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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL Jena 6 fails most basic concept of criminal Justice system Dear Readers, This week, I’d like to make some observations about the “Jena 6” imbroglio. Our criminal justice sys- tem is rooted in the tra ditions of the English “com mon law.” The English legal sys- \ - V ' ''v/" JEk Jim Rockefeller The “Law” man tem grew up out of the Middle Ages in the tripar tite struggle between the Church, the Nobles, and the Crown. King Henry VIII asserted his author ity as superior to that of the Church, signaling the beginning of a long legal struggle through genera tions. What form of help do you seek? CC T T e y> y° u s ot a l—l minute?” How JL JLmany times do you hear that in a given day? The question is clearly a request for help. As a servant leader, you feel obligated to provide encour agement and sup port. So, you interrupt whatever you are doing and Dennis Hooper Leaders Building Leaders focus your attention, hoping it will only require a minute (or less!). Of course, it rarely does! So, you listen, and you provide the requested help. Let me encourage you to pay attention to the various requests you receive in the next couple of weeks. See if you observe these same three categories. “Bail me out!” help. This request often comes from someone who is stressed. The individual is usually in some trouble and needs to improve the situation quickly. Maybe somebody made a bad choice, or there’s been an unexpect ed change in plans, or cir cumstances just turned sour. If proper action doesn’t occur, the situation will likely get worse. The indi vidual would have already taken the necessary action, of course, if he or she had the authority, or the skill, or the confidence. Or maybe the person’s not sure what the proper action is. Perhaps the individual is facing a tough decision and is really asking, “What should I do?” Maybe it’s your expertise or your authority that the person is actually seeking. Transactional help. This request occurs any time there is an explicit or implied “deal.” It happens a lot between neighbors: “I’ll fill your pickup truck with gas if you’ll let me use it to haul pine straw this afternoon.” Professional colleagues often have implied agree ments. One says, “Hey, will you help me think through this situation I’ll be facing tomorrow?” The other one m x (*£jjp: MM | Mfe Jf I ' Tp ’ K» k lip J M I I kR $ BJ's H The tragedy of the mar tyrdom of Sir Thomas More, King Henry’s Exchequer and confi dante, and the death of Anne Boleyn, Henry’s Queen, were some of the collateral damage in this struggle. The marital machinations of a king was not the only clash between the Crown and the Church during the Middle Ages. Both the Crown and the Church sought to bring order to the “wild west” culture of untamed noblemen through enforce ment of the law. The Church’s law enforced “canons” through “Chancery Courts;” and the king, not wanting to cede power, grad ually extended his control over the activities of the feu dal system through what was known as the Ring’s law. Eventually, the King’s law "It you are successful in providing this kind of transformational help in just half the instances, you can significantly reduce the frequency of future interruptions." knows that in a day or two, he’ll probably be making a reciprocal request. Actually, most of our employment relationships fall into this category. “We think with your skills, you can help us on the night shift. Can you start Monday? We pay sls an hour.” Transformational help. This is the kind of help that causes individuals and orga nizations to grow! A paradigm shift is typically involved. New insights empower indi viduals to make their own decisions and accomplish their own desired outcomes in the future. The person is forever Assessing Your Leadership Skills -SBS/person , > DAVID OVERTON JEWELERS 905 Carroll St. • Perry, GA • 478-987-1392 < \^^/ > 1994 1990 Come experience Autumn 'Unique tfome Accents, Accessories, Antique Tumiture St Linens Fine Quality Cashmere Shawls 30% OFF ALLSilksso% OFF in our Lydias Comer 913 Carroll Street Perry, Georgia 31069 IMP 478*224*4114 www.themosaicturtle.com won out, although we still see echoes of the Chancery Court in principles of equi ty, such as in the concept of marriage, in our modern legal system. The American criminal justice system is a direct descendent of the King’s law, in the asser tions of sovereign authority to definitively resolve (and end) disputes. The kings became fed up with peasants being abused and nobles hacking each other to death over even the most insignificant matters, in eye-for-an-eye frontier justice. The chaos of these feudal disputes led the kings to declare that certain acts were insults to the Crown, answerable only to the Crown, funneling vigilante impulses into appeals to the king for justice and punish ment. From this core concept changed for the better. And the organization is improved because of the presence of a more skilled individual. I invite you, as a servant leader, to elevate each request for help to the transforma tional level. How do you do that? When the person describes the help needed, reframe the outcome being sought. The person making the request clearly has an objective. Could you possi bly satisfy not only what is desired, but also empower the person to be able to per form better in a similar situ ation next time? Consider extending the interruption a few more minutes and teach F. Dennis Hooper Certified Leadership Development Coach Building leaders and organizations of excellence (478) 988-0237 OPINION 54338 d hooper2(tfjj u no.com 154487 54477 of stopping petty disputes before they tore the emerg ing modern nation-state apart, we eventually devel oped lengthy and detailed laws about crimes, pun ishable by state-enforced imprisonment, as opposed to mere affronts which could be resolved with transfers of property and money. Thus, while we may not recognize it, our criminal justice sys tem is designed to end con flict, instead of citizens tak ing the law into their own hands, i Which brings me to the so called Jena 6 ... There was a dispute at a -high school about a tree where, remark ably, white students asserted a monopoly on it as a gather ing place and where African- American students were not permitted. In the resulting conflict, an African-American stu an appropriate principle. Could you ask the person to consider an expanded situ ation - something more com plex - and then think with you about a generalization? How about delegating some related responsibility to the person, knowing that future situations will arise that he or she could produc tively handle? If you are successful in pro viding this kind of transfor mational help in just half the instances, you can signifi cantly reduce the frequency of future interruptions. At the same time, you’ll build the confidence and com petence of your workforce! Dennis Hooper is a local leadership development coach, helping leaders build leadership skills among their employees. Contact Dennis at 478-988-0237 or at dhooper2@juno.com. Education for everyone. dent was beaten by a white student, who was charged with a misdemeanor. Several nooses were hung from the tree, a clear racially inflammatory message, and a group of African-American students beat a white stu dent, and were charged with serious crimes, includ ing attempted murder, even though the injuries were not serious. The prosecutor wields the power to charge whatever crimes he/she deems appro priate as offenses against the state. Were these chil dren charged wisely and even-handedly? Was justice meted out fairly or was the context of the “beat-down” ignored? That is a discussion for another commentator or another column. In my opinion, this whole fiasco fails the most basic concept of our criminal COMPREHENSIVE HEARING HEALTHCARE Sheri Marshall M.S. Licensed Audiologist / HIGHLY DEDICATED AND EXPERIENCED STAFF S DOCTORS REFER TO US OFTEN S COMBINED AUDIOLOGIST EXPERIENCE OF 50 YEARS Lunch 8uffet......... .mss 15 Dinner Buffet ..$7.15 Receive 10% OFF Lunch Buffet or 20% OFF Dinner Buffet . :• ><■ iturday Child Special 3yrs-7yrs FREE All Day! 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Local attorney Jim Rockefeller owns the Rockefeller Law Center and is a former Chief Assistant District Attorney for Houston County, and a former Florida Assistant State Attorney. E-mail con fidential legal questions to ajr@rockefellerlawcenter. com. Visit www.rockefeller lawcenter.com for past col umns and Frequently Asked Questions. S FULL diagnostic TESTING / HEARING AID MANAGEMENT “Better Hearing For Better Living” 478-953-2705 Mon. - Frt. 9-6 » Open 1 Sat per Mo. by Appt ; Junior College , fj| j. ~ jSggj 5A HI Annette R. Pepper-1 AU.D. Doctor of AadMog; 1541 11 JfeilP