Peacemaking as Mediation as Peacemaking (PMP)

PEACEMAKING as MEDIATION as PEACEMAKING

Hal Pepinsky, skype name halpep, pepinsky@indiana.edu, “peacemaking” at pepinsky.blogspot.com

March 20, 2013

                I am often asked what I do now that I am a career state university criminal justice faculty retiree.  Today, I conceived my new formal, tax deductible, organization of one.  I hereby declare Peacemaking as Mediation as Peacemaking, also known as PMP, to be my “retired professor” “occupation” under the Internal Revenue Code.   My income comes from my book royalties, which mostly from Criminology as Peacemaking royalties generally amounts to around a hundred dollars a year.  My major expenses at the moment are a couple of monthly contributions to friends’ prison personal accounts.  My remaining time is free.  I do no social networking, I monitor only the email account listed on each of my “peacemaking” blog entries, as here above.  I do have Facebook and Google accounts for emergency use.  I am generally, promptly available one on one or with groups, by internet, or by scheduling skype time together.  If you don’t already know me, I’d suggest starting by googling my name or checking out my blog, and several “books” of mine that are at www.critcrim.org.  Call me a sounding board, coach, a trainer, a workshop facilitator, a teacher, a mediator, a friend with time on his hands, whatever, if you think I might be useful, ask, or just plain be in touch.

                The business I am inaugurating today is inspired by a Fayetteville State University criminal justice class on mediation, taught by Mike DeValve (mdevalve@uncfsu.edu), whom I met via the critical criminology listserv.  Fayetteville State is historically black.  Mike, a practicing Buddhist, offers the course for academic credit to some forty students whom he starts by training as mediators, has already had all of them mediate solo, and two state-certified, at the Cumberland County, North Carolina, Dispute Resolution Center, a non-profit, democratically managed corporation with a small staff, otherwise all volunteer, which is contracted with the county district court to provide all mediation services including its one mediation moneymaker, Medicaid claims.  Mike, securely tenured on the FSU cj faculty, sits on the center’s board, and also volunteers as a trainer and (co-)mediator.  As I told folks there, they have at last given me a real-life example of privatizing peacemaking alternatives exclusively through community owned and operated not-for-profit enterprises.  This morning, we skyped in his 10-10:50 class.  Mike could get my picture projected, and point his laptop camera at the class, but the only audio was through his laptop, which he sat and stood with, translating students I could see but not hear back to me, and me back to them, as we discussed 3 cases they had just mediated.  I was reminded of times at the U of Warsaw in Poland, where friends have translated Polish-English for me.  As any reader of this blog post can see, I learned bundles from the experience.  So thanks to all the folks at the center and in the department, students and Mike included, who have among other things inspired this retirement business model.  Love and peace--hal