Pathways Journal is a publication dealing with the impact of violent crimes on the families of the victims. Wilma Derkson was editor of Pathways in 1999 when she interviewed us for the journal. With Wilma's permission, the following is an excerpt from the January 2000 edition. The full text of the journal can be found here.

In this case, it isn't only the justice system but a published book that has complicated the healing justice that needed to happen for the victim's family. In the beginning of the book, Rudy Wiebe claims that the book is "based on what Yvonne Johnson holds to be her own truths about the life she has lived." With the help of Rudy, she does this well. But the book is so much more. It is also about justice and the integration process of a lifer back into society. It is also about Chuck Skwarok and the brutal ending of his life. On these levels the book is incomplete. Psychologists tell us that the measure of integration and healing is revealed in the telling of the story, and what is not said is just as important as what is said.

From the victim's point of view, this book like the courtroom continues to re-victimize the victim. The horrid details of the murder in the courtroom and in the book publicly desecrate a man who isn't there to defend himself and give his side of the story. Amanda, his child, is our beacon to redeeming justice.

Read the full text here.