Storytelling and Identity - Fall 2023

we are made of stories

Category: prep note Page 16 of 24

Prep Note 09-26-23

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On September 26, 2023

In Brice, prep note, Uncategorized

Julie Ellen McConnell:  What role do your students take in running programs such as the PASS docket program?

 

Bon Aire Atlantic Video:

In this video, juveniles are viewed as teenagers who need rehabilitation rather than punishment.  Although the facility gives juveniles the opportunity to reflect and change their behavior there are many flaws with the facility/program itself.  The first being that the building is outdated and for the most part feels just like a prison.  Leaders of the JDC are looking to renovate and move the facilities closer the juveniles home town rather than far away.  The far distance from home creates another program for juveniles as well as their parents. If centers were closer to home, parents would be able to more frequently participate in workshops and constructing new relationships with their children.  Juveniles take a far different perspective than others may assume.  They are aware of their harsher environments growing up but believe there are too high of expectations for them to behave when brought up in reckless childhoods. They believe they’re not as well understood but are thankful for the opportunity to have a second chance and connect with their families.

Conversation Article:

I’ve taken on a new perspective on juvenile convictions.  It does seem ridiculous to sentence the youth to life in prison when their decision making isn’t fully developed.  As the saying goes, “Time heals all wounds.” Through rehabilitation services and a mixture of jail time, juvenilles will have a better chance of behaving in the future.  Of course the seriousness of the crime plays a crucial role in jail time because being a 17 year old and having 4 years apart from an adult shouldn’t excuse you from serving justice.  For many juvenile cases however, the lack of rehabilitation services is not ideal and should be provided for prisoners despite how long they are sentenced in jail.

Prep Note for 9/26/23

By

On September 26, 2023

In Kaylee, prep note

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

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

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

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?

Prep Note – 9/26

By

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 – 9/25/2023

By

On September 25, 2023

In Javier, prep note

  1. 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?
  2. 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

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

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?

Prep Note 9/26/2023

By

On September 24, 2023

In Julia, prep note

Reading the article written by McConnell was eye-opening for me because it dove deeper into the effects that government sentencing has on children. It’s hard to reprimand teenagers, especially ones that have had hard childhoods because no one can provide the comfort and help needed to reconcile with that kind of past. Additionally, I don’t think any juvenile should be sentenced to life without parole because that doesn’t allow for growth or change, just reinforces harsh justice practices. That is why I was so inspired by the Bon Air facility because it allows for growth and understanding of how the crimes committed were actually very harmful. But in addition to this, it allows each juvenile to confront their past and get the help they need. If one grows up in an environment with abuse or neglect, it’s probably going to be hard for them to open up to others. Bon Air however understands this struggle and works with juveniles to better themselves, rather than sticking them in a cell for the rest of their lives.

I also found the video from The Atlantic very helpful in understanding what life is like at Bon Air. For example, Marquez explained that he was able to decorate his room, and that Bon Air provided everyone with stability they may have never had before. I’m hopeful that more facilities like Bon Air will open up around different parts of Virginia, just because it is so removed from the rest of the state and makes visiting hard for families. But also facilities like this should be open around the country; it’s like Terence said, you can’t have rehabilitation if you don’t have habilitation in the first place, and that’s what Bon Air does. It provides habilitation.

Question for McConnell

  1. Where are convicted juveniles sent if they are not sent to Bon Air, and where are those located in regards to their homes?
  2. Are there other facilities that are going to have the same goals as Bon Air built around Virginia?

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