Month: September 2023 Page 3 of 14

Prep Note for 9/26/23

On September 26, 2023

Question for Julie McConnell: You and your students represent clients on a pro-bono basis, what is the process of selecting cases to represent consist of?

PREP: Who are the incarcerated youth?

The Conversation Article:

I did not realize how many juveniles were tried as adults or given life sentences without parole.
Thinking about the perpetrator’s perspective does not necessarily diminish the victim.
Negative attitudes towards juvenile offenders caused the increase in JLWOP but that is changing more recently.

Post-D Program:

A good alternative to JLWOP or Juvenile incarceration.
Try to get to the root of the problem; the program really cares about rehabilitation.
Strict criteria to meet.

The Atlantic Video:

The facility was designed with adult offenders in mind.
The facility is the only one like it in the entire state of Virginia.
The facility is at least an hour away from most families, and many are advocating for a closer location.
The facility was not built with youth rehabilitation in mind (empty cells are used).

Prep Note 09/26/23

By William Linquata

On September 26, 2023

In prep note, Will L

The Richmond Juvenile Detention Center’s Post-D Program offers many services to those in the program and there are criteria people have to meet to be in the program; they then have to go through an approval process. McConnell’s article talked about how after the increase of youth incarceration with no chance of parole due to minors being sentenced like, or even worse, than adults, it is finally on the decline. This is because people have realized that their brains aren’t fully developed and they have a better chance of being rehabilitated. It made sense to me that dealing with the issues at the root, within the community, was the solution that the people in the video and articles were working toward. However, I found it interesting that the plan was to create more prison centers within these communities. To answer who the incarcerated youth are, they are both violent and sometimes nonviolent offenders from the ages of 14-21 who are sentenced to juvenile life without parole. Most of the ones in Bon Air are from the eastern region of VA, about 75% are from towns 1+ hour away from the facility.

I think that I have made progress toward the class goals as I look for many opportunities to share in class but I also try my best to keep everyone in mind during discussions. In regards to the Endeavor goals and their questions, I think that I am making good progress toward the class goal of utilizing writing as a tool for reflection. These prep notes as well as class notes/class note responses have helped me to work on explaining and elaborating about my thoughts and experiences. My learning philosophy statement would probably be that learning is best done through hands-on experiences and reflection of said experiences followed by reflection of my personal thoughts but then more importantly the thoughts of my instructor or expert in whatever field I am learning about.

Question for McConnell:
- How did you and your law students assist in the parole of those 17 youth offenders?

Prep Note 9/25

By Haven Buechner

On September 25, 2023

In Haven, prep note, Uncategorized

I think Julie McConnell’s piece on the decrease in life without parole sentences was really interesting, and I’m looking forward to hearing her talk more about it. I also think the mission statement was intriguing because so much of it focused on education as a means of “learning” their way out of a bad situation (anger management, psychological services, substance abuse education, etc.). And the contrast between the focus on education/rehabilitation at the Richmond jail and the various barriers present at Bon Air makes me glad that we can help out at Richmond but also sad that we aren’t able to do anything with Bon Air.

My questions for Julie McConnell:

You mentioned that you made a switch from being a prosecutor to a defense attorney. Was there a specific moment that prompted that switch? What moments have reinforced that switch, in your mind?

And my responses to Professor Dolson’s challenge:

I feel like I’ve learned so much from hearing everyone’s stories, whether in traditional “story” form or in bits and pieces that come from the different responses people have to the things we’ve talked about. Reading Writing Our Way Out opened my eyes to some of society’s narratives. As far as composing a college-level analytical essay… well, I’m not 100% sure I’ve done that yet! But with any luck, I’ll cross that one off the list eventually.

I think this class balances self-efficacy and community in a way that strengthens both elements – we work on our own to prepare for our time together (which shows our respect for each other and the class, right?) in order to grow both as individuals and as a community. As far as intellectual engagement, though, I think I’m doing really well. I’m somewhat (pleasantly) surprised at my time management, because I struggled with that a little in high school. But with my schedule here, I don’t really have any choice except to use any piece of time I can to study and do homework. And I think regarding ethical understanding, I believe that at the very least, I’m more open-minded after reading Writing Our Way Out.

I believe that everything worth doing is worth doing with 100% effort, and that’s pretty indicative of my approach to learning. I really value effort and engagement in learning communities. And in my mind, there’s nothing cooler than learning something awesome and looking over and seeing my peers smiling because they think it’s cool too. Learning cool stuff just brings me so much happiness, and I don’t know exactly why! But it happens.

Prep note 9/26

By Ana Michaelis

On September 25, 2023

In Ana, prep note

The article from the conversation

a quote that stood out to me was “Between 1985 and 2001, however, youths convicted of murder were actually more likely to enter prison with a life sentence than adults convicted of the same crime.”
it is good that the goal for juvenile court has shifted from punishment to rehabilitation. and although the reasoning of adolescents brains being not fully developed makes it justified, I believe that all incarceration should be based on rehabilitation not punishment. It is sad to see that we are still in a system that has given up on such a large population.

RVA. gov

It is great to see alternatives like this within the juvenile system, and for me, living in Arkansas there is no access to good rehabilitation services, and even worse the majority of our locality do not support it, and consider it “being soft on crime”
Obviously, I am aware though that most programs or anything that is advertised is never as successful and transparent as it claims to be. I would like to continue to learn more about this program and see the effects it has had on the community.

Video, Inside Juvenile Detention

It was nice to see inside of Bon air, and see what the director would like to do with renovations, and creating a new facility centered on the east side of the state
I liked hearing about RISE YOUTH’s advocacy, and the discussion about how change must happen from the child and their family, especially the environment and community they come from.

Question: Has trauma focused therapy had positive impacts on the lives and actions of juveniles facing incarceration?

How can we advocate for change within the system in southern states?

Daily class notes 9/21 reply

By Ana Michaelis

On September 25, 2023

In Ana, Daily Class Notes

Class reply 9/21

For me, being the only student who was unable to be at the lunch with Terence, Kelvin and Dave Coogan hearing it from different perspectives other than the class notes was very interesting

We opened with comparing Dave and Professor Dolson’s teaching styles. It seemed that Coogan seems to have more of an intense role within the teaching process, and although this can be helpful, it can also lead to feeling like you are being hovered over and are not as able to have your own ideas.
Professor Dolson seems to teach with more of an aim of having you be able to learn how to do something on your own, and working through the process with you more than just assignments without much guidance.
- also that Coogan was adamant about ideas that Professor Dolson could be doing for our project next semester, but Prof was telling him thank you for the ideas but not necessarily going to use them
When professor Dolson asked about any discomfort during it all, everyone seemed to have picked up on the same thing.
- Kaylee discussed what she had said, and explained that her question about social services sounded insensitive because of the way it was conveyed, and also because there was no context to the situation.
  - That if possibly she would have told him she grew up in a similar situation it would have been different, but an assumption was made about Kaylee’s life due to stereotypical misconceptions
  - I really appreciated Kaylee’s willingness to share her story and trust in us to do so.
Julia also mentioned the way Coogan acted around Terence and Kelvin. I perceived this as Coogan continuing to sort of be more of a “helicopter teacher” with them and treat them more like children. But also it could just be because they have a good enough relationship to a point that can healthily have that dynamic.
Social services conversation
- that Terence did not necessarily think that the services provided by social services were inadequate, just that he didn’t like the connotation that came arround it, and the assumption that Terence’s family NEEDED social services, that it was offensive coming from the outside.
  - we then discussed how it felt when someone insulted a member of our family, how it was offensive and felt targeted towards us, even if it was correct.
    - an example, I was not sure who but someone had the opportunity to tell police that a family member was abusive yet choose not to.
We discussed how the University can effect people of color/visitors, how one can already feel discomfort when they are not welcomed or represented on campus. So Prof does everything she can to try to make them feel welcome, even though inherently it can be hard to manage
How Prof shared her personal story of how she is a mother and food is how she helps to take care of and welcome others, this lightened the mood with Terence.
Question to international students with american culture
- Angelos mentioned Greece being more homogenous, and how more diversity within the United States left room for a lot more assumptions/stereotyping different groups
- Wesley mentioned how the culture of China and US are very similar, and that life styles are very similar
  - I also thought it was funny, when Wesley said they were similar I noticed Chang looking at him in suprise
- My mother was also an international student from Colombia, and one of her biggest cultural shocks was the sense of time, organization and generally the culture of people being a lot more intense in the US
How story telling can be messy or uncomfortable, but that being authentic is when genuine connections begin to form
- makes me think about my job back home, I solely worked with children and what I enjoyed about it so much was how authentic kids are, and that they would never try to lie or cover something up, or be embarrassed of something because of social expectations like you do as you grow up
  - creates the most genuine connections
How the beginning of the printing press led to the end of oral story telling, and that it had its strengths and its weaknesses
Later we discussed class focus, and reflection questions that Will posted that we answered the end of class

Prep Note – 9/26

By Nicholas Gunn

On September 25, 2023

In Nick G, prep note

I found both the readings and video interesting but the video was definitely more impactful. Seeing inside Bon Air and hearing from Marquez made everything feel so much more real. It’s easy to see the crimes people have committed on paper and immediately dehumanize them. However, hearing Marquez talk about his situation as well as Kelvin and Terrence just helps me to see that these are real people, just like me. Their story is more than the crimes they committed. That’s why I think the justice system is sometimes overly harsh because it fails to humanize these people and realize they can be rehabilitated and not just punished.

So far, I’ve made progress toward the class goals by contributing more in class. It’s easy for me to simply become a listener in a conversation so I have to actively push myself to participate but I think I’ve improved in this sense. I also just better realize now that everybody has something different to contribute. Everybody has a different background, different experiences, and different insights. Therefore, whenever we discuss a topic I feel I can share my thoughts on based on my experiences, I try to do so.

In terms of my learning philosophy, I would say that I believe in discussion, experiential learning, and learning to grow oneself and not just packing information into your head. I hate classes that revolve strictly around memorization because realistically everybody is going to forget almost all of the information. However, classes that are focused on new experiences, sharing your experiences with others, and really learning with the goal of improving yourself are the most impactful.

Question: Out of all the cases you have worked on, which one resonates with you the most?

prep note 9/26

By Chang Ni

On September 25, 2023

In Chang

Reflection about endeavor goals:

Due to my cultural background, it’s difficult for me to resonate with the authors of Writing Our Way Out, and I often feel confused about the content. Meanwhile, my language ability limit my expression, so I didn’t contribute much toward the class goal yet.

I haven’t participate in class which usually engage with the community outside of school before, so this course offers me a better understanding about the community and a different way of learning. It also made me to think about how can I use what I’ve learned to benefit the community.

Question for McConnell:

-How to protect public safety when rehabilitation fails?

-There’s substantial evidence to indicate that a relatively small subset of violent juveniles commits the majority of violent crimes and continues its violent behavior into adulthood. Psychopaths may complete treatment programs with the cunning and conning skills. How can rehabilitation works for them?

Prep Note – 9/25/2023

By Nicholas Javier

On September 25, 2023

In Javier, prep note

What efforts are being made to help the 500~ people who received life sentences before the Supreme Court Rulings and are still serving them? While 1,000 have been released, are efforts being made to help incarcerated people? Or is the focus now on preventing more from being added into the system?
What progress are you and your Law-Students making in assisting youth offenders who might be seeking parole consideration since the News Article?

One of the impactful things noticed in the video was the level of freedom given to the residents. It makes me feel disappointed that we are unable to interact with them for the project, as despite all the fences that’d need to be crossed in order for it to occur, it still seems like it is more geared towards rehabilitation and steering them back onto the right path, rather than punishment. Like the article mentions, an emphasis on rehabilitation rather than punishment alone.

9/26 Prep Notes

By Zhuoyan Wen

On September 25, 2023

In prep note, Wesley

It has come to my attention that you have helped some teenagers to reduce their punishment by the law. How do you balance the relationship between the victim and the defendant?

One of the important duties of the law is to maintain a system of social justice and to reduce the likelihood that the victim will retaliate against the defendants. Does forgiveness of abusers increase the likelihood of social unrest at some level? How do you balance the relationship of victims and defendants?

Prep Note 9/26/23

By Mitchell Parker

On September 24, 2023

In Mitch, prep note

McConnell’s article (as well as the video from The Atlantic) gave very good context on things we will later experience first hand and have to discuss in detail. In my opinion, the most relevant detail that was brought up was that of the lack of ‘correctional programming’, i.e. infrastructure that is meant to rehabilitate those who have been incarcerated as opposed to just housing them and sending them to prison. Another important issue is the fact that there are less preventative measures in place than those meant to punish after crimes have been committed, which causes more harm that could be avoided. The existence of only one single juvenile correctional facility, Bon Air, was surprising to me. It seems like there would be more large-scale institutions such as this (that would also work to assist youth, not solely punish them) and I can see how that would cause problems as well.

Question for McConnell:

If the reason for most youth incarceration was boiled down into one cause, what would it be? And, given enough resources, how would this problem be fixed in the easiest way?