Don's Diary: Neighbourly Interest

Wednesday

My work supports that of lawyers defending those on trial for their lives. I research cases, visit clients and interview their families to find evidence, explanation and mitigation. With my mentor, Elizabeth Beck, a sociologist at Georgia State University, I have been looking at how community-based weaknesses can contribute to the likelihood of individuals committing crimes.

We begin by looking for evidence of "collective efficacy", a community's ability to work together for the common good. Do people know their neighbours? Do they trust them? Research shows that the presence of such relationships can be a formidable tool in enabling communities to engage in informal acts of self-regulation.

Thursday

Today's client has a family that is clearly strong, loyal and tightly knit. They all swear that their closeness makes them feel secure, but their lack of trust in, and little positive contact with, the police or other social institutions belies this. Without an institutional safety net, protecting oneself can become collective paranoia. The fear is not always misplaced: following the arrest, shots have been fired at the family's trailer home.

Friday

At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the bookstore window features The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush and The Bias Against Guns.

Reassuring. This must be the right place.