(Transcript)-Danton SMU
Mike Sanderson Sanderson_DantonSMU Feb. 7/10
INTRO – This semester, there’s a new face in the lineup of the St. Mary’s Huskies hockey team. Mike Danton, who used to play in the NHL, got out of jail last September. He will play on the Huskies hockey team as well as take three courses this semester. As Mike Sanderson reports, Danton is just one of many Canadians who face the battle of trying to fit back into society.
RUNS – 03:08:15
IN – “Six years ago…”
OUT – “…I’m Mike Sanderson.”
| Danton’s first goal – :11
Danton Fight – :06 Danton Court – :08 Danton Security – :05 STU general clips fr. Promo – :19 Savarese reading from the Criminal Code. TOTAL about :09 Savarese Clip 1 – :32 Bridge 1 – :19 Savarese Clip 2 – :16 Bridge 2 – :15 Streeter Clips – :31 Close – :13 |
Six years ago, Mike Danton was living the Canadian dream. He was playing for the St. Louis Blues.
Two days after the Blues were eliminated from the 2004 playoffs, Danton was arrested by California police for conspiracy to commit murder. Danton pled guilty, and served a five-and-a-half year prison term, split between Missouri and Ontario jails. Now, Danton is a free man and pursuing an education. He has enrolled at St. Mary’s University, in Halifax. An overlooked issue here is one of the journey of ex-offenders to get back into society. There are more than 13 million people in the United States alone who have convicted a felony. Most universities don’t screen for a criminal record unless you apply for a program that deals with vulnerable people, like medical work. JOSEPHINE SAVARESE is a professor of Criminology at St. Thomas. She believes that Danton will have an encouraging environment at St. Mary’s University. SAVARESE – “People want him to succeed, so he’s being welcomed to a community that’s supportive. That’s a strength for Mike Danton that most offenders don’t have. While he is high-profile and he’ll watched, he’s being watched by a community that is largely on side. Like a number of offenders, he also has deficits that will come into play, and he’ll be scrutinized to the extent that those deficits are still operating in his life.” BRIDGE 1 – Groups like the John Howard Society of Canada were created to help ex-offenders get their lives back on track. The John Howard Society was created in 1867 to help prisoners in the Toronto jails. It is a public organization, run by volunteers from the community. Savarese is one of these volunteers, and she believes that Danton has served his time. SAVARESE – “I was invited to be part of the board of the John Howard society and I accepted because of their emphasis on offender re-integration. Mike Danton has argued that he deserves a second chance. Our organization would support him in that claim.” BRIDGE 2 – Savarese later explains that hockey and other social groups can help Danton and other ex-offenders to grow and adapt in the long run. Interactions with other students in social situations allow former convicts to continue their progress. How would students react to an ex-offender in the classroom? STREETERS – DAVE – “Well, as long as they’re doing something with their lives. Better than them just robbing banks.” BILLY – “Not that bad. He’s an ex-offender but he did his time, and he’s out of jail now so, I don’t really find it that offensive.” BRANDEN – “First it would be a little bit sketchy, but they’ve paid their debt to society, they’ve done their time so it wouldn’t be too big a deal after a while. I’d probably actually try to talk to them, try to make friends with them.” DAVE 2 – “I’d probably get an autograph. They’re pretty famous, you know. Like Danton; he played in the NHL… That’s pretty cool.” CLOSE – Danton is not only just a hockey player. He can be the face for many Canadians who are dealing with their own criminal pasts. While on the ice his start has been unimpressive, off the ice he has made great strides in getting back into society, for a case as public as his. For STU Basement Tapes, I’m Mike Sanderson. |