Vanity Fair Trashes Cincinnati

The February 2010 issue of Vanity Fair contains an article belittling the Creation Museum. I'm all for being scornful of the strict creationist approach to history, as I believe carbon-dating is a much better method of determining the age of the earth than is the "begat method." So if someone wants to ridicule the Creation Museum, I'll not get in the way; I've done it myself.

But for some reason, a funny thing happened on the way to the museum: the article's author, A.A. Gill, developed (and now expresses) an intense dislike of Cincinnati. I was prepared to do a thorough fisking of Gill's little screed, but Kate the Great has done it better than I would have.

I thought, though, that maybe we could all debunk Gill's swipe at Cincinnati--that the city has "meager pickings to boast about." (He goes on to suggest that if cities had highlight reels, ours would be dominated by the Creation Museum.) So, dear, readers, what do you think Cincinnati has to brag about?

Kate got us started with a list (of course, she's brewing for a fight when she picks Cincinnati's "best" restaurant). To her suggestions, I'd add:

• a top-rate symphony orchestra that just took Carnegie Hall by storm
• a thriving arts community, ranging from the Tony Award-winning Playhouse in
  the Park to the Cincinnati Art Museum;
• the MidPoint Music Fest, which now features bands from across the country;
• the nation's oldest professional baseball team;
• two top-rate academic institutions in Xavier and the University of Cincinnati, both of which also provide the region with high-caliber collegiate athletics; and
• the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

That's just a quick list I compiled in about 30 seconds. Gill should come back: I'll show him around, if he's not too busy looking down his nose at me.

Feel free to suggest your own places for Gill to visit on his return trip in the comments, or in a letter to the editor, which can be sent to letters@vf.com or via facsimile transmission to 212-286-4324.

Veterans Courts?

As long as I'm blogging about efforts at criminal justice reform today, I thought I'd mention this piece at Slate by Dahlia Lithwick. The article discusses the advent of "veterans courts," a specialized docket carved from the regular criminal docket for veterans whose offenses can be linked to mental illness as a result of military service.

As Hamilton County (along with the rest of the nation) struggles with how to best rehabilitate individuals who commit crimes, we'll no doubt be talking more and more about solutions like these.

The Deen of Food Network Coming to Music Hall

As Polly Campbell reported last week, the Food Network's Paula Deen will do a cooking demonstration in Music Hall on March 7, 2010. Tickets are now available.

The cooking demonstration is at 7:00. For $175.00, you can have a seat onstage. (Prices go as low as $40 for rear balcony.) For $200, you can skip the demonstration, but have a three-course meal and "one-on-one" interaction with Paula at 5:30.

I really like Paula Deen and would love to see her in-person. (Yes, this will subject me to some ridicule in the comments. So be it.) But I have a tough time justifying spending 175 bucks for an onstage seat, even though I know it would be a great experience. I enjoy going to baseball games, too, but can't bring myself to buy a diamond seat at GABP, either.

Have any of you found a rationale (and the willpower) to pony up that much cash to rub elbows with cooking greatness? If so, let me know what you told yourself that made you feel OK about writing that check; maybe it'll work for me, too.

Suit Seeks to Reform Prison System's Transitional and Post-Release Policies

This past Wednesday, the Enquirer reported that a group of former inmates have filed a class action lawsuit in federal court, alleging that Ohio's system for providing for the re-entry of inmates into society violates the Americans with Disabilities Act with respect to the provision of post-release mental health services. The core of the plaintiffs' claims can be found in paragraphs 98 and 99 of their complaint:

98. Defendants’ failure to engage in necessary pre-release planning for these inmates results in a “revolving door” phenomenon in which inmates with psychiatric disabilities are released without adequate support and accommodations, and are then reincarcerated for manifestations of their psychiatric disabilities.
99. Defendants fail to provide Plaintiffs and the class they represent with requisite pre-release accommodations, including but not limited to facilitating the submission of pre-release applications for assistance that would enable eligible Plaintiffs and the class they represent to obtain SSI, SSDI, Food Stamps and Medicaid immediately upon or shortly after their release from prison, connecting the offender with mental health services in the community in which they will be discharged, and insuring that the offender is discharged with appropriate medications. These accommodations could allow Plaintiffs and the class they represent to make a successful transition from the prison and into a community. Defendants could make important improvements in pre-release planning by taking a series of easy steps at little or no additional cost, yet they have failed to do so.

This is an extremely important issue. Every criminal defense attorney in town can talk about representing individuals who are accused of committing new offenses within months of release from an Ohio prison. It happens because there are simply too few resources to help ease the transition between incarceration and freedom. That transition can be difficult for anyone, but can be a nightmare for a former offender with significant mental health issues. The lawsuit seeks to force the State of Ohio to implement more transitional programs. These programs would constitute a "reasonable accommodation" of a disability, a mandate of the ADA.

The plaintiffs are represented by the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, and--oh, yeah, our own Jack Harrison of Frost Brown Todd.

Interestingly, a possible solution--though one that has to be implemented locally rather than state-wide--may be discussed in a piece posted yesterday by USA Today. It talks about the success of the Richland County Reentry Court, a specialized docket (much like Hamilton County's drug or mental health courts) designed to put recently-released inmates in touch with the resources they need to survive outside the institution.

OJPC has been extremely successful in achieving statewide reforms with past lawsuits. Over the last five years, OJPC reached agreements with the state regarding the medical care of inmates and (separately) regarding Ohio's juvenile justice system and DYS. It'll be interesting to see what comes of the present litigation.

Winter Shelter Remains Open

The City of Cincinnati has announced that its emergency winter shelter at 1715 Republic Street will remain open for the next four nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday), beginning at 10:00 pm each night.

Fair and Classy, a Lesson for COAST

The members of COAST should look to Kevin Osborne for how to act in the on-line and real life worlds. Kevin wrote about a public aspect of the personal life of a member of COAST. There are no mean words. There is no jumping for joy at another person's misfortune. Kevin puts forth a poignant opinion and shows where real life hopefully can be a learning experience for COAST. If nothing else, I will be hopeful that COAST will not repeat their classless behavior.

Winter Shelter Emergency Continues

This afternoon, the City of Cincinnati announced that it will extend the winter shelter emergency through tonight and tomorrow night. So on Wednesday, February 10, and Thursday, February 11, the OTR Community Center at 1715 Republic Street will be open beginning at 10:00 pm.

The weather temperatures are frigid: tonight's low is expected to be 21 degrees, with lots of wind. Tomorrow night, the temperature will drop to 8 degrees.