Storytelling and Identity - Fall 2023

we are made of stories

Prep Note 9/28

By

On September 27, 2023

In prep note, Will S

The story of the founding of Virginia is a truly painful one to think about. The story, as detailed by the first two chapters of Benjamin Campbell’s Richmond’s Unhealed History, is fraught with colonial greed, abject racism, and atrocities committed against indigenous people. Although Spanish settlers had explored the area in prior years, the first true settlement in Virginia came by way of a British expedition. And from the start, conflicts with Native Americans began to become a major part of life for the settlers. Peaceful relations between the English and chief Powhatan soon fell apart as the English settlers who founded Jamestown were attacked by the native people. A lack of respect for the rights of the indigenous people doomed the settlers to hostile raids and attacks throughout the early years of the Virginia colony.

The relationship between the English and the Native Americans didn’t improve with the multiple changes of governor that the colony underwent. In fact, it seemed they got even worse, with a horrifically matter-of-fact account by George Percy detailing the atrocities he committed against the Paspahegh tribe under the command of Lord De La Warr being particularly chilling. Of course, not all the settlers or Native Americans held hatred toward the other, but the terrifying actions of those who did overshadow those settlers that tried to treat the indigenous people with respect, and the indigenous people that attempted the same.

As a result of English settlement, Native American numbers dropped from close to twenty thousand to two or three thousand in around fifty years. The English-Powhatan war, and even the relations between the two groups prior, is a brutal example of the horrific treatment of Native Americans by early English settlers and it is the most painful, yet also most important thing to consider when trying to understand the foundation of Virginia.

Notes for Class 9/26/23

By

On September 26, 2023

In Daily Class Notes, Kaylee

We started our discussion by going around and saying our name and the name of the person whose story (from WOWO) that we are focussing on.

Julie McConnell represents youth and adults who were first arrested as juveniles. Before law school, she did a lot of work with the Virginia ACLU and inmates on death row. She was a public defender and prosecutor, and now she teaches in the law school here at the University of Richmond.

For first-time youth offenders, the case will most likely stay in juvenile court.

2nd offense: If found guilty of a felony it will stay on the child’s record for life. Misdemeanors can be expunged after 5 years of good behavior

  • Some jurisdictions will charge the children as adults, while some try to keep the case in juvenile court.
  • If it was a non-violent crime, less likely for incarceration.
  • Children charged with grand larceny can be allowed out on an ankle monitor but for violent crimes, the ankle monitor is not an option.
  • For a 16-17-year-old, it is up to the prosecutor whether to try the person as a juvenile or an adult.
  • There are ways to dismiss charges after a period of supervision if the juvenile is young enough.
  • The juvenile equivalent of jail is juvenile detention.

The individuals that we will be working with are in the post-sentencing stage. Most are serving 6-month sentences

  • 5 months are served in the center.
  • 1 month is served back at home but with a lot of supervision and stipulations.
  • Many projects in Richmond. Culture of conflict between projects, and it carries into adulthood.

Brain science plays out a lot in the real world

  • Science proves that the vast majority of people in the justice system age out of violent tendencies by their mid-30s.
  • Early intervention is crucial, and it makes a huge difference.

Julie: Meeting our class can help the youth we’ll be working with. Interacting with people who have gone down a different path can create new positive role models and aspirations.

Family Therapy is key to youth rehabilitation

  • Kids are held accountable.
  • The parent needs to be held accountable as well.
  • Many of the children don’t know their father

Show up for the people we’re working with

  • If you say you’re showing up, show up.
  • Don’t over-promise.
  • Accept them, and be mindful that they are intelligent.
  • Take advantage of the chance to learn from them.
  • It’s going to take time to build trust and understanding with them.
  • Be encouraging, and don’t assume that they are bad people just because they are incarcerated.

Policies shift between governors and presidents

  • Large ideological shifts.
  • Grants outside of the current ideologies often won’t get funded.
  • There is a current focus on higher sentencing.
  • Value in diverting cases away from court, in some circuits this is now banned

 

Q & A:

  • Answer to Ana’s Question: Reaching out to the youth’s schools can be extremely beneficial when mixed with therapy because many solutions are right there in front of them. Connecting the youth with low-cost or no-cost extracurriculars can be very rewarding as well. Opening their eyes to options outside of video games or troublemaking is important.
  • Answer to Will L’s Question: Julie and her students went through Azeem’s case and helped him to be granted a retroactive sentencing and eventually he was paroled. Julie and her clients visit clients, get to know them, and help them with their cases. She works with 10 students who each work on about 2 parole cases a semester.
  • Answer to Professor Dolson’s Question: Once incarcerated there is no right to legal help, so the work that Julie and her students do is truly amazing. They do the work pro bono, and the going rate for a parole case is about $20,000. There is a racial disparity in the justice system, and pro bono work in Virginia is low.
  • Answer to Julia’s Question: Students working in Julie’s clinic get a lot of credit, grades, and volunteer hours. But there is no monetary compensation.
  • Answer to Angelos’ Question: Funding for these programs comes from various Virginia contracts (Department of Juvenile Justice mostly), families sometimes pay, and all clients are on Medicaid.
  • Answer to Wesley’s Question: Restorative justice helps balance the focus between the victim and the perpetrator. Putting yourself in someone’s shoes gives the opportunity for greater understanding. The system is not very focused on reconciliation, unfortunately. The system should be more victim-centered. This could lead to a decrease in crime. It helps with closure.

 

Prep Note 09-26-23

By

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?

Daily class notes 9/21 reply

By

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

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

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?

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