I had for some time been gathering my thoughts about Ralph and what meaning could be drawn from his life. This lead to me publishing a paper and doing a presentation to the University of the 3rd Age on the 24th June 2025.
Intellectual Disability Cost to Society – A Devil’s Pact
Synopsis: Prisoners are 10 to 20 times more likely than the general population to have an intellectual disability, imposing a huge economic cost to society and an even more tragic social cost in lost and disrupted lives, broken families, and crime. The purpose of the criminal justice system to reduce crime has been perverted and the monstrous system that prevails actually increases crime.
This paper explains the reasons, with supporting data, and suggests remedies. It draws on the powerful "What's Your Story" concept presented by Dr Garth Japhet at the U3A meeting in April 2025. Ralph is the protagonist in the paper, drawing on his life story as an "everyman".
A copy of the paper, the slideshow and a podcast are listed below: