Today’s guests:
1) Social Worker, Robert S. Wright and
2) Sir Sanford Fleming House Director, Michelle MacRae
How to address criminality in Halifax has increasingly become a concern for its
residents. Statistics on the increase of violent crime and homicide in the city,
released by Stats Canada this week, have not done much to ease the city’s
fears. HRM could increase the presence of officers on the street and impose
stiffer penalties for crime, but are there other avenues that need to be
explored? What about the lives of those who are involved in the criminal justice
system? What keeps them on the street? How can we intervene before an
individual becomes involved in the criminal justice system? This week’s North
End Matters will explore these questions and more.
Our guests this week, exploring the topic of Criminal Justice, will be Robert S.
Wright and Michelle MacRae.
Robert S. Wright has been a social worker for the past 20 years. He maintains a
registered private practice in social work and has provided counseling and
assessment services to a wide range of individuals, groups and families through
self-referrals, EAPs, community based settings and involuntary institutional
settings. He has held notable positions such as: Race Relations Coordinator of
the former Dartmouth District School Board; correctional mental health
Counselor at the Washington State Penitentiary; and Executive Director of
Nova Scotia’s Child and Youth Strategy. He is currently a member of the Racial
Equity Committee of the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society and also a member of
the Community Liaison Committee for NS Department of Justice’s Serious
Incidence Response Team (SIRT), a civilian led team that investigates matters
such as death, serious injury, sexual assault and other public-interest concerns
involving police.
Michelle MacRae achieved the second of her two bachelor’s degrees in Social
Work from Dalhousie in 2010. She graduated “cum laude” from St. Mary’s with a
Bachelor of Arts degree, with a major in Criminology and a minor in Psychology.
Michelle started at Shelter Nova Scotia in 2008 as a student placement and is
now the director of the Sir Sanford Fleming House, where she assists men over
18 years of age in their transition from prison living to community living.
North End Matters is a live-streamed, online talk show that brings in policy
makers and service providers to discuss upcoming changes in the North End.
We stream live at haligonia.ca and anyone can join our live discussion by using
the chat service built into the stream’s page.
For more information: Aaron Johnson at: aj.pinkdog@gmail.com or 429-3647
