such a positive direction, and the irony in dying a cruel death by a man who didn't. Wonderful writing.
8
@Bocheball : He wasn't a prisoner, he was from Cambridge and he was working with prisoners. Why are so many readers not understanding this? Not reading the article? Not understanding the article? Just skimming because they can't wait to comment on something they do not even understand? No wonder Trump gets away with 'fake news'. Sheesh.
17
@sophia
"When I read the news of the attack, I pictured him back at Grendon prison reading his graduation poem."
Talking about Mr. Merrit, this led me to believe he WAS a prisoner.
Being that I'm far from the only one, you should chill out and not be so critical.
Maybe the writing is at fault.
It's predictable that violence (wheather labeled terrorism or not) by Muslims and Africans is always greeted with an outcry that people of the same demographics might face scrutiny or profiling, and we must not let that happen. On the other hand, when it is white right wingers, the same people called loudly for profiling, surveillance, and increased scrutiny of the demographic. The Charlottesville casualty is a good example. Muslims were intentionally running people over 3 times a week we were told there was nothing to see here and these were isolated incidences. One right-wing white guy does the same thing in Charlottesville and we're told white supremacists are the biggest threat of terrorism on the planet and that is where we need to focus all of our concern.
25
@Lisa R Exactly right. Thank you.
Without Neocon/ Lobby incitement to force the US to attack and destroy Iraq, ISIS would not have existed to begin with. In a more fundamental way, what Jack Merritt and other innocent victims of the various iterations of these militant attacks across the years share is that they didn’t deserve to be the Neocon’s collateral damage. This summer, without care, they will go back to sunbathe in the opulence of the Hamptons and hold re-election fund raisers. This is where the country and world are.
7
@Dobes
“He was freed halfway through his term, last December, without a parole board assessment.”
11
Five decades of research has found insufficient evidence that prison rehabilitation programs work. We can pay tribute to the two Cambridge Criminology degree graduates who certainly deserve nothing but praise for sacrificing their time and effort toward teaching prisoners law and writing, but who is responsible for the decision to insert in to the program a convicted terrorist? As much as rehabilitation programs lead to uncertain results for street criminals, we can be even more certain that there is no existing evidence that such programs will reverse the willingness of those planning mass murder to change their plans.
35
@DoctorRPP I wonder where that research was done, if in the US, I believe that you have to take into account the fact that so many of our prisons are run by for profit Companies who have no incentive to rehabilitate prisoners.
However I am familiar with studies conducted in the UK and Scandinavian countries that show excellent results in rehabilitating prisoners.
10
@Britl, the hundreds of prison rehabilitation studies in the US and Europe are equally conflicted. Yes, some studies have shown a positive impact on prisoner recidivism on the two sides of the ocean, but the ver immersive programs that have shown to be successful are largely absent from what is being done on either continent. More specifically, Cambridge's poetry and pose program is not an evidence-based practice for even non-violent criminals...nevermind a convicted terrorist.
4
I know nothing about the British judicial system, but it does seem to me that prisoners like Khan should have never been released and prisoners like Jack Merritt should have been out a lot sooner so he could make his heartfelt contribution to helping the world be a better place. I will remember Jack's story, and I'll remember his compassionate father's response to great personal tragedy.
9
@DMS I don't think Merritt was a prisoner himself, just working to fight for justice for them.
14
@DMS Jack Merritt was not a prisoner, he was a Cambridge graduate who advocated for penal code reform.
19
My understanding of this story is that Jack was never a prisoner. Rather, he began working with prisoners and on prison reform when he was a university student.
11
IMAGINE ALL THE PEOPLE- My heart is full of grief, eyes full of tears reading this humane and dignified piece on the life and purpose of Jack Merritt. One day perhaps we will connectively rise past religions, races, ideaolgy to realize there is no "Us & Them"...the other, those people. There is ultimately- only US. I will meet you kind readers, on that day we as a species step out from our caves, into the warm sunlight. Larry D Miami Beach.
11
@Larry D Yes and until that day arrives keep the religious fanatics out of our country.
9
“My son, Jack, who was killed in this attack would not wish his death to be used as the pretext for more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily.”
Sending people that plan terrorist attacks to prison is not draconian. Their motive for violence is a belief. Beliefs are not changed quickly and in these cases, the believer feels even more justified in violence, because his incarceration prevented him from carrying out God's will.
88
@Mike We should respect the families of the victim, but dont base public policy on the wishes of those in an emotional state. Policy makers must consider how to avoid future victims. Europe has yet to confront the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. Even saying those words is often prohibited. Media reports tried diligently to avoid the words Islamic, Muslim or ISIS. No problem can be solved without first honestly acknowledging it.
28
@Mike , I thought the same thing when I heard his father's statement. Certainly, incarceration is not the optimal punishment for a range of non-violent offenders, but the idea that you could treat religious terrorists as a recently paroled street criminal was Cambridge's mistake and their 25-year old employee paid the price for that mistaken judgment.
22
what a beautiful tribute to a beautiful soul. thank you for your loving words!
19
Jack Merritt sounds like an outstanding person of great character. His death is a tragedy.
Serving as a chaplain in a psychiatric institution serving forensically committed patients as well as at a maximum security jail reinforced my belief that even people who have engaged in very violent acts can change. They may have character and caring that put many of us to shame. I also strongly believe that there are people who need to be in a secure setting that is humane and therapeutic until they are rehabilitated.
Someone who does not need to be incarcerated should not be kept in prison a minute longer than is needed, but people should also not be released a minute sooner than is needed for them to be safe. We need to be guided by compassion, thoughtfulness and the perspectives of the most seasoned law enforcement professionals, forensic psychologists and psychiatrists and the most rigorous research and data.
My belief in the need for change in our justice system is rooted in both my human values of fairness and in my faith. I believe every life is sacred. I continue to question and disagree with aspects of my faith even as it is one of the most central parts of my life.
The need for justice reform is real and urgent. Big change is needed. But we also need to let our views be firmly grounded in reality, not in a "one size fits all" perspective that either believes in harsh punishment or one that believes that compassion means believing everyone is ready to be safe.
29
@Zoe Wyse
But there was not only no proof Usman had become deradicalized, no one EVEN TRIED TO FIND OUT......he was freed based on time served (half his sentence) by some bureaucrat obeying policy, no penal justice board or experts on violence or radical beliefs was consulted.
For this, not only Jack Merritt died, but also 23 year old Saskia Jones, who was also a young criminologist at that conference, as well.....
Does that meet any common sense beliefs at all? Not to me.
16
Jack deserves to be remembered...
an advocate for justice murdered
by a perpetrator for evil. The ultimate
injustice. He sounds like the kind of
man who would urge our better inclinations,
even when faced by such horror. Thank you
Emma Goldberg for your very meaningful
tribute.
20
RIP Jack Merritt,25, and Saskia Jones,23. What a terrible loss for their families and the country as a whole.
Our criminal justice system is a complete mess - fewer police, closing of courts, desperate need for prison reform. This is why a convicted terrorist was released after serving 8 years of his 16 year sentence.
The Conservative party has had 10 years to reform criminal justice. They failed. Their claim to be the law and order party is risible
21
No terrorist should ever be released from prison. So sorry for this young man and his family.
50
Do not forget that Mr. Merritt's activism cost another person her life. With the exception of non-politicized GED and vocational training, most "prisoner rehabilitation" programs are ego exercises for people who thrill at proclaiming they are the special ones who "understand" predators. My rapist, who had scores of victims, was given time off the front of one sentence for allegedly being mentally handicapped, then time off the end of the sentence for allegedly getting a fake "psychology degree" handed out by such preening fools. Then he went back to raping and torturing women.
Real rehabilitation involves accepting responsibility and the consequences that come with it, and real forgiveness is not contingent on the offender being released back into society. Activists like Merritt have harmed countless innocent victims' lives with their narcissistic and foolish rescue complexes. Often the most compassionate path is to prevent a predator from racking up a higher body count. And the rhetoric underlying such activism is frequently vicious towards victims, accusing us of being "vengeful" or worse (see: reactionary) merely for wanting to see our torturers securely separated from society.
102
@Tina Trent Thank you, thank you, thank you for that brave and brilliant comment.
I am so sorry for what you had to go through.
20
@Honeybee I'm so sorry about your brother.
13
@Tina Trent Thank you for this wise comment. Justice is not vengeance and we need justice (not to mention the simple practicality of protecting the public, something our elites too often forget).
17
Thank you for letting us get to know your class mate Jack Merrit. His humanitarian spirit and his contribution to improving the justice system should be kept in memory.
13
I’m all for rehabilitating some convicts and helping them reintegrate back into society. The problem is that most Jihadis are not capable of being rehabilitated. Their extreme ideology makes them a threat to public safety and therefore these people should be locked up indefinitely. This is not being punitive. It’s simply necessary to protect the public.
70
To paraphrase Trotsky:
You may not be interested in crime, but crime is interested in you.
19
Heart breaking.
7
We lost a nicest human being who dedicated his life for helping people to turn around from bad to betterment. Rest In Peace Jack. Heart felt sympathy to your loved ones left behind. Phytoist.
8
Young people like Jack Merritt make the world a better place. They give optimism in face of evil that often gets more publicity than some of god's good creations like Jack.
11
@PK2NYT
I don't believe the world became a better place for Saskia Jones. Possibly the only person for whom the world became a better place because of a foolish idealist is the murderer of a mentally disabled woman who is now being hailed a hero. I would think a man who had slit the throat of a 21 year old girl would not be quite as intimidated by a knife-wielding religious fanatic.
4
Wow. So sad. So sad such a wonderful human being is gone. He set a great example for us to follow.
In the South, we'd call him 'good people', and there's no higher honor. Just be a force for the good; simply, humbly, lovingly. Like Jack.
Reach across divisions, be they religious, financial, national, etc. All fictional. All these little disguises we wear: fiction. We are One. Jack saw no difference in our spirits. He was right.
We need to be more like him.
7
People who try to commit murder, by bombing or any other methods, for political, ideological reasons are not likely to be changed with incarceration and/or thought reform. I wish they were but they are not.
24
Emma, I'm guessing you're young and may not remember "Saving Private Ryan," which was so moving to those of us whose fathers served in WWII. At the end of the movie, as Tom Hanks dies, he looks at Private Ryan--as Hanks becomes the last of many men to die so Ryan can go on with life--and he says, "Earn this." That's what I say to you. Earn this, in Jack Merritt's memory, as you go about your life and your work.
10
Jack Merritt nest described by his father as a beautiful spirit seemed like he was destined to to do great things and live a long life with service to fellow human beings. The uncertainties of life hit him hard and we will never know what he could have done. A University of Cambridge graduate in his 20s doing what most us would never find the compassion to do and rather not do but he did it will pride only to be brutally stabbed to death in return.
A small consolation was that his barbaric killer Usman Khan (no relation to the current mayor of London Sadiq Khan) was shot to death by police. When I saw the video of the stabber tackled by the passersby and held to the floor after confiscating his knife, there was no need for the burly policeman to yank the passerby from the top of the killer and create a situation in which the police shot him. On second thoughts it was on the spot justice for a maniac who had only served half his sentence for plotting to commit a terrorist act for which he was imprisoned when the current prime minister of Britain Boris Johnson was the mayor of London.
Deepest sympathies to the Merrit family and friends. Jack was certainly one of a kind forgiving person who was working to give a second chance to hardened criminals who should never have been free to commit heinous acts. RIP Jack your life was cut short but will be remembered forever and hopefully lessons learned will make the needed change.
5
@Girish Kotwal There *was* a reason the policeman jerked the people off and shot Usman Khan. He was wearing a (what turned out to be fake) explosive vest. The policeman had no way of knowing it was a fake until later. It was not an execution - it was "suicide by cop" on the part of Khan.
23
@Crategirl from America. So you are saying the overzealous police a mistake in assuming the vest did not have WMD explosives and the police just shot. First shoot and then ask questions?
1
Ms. Goldberg's instincts are fine, but they are not the response to terrorism the general public is calling for.
12
I will not forget. Jack sought to make the World a better place for us all. It's my honor and duty to do a little bit more, just for Jack, since he cannot continue his mission. By doing so, Jack lives!
4
No! Terrorists and would-be terrorists have forfeited the right to live amongst us. I reject the notion that society must risk the lives of innocents in the off chance that a terrorist/violent criminal ‘might’ be rehabilitated. If that attacker had remained in prison where he belonged, two innocent people would still be alive today.
60
Ms. Goldberg,
My heartfelt condolences to you and the family, friends, and acquaintances on the death by murder of Mr. Jack Merritt. I was touched by your words. Moreover, I would like to have the opportunity to read the poem that Jack recited in celebration at the graduation ceremony. By chance do you have it available to post ?
Sincerely,
Raul
4
The families of Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones do not want this "isolated incident" to hinder their rehabilitation project. What of those three stabbed but not killed? Collateral damage? Are they so forgiving? What of all those who would have been killed if the assailant, a terrorist, had not been subdued and killed?
Usman Khan was a terrorist in prison and he was a terrorist when he was released and he died a terrorist.
There would seemingly be a reason that he went on his rampage among those who had helped him. Apparently gratitude was not part of his terrorist creed.
What Mr. Merritt or Ms. Jones would have wanted is irrelevant. They cannot sacrifice others for their beliefs.
41
@Joshua Schwartz , you make a strong case that those shortening the incarceration of convicted planners of mass murder, may themselves be accessories to their future crime.
7
Thank you - may his death remind us that imprisonment for any other reason than to remove an uncontrollable violent person, (due to ailment or attitude only changes the name on the institution gate), is foolish and makes most people only more dangerous...
...While satisfying our sick human attitude too many of us have not fought down that “punishment” by the state is as vile as any crime.
When the murderer was released, he was not given any means if re-integration - or, based on the initial charges, integration into society.
Someone who would commit an act of terror does not feel part of the community-at-large, and it is part of the job of a true justice system to help that person find a place.
The first step in dealing with a sane-but-violent person is to remove the means of violence (in this case explosives) from (usually)his hands.
Then to deal with the anger.
And this means working with both the offender, and the society that has alienated the offender.
In the case of acts if malice caused by mental disease, this has become simple.
Shoot a President for an actress’s love because of a fairly simple brain chemistry error - cure with pills and counseling.
Plan a terrorist attack because you are not part of a society that accepts your right to non-violent beliefs or different dress/appearance/even diet - and you don’t have a simple problem at all, because all of us who make an otherwise sane person an outsider bear part of the responsibility, and need to change.
3
@Eatoin Shrdlu, I don't mean to challenge some of what I am sure are core ideological beliefs on your part, but how do you know that sociological insights drawn from street criminals applies to terrorists? First, t he few studies on the topic have found that terrorists generally are financial better off and better educated than the public at large. The infamous shoe bomber was from one of the wealthiest families in Nigeria, the majority of the 9/11 hijackers were upper middle class with professional degrees. Are you so certain of your theory that you would continue to risk the lives of 23-year old criminology students to satisfy your ideological faith?
8
Agreed. Keep dangerous people locked up as a security measure, not as punishment.
3
I am truly sorry for the loss of Jack Merritt, who by this account is a most humane, caring, and involved young man. However, this does not change the fact that some people are simply born wicked and cannot be rehabilitated. Certain horrific and terrifying crimes deserve absolute punishment and long term imprisonment. For the safety and good of everyone else, including Mr. Merritt, we absolutely cannot afford the risk of misjudgments such as the release of this terrorist.
12
Boris Johnson should be in jail for lying about the Economic benefits of leaving the EU. He has put the British Economy in dire straits as well as the working people of Great Britain and beyond wondering if they will even have their jobs in the places where they work now.
All because of Class privilege . He and his friends will benefit from leaving the EU,, no one else will though. He should concentrate on that mess and shut up about Justice Reform What does he know about Justice?
That said, I do question why a terrorist was ever let our of prison at all. They are sworn to do mayhem against any Country that gets their ire.
My heart goes out to all of those who were harmed by this atrocity.
7
If circumstances permitted, unreconstructed criminals should be held, as in the case of the terrorist who murdered this young man, until they no longer present a threat to civil society. If the outside limit is the rest of their natural lives, or until they are so old and infirm that they can be safely released, no reasonable or responsible objection can be raised, since innocent lives must be protected against the depredations of anti-Western terrorists, who, foolishly enough, have been invited in by the vey government
4
Britain's elite appear determined to throw away everything good and valuable that has been learned about mankind in this heedless, headlong collapse into Muslim violence.
I haven't heard of anyone being jailed since the Vietnam era for sharing true information with the populace, but people are jailed after spreading news of Muslim inmates on their way to court or prison, with more of this being about the prostitution of young girls rather than terrorism.
I believe London sees a thousand knife attacks a years now.
9
Terrorist are not the only problem.
As reported in the news, the 9/11 terrorist were all listed as top 500 security risk; all entered the US without alert two weeks before 9/11; Bush w was advised of a potential attack on the towers when he took office; a majority of the 9/11 terrorist were from Saudi Arabia; Bush then mounted an invasion of Iraq based on lies; any US military and intelligence advisors against invading Iraq were replaced with yes men.
Politics trumped facts. It still does with Trump. The lies are given legitimacy by mass repetition.
As honorable citizens like Merritt and soldiers die.
8
Thank you for writing about this young man, and his focus on social justice. Incarcerated people are largely written off by society.
I feel my own 25 year old son, currently in law school, would like to do the same type of work.
I feel for Jack’s parents. And am humbled by their generous statement.
8
@E. King :
I thought his father's statement, given what happened, was amazingly naive.
11
Thank you, Mr. Merritt for a too-brief but well-lived life, and thank you Ms. Goldberg for telling us about him.
21
May he rest in peace, the world will miss this beautiful soul.
13
PBS has a wonderful series called College Behind Bars that espouses the same ideals that Mr. Merritt was so connected with. A wonderful four part series that proves the merit of schooling while in prison. Well worth the time to watch this series.
8
“. . . pulling reason out of heartache . . .”
I found this celebration of the young man’s life incredibly moving and, at the same time, unspeakably sad that it had to be written at all.
20
It is very sad that Mr. Merritt, a believer in the reform of the criminal justice system, should have perished as he did.
Unfortunately, not every reform works and not everyone has earned the right for a more lenient treatment. Certainly not this animal, who probably would have remained unrepentant no matter how long his sentence and who had little regard for human life and rights.
The sad lesson: no automatic parole, particularly for terrorists. Who ever thought that was a good approach needs his/her own rehabilitation session!
33
@signmeup
How would we know? I don’t argue that a process for evaluation of Mr. Khan’s parole was short circuited. But how does one know if the terrorist is or is not rehabilitated? How does one know if the animal abuser will leave prison and be good, or go kill a person?
Just to make the curveball complete, I am not very much in favor of parole and short sentences for crimes of violence against other persons. But eventually they are eligible for release. How do we know?
1
@signmeup
Unfair to animals. There are no animal terrorists.
5
The larger point is that unreconstructed terrorists should not be released. Plainly, no system or project to identify individuals so inclined is likely to succeed without error or oversights, and some individuals will certainly be mistakenly held because of misinformation and system errors. Still, civil society has a right to expect that individuals falling within radar range of the government will be removed to a location where they could think about the harm they would do if the prison system were to release them.
28
Heartbreaking. I am so sorry for your loss.
12
Powerful, very powerful! Such a wide divide. Sorry for your loss
8
So very sad, and sympathies to his family, friends and those who benefited from his wonderful work.
There must be agreement, however, on the release of prisoners incarcerated for crime versus those convicted of terrorism. Why on earth would Khan have been released back to the streets of London?
35
May the world take note of the significance this loss represents for those who seek and long for justice and freedom for all. Our hearts go out to his family and countrymen.
16
Jack was a beautiful soul whose life was taken so tragically. I am so sorry for your loss, his family's loss and the world's loss. Your piece is heartfelt and heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing.
21
Thank you for sharing, we honor Jack's life and send our love to his family.
32
A beautiful tribute for a beautiful man. Thank you so much for writing this and to the NYT for running it. It brought tears to my eyes. I am so sorry for his death.
45
Ms. Goldberg, thank you for a thoughtful piece on Jack Merritt. Indeed, without this article I would not have known who he was and what he stood for.
52
Mandatory sentences don't solve any problems, that for sure, but we do have to realise that some people are beyond rehabilitation. Society must be protected from them. If that means that a small cohort spend 50 years of their lives in prison, then so be it. Protect the public first.
118
There are people and crimes that are irredeemable. That very concept was at the heart of the war crimes trials held at the end of World War II. Those people should be subject to execution.
Someone willing to commit mass murder is to never be trusted and never to be worthy of living among peaceful citizens again.
2
@David Gregory
The death penalty does not exist in the EU, and rightly so. The discussion will now extend to full, real, life sentences (with or without parole). That will be the crux of the debate.
1
Terrorism is a crime of maximum destruction inflicted on innocent civilians in unguarded circumstances for political symbolism of harm and fear. Punishment should be swift and effective without forethought of rehabilitation or release and might not be compared to other crimes or criminality due to the specific nature of terrorisms. Even "intent" to do civilian harm for political reasons might automatically be life in prison without parole.
56
@terry brady
Of course, it was such reasoning that placed political prisoners in the Tower for life in some cases.
9
@terry brady Fair point. But, I'd for the moment, just like to Thank this person "Jack" and his father.
1
With today’s high technological means of destruction people need to know that punishment will be harsh and long lasting. I have no pity for those making terroristic threats. Zero.
9
Jack Merritt. I'm pleased to know of you and your worthy work. I am so sorry you died in this tragic way. My thoughts are that you would want us to focus on the program you participated in, the successes it has achieved -- and not on the actions of a true outlaw, an outlaw of the realms of civility, spirituality, honor. British law concerning release of prisoners likely must continue to be examined. But Mr. Merritt, many of the prisoners who are/were part of your program will only work harder, I truly hope, in your name and in the name of their own integrity.
51
I am so sorry for the loss of this young man, who had so much to offer, and was living by his beliefs. It is a tragedy, especially so in the way he died. I was struck by the line in the story about the attacker who was “freed half-way through his term without parole board assessment”. This as a very grave over-correction for harsh or unjust sentencing. Yes, there is need for reform, but automatic release without review, that is insanity.
126
@TS Of course it is, and my guess is that it was an error. If that's the case, such a mistake should not rule policy beyond correcting it.
3
@TS
The two US cyclists who were murdered and beheaded in Tajikistan in 2018 also lived by their beliefs. That wasn't such a good idea either but it happened far from me.
It's a sad thing that this young man died, in a way linked with his beliefs.
What I refuse is to have my family live here in Paris by his beliefs or those of others like him, which in my view puts us at risk.
1
Release without a Parole Board assessment? There's the extenuating factor right there, not a need for longer prison lengths. Ah, the Brits stumble again.
35
Thank you Emma. It's a lovely tribute to a lovely spirit.
23
Thank you for this beautiful tribute to your friend, a reminder that there are still some good people working for true justice. It's shocking that Boris Johnson is using this incident to make easy points against his opponents in the upcoming UK election rather than to honor the young people who died, as you have done.
As a resident of London where the attack took place, I would like Jack Merritt's father to know that I, for one, will never forget the example he was setting for other young people during his last day on earth.
40
Emma Goldberg—thank you for this. I will remember him and what he did. And, along with you, I will ignore those who view kindness as weakness and the good fight as a lost cause. Like you, I have been witness to those leaders who, for whatever reason—the primal urges of our species or a metaphysical struggle in the universe—have lost their lives in the process. I have heard their words, seen their work and felt the difference they make. Thank you, Emma Goldberg, for this reminder.
28
I would like to see the criteria used to decide when someone is rehabilitated. Surely, it can't be just good behavior in prison. For people with radical beliefs that led to terrorist violence or even threatened violence, it needs to be some form of sustained public denouncement of radical ideas and demonstrated empathy to their victims. I would like to know what has Usman Khan done to deserve early release?
45
@Alexander K. :
apparently, from what I've read about this tragedy, it was AUTOMATIC without input needed from anyone, and no attempt to even find out if Usman Khan was deradicalized.
7
A beautiful and fitting memorial. Thank you.
17
Their hatred is born of alienation. The fact is they don't want to be integrated into our society but they do want to get out of prison hence their apparent recidivism. Unless they have a stake in the community, something to lose, they are going to be a threat. I don't see how writing prose and poems is going to change this.
22
Education changes prisoners, admittedly not all, but the vast majority. Writing poetry is important, obviously more than you can imagine, for prisoners.
23
@joe new england :
does anyone know if Usman Khan had studied during prison or wrote even one line of poetry?
I'm sure your opinion will be of great help to the families who lost a 25 year old and 23 year old in this.
2
Be as skeptical as you wish; your reaction is just that, a reaction and NOT a response. If you disagree, share some statistics to support your claim; those of us who work in Corrections know otherwise
It seems likely that this particular person should have been monitored. It seems likely that those convicted of terrorist acts and likely some other categories of crimes should be better evaluated before being released. That said, it would be a shame and bad for society if the reaction is that rehabilitation is not possible or that throwing away the key is necessary to keep the rest of society "safe." Many can be rehabilitated, some cannot. It is not helpful if the response is to treat every prisoner as if he/she fit into the latter category.
30
@Anne-Marie Hislop
Not when it comes to terrorists. Most feel they have a divine calling to put an end to whatever they think should end.
9
The banality of heroism concept suggests that we are all potential heroes waiting for a moment in life to perform a heroic deed. The decision to act heroically is a choice that many of us will be called upon to make at some point in time. By conceiving of heroism as a universal attribute of human nature, not as a rare feature of the few “heroic elect,” heroism becomes something that seems in the range of possibilities for every person, perhaps inspiring more of us to answer that call.
Jack was heroic in very sense. Clearly a man of honor, who understood the potential of every man. So too, as Jack proved, the convict on day release used Jack's message to be a hero as well.
17
Thank you for your remembrance of Jack Merritt. I am most impressed with his father, David Merritt. To be able to put aside his own heartbreak to speak out for what his son would have wanted requires unimaginable strength and love. Let’s all come together to honor Jack Merritt’s short life and ensure that his inspiring deeds and compassion overshadow all the angry comments reacting to his death.
48
Beautiful, insightful piece. And a tragic end to an amazing person.
11
Ms. Goldberg, this is a profound piece of writing. Your grief is palpable and just what we need to make sense of the senselessness of this tragic act of violence.
We can't forget Jack Merritt, because he is all of us. He unknowingly and unwillingly gave his life and was a victim of our cultural failings.
His loss must stand for something. When we go about our day, freely, unencumbered, talking with friends, enjoying a beverage, making love, or angrily demanding someone notice us, Jack Merritt must be in the back of our minds, reminding us of the freedoms we take so for granted.
Jack Merritt, a gentleman I didn't know, but desperately wish I could thank for living.
29
Worth noting here, in tribute to the causes in which Mr Merritt believed, that two of those who risked their own safety (indeed, lives) to tackle the attacker on the bridge were themselves reformed prisoners (identified today in The Guardian, among other outlets, as James Ford and Marc Conway).
177
My takeaway from this article is that early release of prisoners is a clear and present danger.
To set the record straight, victims of crimes are the true victims, the perpetrators—and those who aid, abet and participate in crime with them—are criminals. I hope all the progressive prosecutors--and Democratic Presidential candidates--will give serious thought to what it means to eliminate bail, reduce sentences and allow criminals to run loose in our communities.
Who is responsible for post-release crimes committed by those released early? An apology to their future victims will be of small consolation for those who are harmed; and how about compensation and restitution for the actual victims?
Early release or release without bail of thousands of criminals is a recipe for increased crime, and increased numbers of victims. (Check federal statistics for US recidivism rates—very sobering.)
Virtually no criminals are forced to commit their crimes; there is such a thing as free will. It's simple:
Just don't do the crime if you can't do the time.
54
@Mon Ray I get the idea that early release is far more of an issue with Muslim violence rather than intoxicated behavior, drug peddling, or traffic offenses.
I keep waiting to hear the police say they can now go into any beihborhood they need to, but it seems that one group still tells the cops & firemen just when they can come in to certain areas.
2
A fitting tribute to a life wasted trying to rehabilitate people who deserve to be kept away from the rest of us.
21
@No I am 110 percent sure that Jack Merritt's father does not consider his son's life to have been "wasted." Nor do I or anyone else with a beating heart and discernment ability think that it was. Many violent prisoners should never be released especially when no attempt at rehabilitation has been made or has been made but has failed. And no parole board hearing? Totally unacceptable. But many nonviolent prisoners need to be released to ensure that the nonrehabitable are retained. Resources are limited even in the UK and the US. If you want to have a conversation regarding wasted lives I could remind you of one who is currently top dog in the US and the entire planet actually. My apologies to canines for the analogy. Thank you Jack Merritt for your services (those attempted/cut short and those achieved) to humanity. Mr Merritt, my sympathies to you and all those close to your son. I did not know your son but I, for one, am thankful for his life.
5
This outpouring of grief for Jack Merritt and what he stood for only means something if we stay focused on what the Usman Khans of this world stand for.
19
We could hear more about good people like Jack Merritt. There are many in every community.
Some would like us to believe heartless lies, abuse, adultery, violence, corruption and fraudulent toughness by power who hide behind a wall of wealth and lawyers is today's norm.
Maybe.
If snarling lies repeated over and over continue to be given oversized coverage…. if the media continues to give these politicians majority coverage…providing legitimacy… what are we and our children to believe?
6
It took me a beat to figure out that a "twenty pound note" was not a very heavy piece of notepaper. From the description of him in this beautiful piece of writing, I feel Jack would see the funny in this.
Such a senseless loss of a young man who clearly sought to bring meaning to his time here. May he rest in peace.
9
I have a different perspective. As a schoolboy, Mike, a young man known to my girlfriend had tried to murder his tough-minded but fair schoolmaster and his teacher's family by burning down their house. Later, he tracked down and beat up badly both his girlfriend's parents when his girlfriend tried to escape him by returning home,
After he had been released from prison, having bumped into him on the street that afternoon my girlfriend, without checking with me, invited Mike and his friend Scobie to come to live with us in the flat we were renting.
While living with us, one night Mike made it clear he intended to try to kill my girlfriend and me. He was drunk. Scobie warned me that Mike had a knife. In a desperate fight, I overcame Mike, The next morning, Mike said he couldn't remember a thing about the night before.
Mike then proceeded to lock my girlfriend and me out of our flat. I had to climb up the outside drainpipe four stories in the dark to prise open the heavy sash window to let myself and my girlfriend into the flat.
After that, Mike left us alone. He came and went, still living in our flat. Eventually, we had to move out because we couldn't get rid of him.
Some men are extremely dangerous. They can never be trusted. If you do trust them, then you may pay for this trust with your life.
33
Had Khan served the full term of his prison sentence then we all know that David Emmett would still be alive to pursue rehabilitation of other prisoners.
So what’s the purpose of rehabilitation if prisoners are not serving their entire term?
Obviously Khan must not have participated in a rehabilitation prison program or if he did then he fooled the administrators’ trust, which is devastating more to the public trust and such progress on prisoner rehabilitation.
11
There are people who work hard to better the world for everyone everywhere. We find a number of them in life, and quite sadly—and too often quite tragically—we find some of these people only after their death.
Thank you very much for allowing me to find Jack Merrit, who was surely one of these people. Now I am able to more deeply share in this mourning.
21
Thank you, Emma, for sharing. Jack Merritt's commitment to "Learning Together" also to mind the recent Ken Burns special "College Behind Bars", and the many people working for prisoner rehabilitation and prison reform.
11
This is hopefully read by many today as it is a reminder to all of the beauty in life in these dark times.
4
You had me at “morning of unadulterated goodness.” This is a beautiful tribute to a good man whose life was extinguished by a convicted terrorist. We should not conflate social justice issues of incarceration for offenders of nonviolent crimes with punishments for terrorists. They are two completely separate categories. Given the current state of increasing opportunities for radicalization, the maximum penalty for terrorism offenses should be increased. The state must protect its citizens. A convicted terrorist, like Usman Khan, who plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange and to establish a terrorist training camp, should never have been released halfway through his 16 year sentence, especially without a parole board review. That put the people in England at risk and that is unjust.
According to a 1994 UN statement on terrorism, “Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political persons are in any circumstances unjustifiable. . .” In 2018, 81 individuals in England were convicted of terrorism or terrorism-related activities. Maximum punishment is justified in cases of terrorism to protect the populace. Convicted terrorists pose a particular, specific and egregious threat to the populace and should be treated accordingly as a separate entity. May Jack Merritt rest in peace and I offer my condolences to the fortunate people in his life who loved him.
33
I'm crying for the loss of your friend; for you, for his family, for his friends, for our world. We so need people like him. Thank you for sharing his beautiful life.
19
Wonderfully writeen, wonderfully inspirational, wonderfully sane, gracious, and articulate by the victim's father. And, wonderfully un-reactionary!
22
There are wonderful people in this world, selfless, generous, kind, always ready to understand, to forgive, to help those in need. And then there are also people like Donald J. Trump. . . .
19
I knew it wouldn’t be any time before some lefty injected Trump into an argument that has NOTHING to do with him.
6
Thank you, Emma. Your words are heartfelt and touching. Such a tragic loss and reminder that Jack Merritt's work is more important than ever. I have to trust his life will inspire many - from this generation and beyond - to create the safer, saner, more loving world we know is possible. Of course it's now up to us to continue the blessing of his life, and make his memory a blessing too.
35
@Seth Eisenberg
"Heartfelt", "touching", "tragic", "inspire", "loving", "blessing" ...
Such an emotional response to an issue that now obviously requires examination of the evidence and rational decision.
We have several hundred former ISIS members in Europe or about to return. Now is not the time for lit candles and teddy bears.
Terrible waste of a good man. Teared up over here.
65
Charity is a good thing but it never justifies reckless disregard for real dangers. The man who killed Merritt was as dangerous as a cornered rattlesnake and should not have been released from prison.
219
@Casual Observer not the point of this essay...and it's not charity being talked about, it is about recognizing individual instances of courage and bravery and working towards a better world and having continued faith in that despite the cruelty that also exists.
38
@Casual Observer Charity is also about giving people a second chance which in the US is seen as inadequate punishment. So we lock up everyone here for decades and think that is necessary and right. We are a sick country.
14
Merritt wanted Kahn to enjoy and be enabled to trust in the golden rule. He simply did not appreciate how dangerous some people can be even when one offers a friendly hand. Merritt was obviously confident that he was following what he thought was good. His unwariness made him vulnerable.
28
This thoughtful piece emphasizes the importance of putting a face to a life so ruthlessly lost. Thank you.
250
Sorry, but i can't quite agree with david merritt. Detaining people unnecessarily is too loose a judgement call as, i believe, is plainly evidenced by this attack. For me the only difference between a murderer and one guilty of attempted murder, even such as far removed from occurring as the planning of the stock exchange attack. It's simply a matter of circumstance, whatever led to the failure of the plan. The mental intent is the same. Society deserves more protection from these perps and wannabee perps than do the perps/wannabees deserve from society. Better safe than sorry may be trite but it fits.
76
@rivvir You conflate attempted murder and planning of attacks. Attempted murder involves action, an attempt to carry out a plan. But until a plan is actually attempted, there is always the possibility an individual may decide not to act.
4
@rivvir
Perhaps there is a difference between people who grow up in poverty and get caught up in a criminal world and people who are indoctrinated and become terrorists.
And even those who are indoctrinated were someone's innocent child. And many can be de-programmed.
Having said that I, too, would have very strong criteria for determining who should be paroled from either group.
4
@Independent nah. Murder is murder. When you’re willing to threaten bodily harm or death for material gain, you’ve broken the societal contract.
6
Beautiful!
11
It made me cry. What irony in this senseless killing. I will always remember what Jack Merritt stood for--human goodness, trying to help others.
57
Amen!!! Behave in ways enlightened. Do not succumb to the easy false conclusion!
24
I believe we are all really connected as one organism: every human on earth, part of one living organism. The terrorist and the poet were and are brothers. The terrorist a cancer cell within the body; the poet a beautiful strand of DNA.
in this instance, the cancer won out. This makes it clear that we must protect our universal organism from the cancer. Time to radiate this particular cancer cell, or at least separate it permanently from the body whole.
This is not vengeance; it is elementary survival.
18
@Scottapottomus
But in removing a tumor, you have to be careful not to destroy healthy cells lest the whole body be compromised. Wield that scalpel with care.
23
@Scottapottomus Best to find the cause and treat that.
15
There are clearly problems in the implementation of the policy - but the objectives need not be changed. To conflate the two, advances the terrorists' objectives and a true leaders should recognize that. Improvements to screening - and to opportunities - would both respond to and honour Jack Merritt's death.
15
@Gerard ... Hope improvements to screening will occur. It's been several decades-long in searching for them
2
What a lovely tribute to a person I may have entirely missed, even with the news coverage this tragedy is receiving. Having read this, I am quite sure I will never forget Jack Merritt’s name or his story. Prison reform and rehabilitation of our incarcerated citizens is of critical importance to our nation, a step towards restoring our eroding humanity and reviving the potential of so many.
309
@Karen I am a lawyer. How do we deradicalise those already radicalised? An answer keep them from all others similar prisoners? For ever and then allocate non existent resources to effect a change? With budget austerity no chance.
6
@Karen I think we should also remember what I believe Eldridge Cleaver once said: "How can I be rehabilitated when I was never habilitated?"
2
Thank you for this piece, for reminding us that there are (still) caring, selfless, loving human beings in this crazy world, folks working—and even sacrificing themselves—for the greater good.
265
Thank you for this remembrance.
61
A beautiful tribute, but as is so often the case, so PC it misses the point of "Mister" Khan's motives: it would appear that the best retraining programs are no match for radical Islam and it's violent colonialism.
180
@TMDJS It also didn’t help that he was released before appearing before a release board.
62
@TMDJS In reading more, it looks like he was not able to get re-training.
4
@TMDJS
Jack’s father seems to disagree--and surely you would not dismiss his grief or his message with a trivial “PC” comeback?
11
This is lovely and certainly the most important thing here is to remember him. But we should also be frustrated by the “system” which allowed this dangerous prisoner to walk out of jail without parole assessment or monitoring. Boris Johnson is absolutely correct in his response. And if liberals want to bemoan the fact that we can rehabilitate terrorists through poetry, well then be prepared for many more years of Trump and Boris.
143
@Jason Oh, right . . . Resentment and anger really solves and resolves all “issues.” You seem to believe that voting for people like Johnson and Trump in imitation of the characteristics of those nations we most look down on (because they are arbitrary and capricious in dealing with their populations) will somehow provide a solution for us. Never has in the past and never will in the future.
Can you come up with a better solution than responding with pique to madness?
32
@Jason
Jason, what you are not assessing is how many lives are saved by rehabilitation that would be lost if such programs were not in place. By this I mean not only the lives of the rehabilitated, but also of family members who depend upon them, and others in their community who the rehabilitated go on to serve. I think the appropriate response is to shape policy based on a whole picture, not vengeful reaction. To do otherwise is to treat like with like.
57
"Boris Johnson is absolutely correct in his response." This man cares not a fig. He is our Donald Trump. It is shameful.to support his views on any matter. Tories like Johnson massively cut the police and privatised probation services.
19
Thank you.
14
He is gone but never forgotten.
7
So deeply deeply sorry for your (our) loss of this outstanding person. One is reminded of Donne’s line, “any mans death diminishes me” which seems more than apt in this case.
281
A lovely and moving piece. Thank you.
177
I wholeheartedly agree that your friend's death should not be used as an excuse for more draconian sentencing, or denying early release in many cases. However, the same is not true for prisoners such as Khan. Those convicted of terrorist acts should be scrutinized extremely carefully. It's doubtful that extremist ideology can be changed in such a short time, if ever. Khan should have had a life sentence.
567
@Bernard
Bernard, I'm with you. What I don't understand is not only this instance of prisoner release, but the crime he was convicted of, which, if implemented successfully, might have resulted in the deaths of dozens, or even hundreds, of people at the London Stock Exchange (with the probably maiming of that many more), and how that warranted only a 12-year sentence (release for good behavior, I guess, after six years). Surely someone who is willing to kill hundreds of people is already a mass murderer in his soul, even if he has not successfully carried out his mission. While you can't incarcerate him for thinking such things, when he takes actions to implement them, as this guy apparently did, a life sentence would seem almost mandatory as a consequence of exercising just plain common sense. If you punish attempted murder less severely than actual murder, given the psychological make-up of the criminal involved you may only be rewarding him for having failed in his mission.
167
@Bernard. Life imprisonment was never applied to Irish terrorists in the recent troubles. How would America have responded if it had ?
18
@Bernard
My takeaway from this article is that early release of prisoners is a clear and present danger.
To set the record straight, victims of crimes are the true victims, the perpetrators—and those who aid, abet and participate in crime with them—are criminals. I hope all the progressive prosecutors--and Democratic Presidential candidates--will give serious thought to what it means to eliminate bail, reduce sentences and allow criminals to run loose in our communities.
Who is responsible for post-release crimes committed by those released early? An apology to their future victims will be of small consolation for those who are harmed; and how about compensation and restitution for the actual victims?
Early release or release without bail of thousands of criminals is a recipe for increased crime, and increased numbers of victims. (Check federal statistics for US recidivism rates—very sobering.)
Virtually no criminals are forced to commit their crimes; there is such a thing as free will. It's simple:
Just don't do the crime if you can't do the time.
25
It would be nice if we knew how to rehabilitate terrorists and other criminals, but we should not overestimate our ability to do so and put lives of innocent people at risk, as happened in this case.
428
@Beliavsky
Quote from the article: "The injustice of somebody murdered while organizing for criminal justice feels impossibly sharp. Jack was in a room of people, some on day release from prison, discussing possibilities for penal reform."
Let's see. Prisoners, convicted of serious crimes, on day release, to discuss possibilities for penal reform. Laughable. The world has gone mad.
16
@Eva
Who would have better insight into where reforms might help than those who have been part of the system? And doing well enough to be studying and part of a day release program?
6