A Tale from the other side of the Experience

Hello Everyone,

I have so much enthusiasm writing the blog this week!!!  The semester has taught me a lot about myself.  What is even more exciting is that the professors were able to get a hold of Ana.  Ana brings a lot of knowledge about law school and the realities of what it will take to complete the schooling.  The reality is that not everyone, who wants to be a lawyer, may have the knowledge of what a lawyer does. There is not always that fame that is depicted on television.  Ana gives a very realistic account that making a step into law school is not the right direction for some people.  She also brought up a very good point that a law degree is flexible.  Often time’s people are rigid in the pursuit of finding a job within the major from their undergraduate education.  I believe if nothing else can come from this fellowship, we take away that there are multitude of paths in the pursuit of helping people.

At CASES, I was able to execute both the leadership events this week.  The events were both a success, the students want both speakers to come back.  Although the leadership event was a workshop, the result was many of the students got to network with people, who I work closely with.  Ultimately, this will build their own network and foster future connections.  In addition, this week at John Jay, I was part of a committee of club presidents, who organized a reggae charity concert and all proceeds are going to Habitat for Humanity.  This week just shows that helping people is just as simple as having an idea.

I love that Ana gave lots of insight about the stresses and rewards of being a lawyer.  She is truly a voice from the other side. Ana once sat in a classroom similar to our own and is now pursuing something close to her heart.  We all sat around the table and many of us were not sure about the future.  There are questions I have for the group. Now that we are at the end of the semester at our agencies and have sometime to experience the social justice world.  What are the differences/ similarities between how the theories /ideologies read about in text compare to the practicing of the work?  Take yourself back to the first day of the Vera fellowship and think about starting the experience “What have you learned thus far that you did not know coming in?         

     

   J.T.

Foucault! Foucault! Foucault!

Foucault suggestions that the existence of some practices, notions, forms of knowledge, social institutions and systems of government have led to the pavement of modern day culture. Examples such as the plague are used during Foucault’s explanations; he speaks about how the sick were isolated from society, with the purpose of creating a perfect community. The plague is just one example of the regulatory periods throughout history that were used to discipline society.

Foucault states that these practices were first created in secluded institutional settings such as prisons, hospitals, and schools but steadily have become methods of social regulation and control. The main reason for disciplinary power is to directly aim towards body (physical and mental) which can include endless amounts surveillance and examination that can allow a constant control of individuals conduct. Panoptism is a form of perfect discipline, an involuntary way of building a self-disciplined group of people or society. Panoptism installs the nervousness or anxiety of been watched onto unconscious individuals. Panoptism is almost a secret mental control, enforcing each mind to try to be the best person they can be and this way of discipline and surveillance, is everywhere in today’s society. Panopticism can be seen currently in many areas of NYC…at almost every high end shopping corner. Security cameras are located in many shops, but are they real or fake? The answer does not matter, in order for the security cameras to work; they must to be visible. Tall mirrors located around shops are an excellent effective way of monitoring both customers and staff. By seeing yourself perhaps shop lifting, or not doing your job you instantly feel that other people see your actions and you automatically self-discipline yourself. If you are to feel human emotions such as shame, then you try to create yourself into someone who would never have to be shameful of their actions; but only if you felt as if every action of yours was been watched…

My questions for you all are... Are we all 'docile bodies'? Do you think our lives are ordered or does it seem natural?

Do you think the recent access of the US government has gained via the Patriot Act (this Act increases the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records gathering within the United States), could easily look at it as acting like a panoptican?

Oh look below! It’s a cute kitten wearing a tiny hat! But wait - someone’s watching, and that someone is not happy! Poor kitty! Why this sudden violence? By using Foucault’s bases of the idea on the Panopticon, explain why this kitty was attacked? Is it because wearing a tiny hat might be cute, but goes against the institutional code that cats should not wear hats, and kitty is appropriately punished for failing to obey to a ‘docile body’?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mNB_VG_shc

Let's get the bad guys!

Yesterday's tour was an amazing experience for me. So many things that Mr. Giovanni said were surprising, even with my decent knowledge of how the criminal justice system works, and I left there feeling disheartened and saddened. He mentioned the common sentiment about the greatness of our criminal justice system, and asserted that this belief stems from the number of arrests made, and the speediness of processes, though usually at the cost of humanity.

As a nation, we justify policies such as stop-and-frisk, because they generate more arrests. There are many civil rights groups and individuals who condemn this practice because of the obvious abuses and inherent racism it promotes. Yet, there are many policies similar, in theory, to stop-and-frisk that are barely contested at all. It has been proven by the Associated Press that the NYPD enforces a policy of surveillance of the Arab, Muslim, and South Asian populations. The NYPD claims that this policy has helped weed out terrorists and has prevented attacks on our city. However, when the stories are looked at more closely, it is often the case that an undercover officer befriends a lonely Muslim and engages in talk about extremism and violence, in an effort to trap him into saying something that can be misconstrued, and hence easily label him as a terrorist. Professor Stein sent me the following short article yesterday because of the ethical questions it raises:

http://www.businessinsider.com/sweetie--the-scary-new-face-of-a-war-on-pedophiles-2013-11

Pedophilia, like terrorism, is a universal evil that everyone can agree upon and join in an effort to eliminate. While the aforementioned methods claim to weed out "terrorists" and "pedophiles" and eliminate the crime, are they actually creating these criminals?  Would these people have engaged in the crimes had they not been entrapped and enticed into doing so? This is a tricky situation because while we all want pedophiles and terrorists to be locked up, how far are we willing to go to do so?  If, in "fighting terrorism," we drop a drone on a village in Pakistan and kill a "terrorist" along with his wife and children, is it okay because we all want to be safer? Does this create a dangerous precedent? We would never allow the use of drones if it were not for our common belief that terrorism is an evil. But where do we draw the line then, in deciding for which crimes these methods are acceptable in eradicating? How far are we really willing to go to make arrests? Are we willing to target specific populations and entrap people into committing crimes? Unfortunately, It seems that we are, and with very little opposition.

Post from Popy!

The following post is from Popy Begum in OXFORD! Write back -- and feel free to ask questions about her experience and your internships.

Hello Verons!

It feels great to visit the blog and read through some of your really insightful posts. I loved reading how the seminars and internships are shaping your ideas and thoughts on social justice... It made me realize how much my views have changed as well (I mean you’re more or less aware of this as the Fellowship flows, but to be able to sit down and reflect how your views have been shaped and changed is really refreshing). So, thank you for that! While I was a Fellow, the blog wasn’t my favorite thing in the world, but I can admit now that I actually miss it. Who would have ever thought?!

I recently went to a conference organized by The Howard League for Penal Reform, the oldest penal reform charity in the world and campaigns for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison. Of course, I wanted to attend the talks involving juvenile justice reform in the UK, since I’ve done quite a lot of research on the US’ juvenile justice system. I was very eager to see how they differed because I had already decided they weren’t similar. I mean we’re constantly told the US’ is harsh on crime, it incarcerates more than any other country in the world, and so it's quite natural to think other countries are deterring crime in a less punitive fashion. I can honestly say I was horrified at the end of the conference. I cringed when I learned that 7,618 children and young people are currently serving prison sentences; recidivism is quite high—73 percent are reconvicted after a year of being released; AND very little attention is given to the idea that young people are most likely to outgrow crime with the right intervention and support.

I used to assume this was happening in the US, but sadly it’s happening in the UK, too. I guess the most thought-provoking part of the conference for me was when the chair of the panel asked us (the audience) what would we do if we were given 100,000 quid (pounds) to change the system. Where would we start—the educational system, intervention charities (non-profits), therapy… Surprisingly, the room couldn’t come to an agreement. So, I am extending that question to you. What would you do?