Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 March 2001 — Page 2

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, MARCH 2,2001

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participation. (Photos/Oseye Boyd) Mayor Bart Peterson addresses students at Julian D. Coleman Middle School. Students and mayor promote non-violence

By OSEYE T. BOYD Staff Writer A group of at least 20 kids just stared at the crowd. Their colors are yellow and black. No. these youngsters aren’t in a gang, but they are together. Known as ATA (Alternatives to Aggression), these students from School 98 are working hard to promote methods other than violence to solve problems. While ATA performed skits.

danced to Kirk Franklin's "Revolution" and pantomimed to R. Kelly’s "1 Believe I Can Fly" the audience of middle school students cheered and laughed, excited to see the students doing the latest dances. Students at Julian D. Coleman Middle School. 1740 E. 30th St., learned you can be a good citizen and still be cool. The school's Peace Initiative Team was recognized by Mayor Bart Peterson for their efforts to create a positive environ-

ment for learning. The Peace Initiative Team received the CharacterCounts Award from Mayor Peterson Tuesday. T\Vo task forces have been created for peace at the school: peer mediators and student alliance members. Peer mediators work with their classmates to find a nonviolent solution. Student alliance members take student issues such as a better lunch menu to the school for improvement. Mayor Peterson encouraged the

students to be mindful of their behavior. "Good character goes hand in hand with good grades. What kind of person you are is the most important thing,” he said. Not only did students get a visit from the mayor, but they also received advice from ex-Pacer, Darnell Hillman. He reminded athletes they were representatives of the school and should act accordingly. Hillman also stressed the importance of respect in any rela-

tionship, but especially at school. “Give respect and work hard to earn it. Take what little respect you get and work at it,” Hillman told the students. Mayor Peterson began the Character Counts Award in January for students demonstrating exemplary acts of kindness and character. The award also recognizes Marion County public schools for their character education efforts.

Full Plate, High Aspirations

Mk s a full-time firefighter who runs a UL small real-estate business on the side, it * m might seem that Clifton Johnson has enough to do without going to college. , "I felt that way," Clifton said, "but my mother is getting ready to finish up her master's degree at IUPUI, and I always told her I would catch up someday." Clifton is getting closer. He's set to earn a Bachelor of General Studies degree within the next year. The Passport program was a big help, allowing Clifton to transfer more thah'3U'ctedit hours he earned at Ivy Tech from his Real Estate and EMT (Emergency Medical TecWiiician) certification courses. With a work week that sometimes totals 80 hours, Clifton says the Passport program has saved him time and money in

his pursuit of a college degree, not to mention gaining a bit of

ground on Mom.

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BRIEFS Continued from A1 Indiana prisons is winning support among lawmakers, but some want to give the new corrections commissioner a chance to solve the problems first. Sen. David Ford is sponsoring a bill that would create an ombudsman's office under the Department of Administration rather than the Department of Correction. “Prisons are not open to public light,” said Ford, R-Hartford City. “Once the doors are closed, people can't tell what's going on in there.” The office could investigate complaints raised by inmates, family members, and prison employees. The ombudsman would be appointed by the governor. The office would make annual reports to the governor and the Legislature, using a yearly budget of $200,000. The bill arose out of a legislative study committee formed last year to look at allegations of widespread problems in the Department of Correction. “With the DOC today, they are supporting each other,” said Vernon Smith, D-Gary, who headed the study committee. Very seldom do you see any decision reversed.” Other lawmakers say the department's new commissioner, Evelyn Ridley-Tumer, should be allowed time to prove herself. “Does the DOC now bear the sins of their fathers?” asked Sen. Charles “Bud” Meeks, R-Leo. “Why do we have her now strapped with something that happened in the past, when she may have a definite plan to solve that problem?” The Department of Correction currently investigates complaints either at its prisons or through two systemwide offices — Internal Affairs and Offender Relations. Together, those offices handle thousands of complaints annually ranging from food and laundry problems to trafficking and death investigations. Prison ombudsmen are widely used in England, Canada, and Australia, but the concept is not as popular in the United States. Fewer than a dozen states have such an office. Critics of the Indiana prison system agree that the ombudsman must be independent of the prison system. “The Department of Correction absolutely should not be the fox guarding its own henhouse, which has been the case for years,” said Sarah Nagy, an Indianapolis attorney who represents many prison inmates. Ford's bill has passed the Senate's Corrections and Criminal and Civil Procedures Committee. He feels confident it will pass on the Senate floor. Meeks intends to fight the measure. “It's going to be a new bureaucracy that will grow and grow and grow,” said Meeks, a former Allen County sheriff. “We don't need it because we have ministers and chaplains who work within our facilities at no cost to the state to mediate these very kinds of problems.” The bill's prospects are uncertain in the House. Rep. Michael Dvorak, D-Granger, chairman of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee, also questioned the timing of the proposal. “If we had an old commissioner and things weren’t going well maybe that would be necessary,” he said. “Let's give the new commissioner and the administration a chance to address some of the alleged problems.” Gov. Frank O'Bannon’s spokesman, Thad Nation, said the governor doesn’t have a position on the ombudsman proposal but has asked Ridley-Tumer to investigate the alleged problems and to propose reforms. ‘To a certain extent, we're doing what this bill would have us do,” Nation said. Ford and Smith welcomed the change in administration but believe it will take more to solve the department's problems. “That's not going to make this kind of a difference,” Ford said. “I don't think that changing one person can deal with the problems that are endemic to prisons.”

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