The talk about how mass incarceration can disrupt families and communities was eye opening for me. I was most struck by how cyclical the situation. Incarceration is for rehabilitation and deterrence. However, the opposite is actually true. Incarceration leads to more crime. I never thought about how much children are really affected by parental incarceration. Without parents they are less likely to go to school and eventually are more likely to go down the road to crime creating a cycle. I think the issue of incarceration is too big to be ignored. People are guaranteed freedom and when prisons are being run for profit and have quotas that go directly against that right. I’m honestly surprised that more action hasn’t been taken. I remember watching a documentary in high school which found the reforming the U.S. prison system was actually an issue that saw a lot of bipartisan support between groups that were on completely opposite sides of the political spectrum. It is an injustice for people’s freedom to be treated so nonchalantly especially when it can affect their families as well.

When I was younger, I used to think that criminal justice just mean that when people committed crimes, they went to jail, and everyone who went to jail was guilty of their crime and it was as simple as that. I never thought of the criminal justice system as a whole being made of interconnected parts; I never thought about what happened to people after they were released from prison, and I never thought about the impact it had on their families and their futures after prison. As I have grown, and listened to the stories of people affected by mass incarceration through documentaries like 13th, and this eCornell Keynote, Criminal (In)Justice: How Mass Incarceration Disrupts Families and Communities, I have learned that the criminal justice system is much more complex and life altering that I thought. America’s current criminal justice system is one that disproportionally affects black Americans through excessive policing and cycle that perpetuates crime and incarceration in black communities. When somebody goes to jail, they are removed from society and while life pauses for them, it keeps going for everyone around them. Families and children of incarcerated people are equally affected. They are separated from their family, they lose the income and emotional security from their incarcerated family members, and children affected by mass incarceration, especially, are born into the world already with an unfair disadvantage that will affect their whole life. For the people who become incarcerated, their lives after jail or prison will never be the same. A permanent record make it difficult for incarcerated people to find jobs, to pay off their probation fees and fines from their criminal charges, and it greatly hindrances their acceptance back into society. The lingering affects of incarceration are deeply rooted in racism and focus more on profit and punishment than rehabilitation of incarcerated people, which is why it is so toxic to our society. I am happy that the speakers in this keynote are doing so much hard work to help the people affected by this system rebuild their lives and overcome the difficulties and setbacks that go hand-in-hand with criminal justice. I hope that one day our system will be reformed to better rehabilitate people who commit crimes instead of destroying their lives to perpetuate this cycle.

The Learning Where You Live Cafe that centered on the criminal justice system was an interesting conversation. Professor Anna Haskins raised a really interesting point that I had not considered before. She talked about educational outcomes with respect to the criminal justice system, emphasizing the importance of having a parent figure at home to help teach the student, especially at the elementary level. She noted that the educational system can sometimes be seen as an organization with authority that incardinated individuals don’t want to participate in. Her analysis focuses on the impact of the criminal justice system on the community, not just individuals. It is a perspective that I had never thought about before, and I enjoyed learning more about it.

One of the things I love most about Cornell is the opportunity it brings to experience new perspectives and learn more on a whole range of topics, far beyond the edges of your chosen major. Cornell is a community of learners, thinkers, and intellectual minds, and it is fascinating to take time to learn about many really important issues and topics relevant to our society, and being able to learn about these topics with fantastic experts in their fields is amazing. I really enjoyed attending the “Criminal (In)Justice: How Mass Incarceration Disrupts Families and Communities” discussion held through eCornell partnering with the West Campus House System. Having the opportunity to hear from professors of sociology, a CEO of a Center for Urban Families organization, and a member of the Ohio government’s Commission on Fatherhood was wonderful and I learned so much from listening to them share their research, work, and experiences with this important topic. It was really informative to hear statistics about children whose parents are incarcerated, stories of experiences the panelists have had working with families in the community-prison pipeline, etc., and the discussion helped me to better understand the issues our country is facing and the work actively being done to help resolve these issues. One of the most important thoughts I came away with is a renewed desire to learn more about every such issue that affects our society and to take advantage of opportunities during my time at Cornell to do so in such a unique way.

As much as I think I know about America’s mass incarceration, I realize I have only seen the surface of it. Attending the eCornell Keynotes event on the criminal justice system, I had a only a peak into the reality that families across the country must live through. The reality of the tunnel that feeds black Americans into the prison system from the day they are born, the reality that the prison cycle will only continue because society doesn’t accept released citizens back into their community, the reality that the separation of inmate families only leads young children down a deeper hole towards incarceration. What we can do as students and citizens of this country is support prison systems in nurturing its men and women who are so close to the path of living free and well– it starts with being educated on the criminal justice system and working to support those who are suffering from its rippling waves.

This seminar was especially powerful and eye opening to me because it pushed me to consider situations that I hadn’t before. Mass incarnation seriously disrupts the foundations of families, and disproportionally affects African American families. Trauma in children associated with parental incarceration usually results in poorer performance in school, and if the proper support system is not set up, those children are more likely to get into trouble. The truth of the matter is that mass incarceration disproportionally affects poorer communities where community support or proper support systems are not set up in place to help the children who’s parents’ are out of their lives. These children, already dealing with so much, have a hard time focusing off themselves, on their education or have to constantly worry about wealth or food. These negative pressures on the children are what create a cycle. I really appreciated listening to this seminar because it allowed to me reflect on how truly interconnected the world is and educated me about a topic I wasn’t totally familiar with before.

Watching the Netflix documentary 13th over the summer really opened my eyes to the severity of mass incarceration in America and its deep roots within our systems. After finishing the film, I was left shocked, angry, and even a bit doubtful about the possibility of change and winning the fight for justice. However, these feelings drew me in to attend this event to further educate myself about mass incarceration.  

The emphasis on the effects of incarceration outside the incarcerated individual was especially interesting to learn about throughout the talk. When an individual is incarcerated, their roles as a parent, sibling, cousin, or friend don’t disappear, but seem to be forgotten the moment they’re labeled a “criminal.” And what’s worse is that the system that has designed this strip of humanity is allowing for the cycle of incarceration within specific communities to occur again. Throughout the discussion, there were various things spoken about from the speakers that were very disheartening to hear: the disproportionate rates of incarceration among different races, the effects on children of incarcerated individuals, and the policies making it harder for reentry into society. However, the work that the speakers were involved in sparked optimism within me. Hearing about their research and efforts to work with officials to make policy changes was especially inspiring. Looking around today, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by everything happening in the world and give up on your ability to contribute to change, but the reassurance that there are groups of individuals fighting against injustices at various levels is something I’m grateful for. It reassures me of my purpose and pushes me to continue my journey with the dedication I saw within the speakers.  

I attended the seminar on mass incarceration. Of the numerous topics that were discussed, I found the concept of Norway’s prisons that allow for the entire family of one incarcerated individual to live together very interesting. It was mentioned that individuals that are incarcerated often struggle with being away from their family and struggle connecting with their family after being released and the concept of allowing an incarcerated individual to remain in a family unit prevented this from happening. While I have no situation that is of the same magnitude as the separation experienced between an incarcerated individual and their family, I related to this as an out of state college student. Returning home often feels awkward as I grow separately from my family unit for the first time so I can see how an event such as incarceration could affect how an individual interacts with their family after extended periods of separation.

After attending the the webinar, Criminal (In)Justice: How Mass Incarceration Disrupts Families and Communities, it has caused me not to change my perspective of racial injustice, but allow me to shine a different kind of light upon the issue prevalent in society. Incarceration is seen as such a negative thing- it is as if once someone goes to jail, no matter the crime, their name is forever tainted. Also, the worst part of jail is that once the time being served is over, this person now has to join back society with no real help whatsoever. It is even worse when this said person was wrongfully given an extended jail sentence just for being black, all thanks to mass incarceration and our nation’s jail system. 

Our society fails to recognize that these people are humans too. Most of them have a family, friends, people who raised them and pray and hope for their success. Our country does not allow for former convicts to live a happy life. Based on the stories of the panelists, I agree that there should be a system implemented for rehabilitation of former convicts so that they do not end up homeless begging for money, and they can instead get a job and be able to afford to live in a proper home with adequate living supplies.

I attended the Criminal (In)Justice: How Mass Incarceration Disrupts Families and Communities this week. It was really eye opening because I always thought about how incarceration impacts the individual, but never thought about how it affects their families. Since society has such a negative view of incarcerated individuals, many forget that those individuals are also human and have their own lives outside of prison. It was especially sad when one of the speakers shared a story about someone who did not want to leave prison because they had no life out of prison because they had been there for so long. Due to the stories that the panelists shared, I really hope that there are better plans implemented to ameliorate the post life situations of those who have such cases and to assist those who have to leave their life behind and those close to those incarcerated who are being negatively impacted. It just gives more insight to how there are still many sides, negatives, and room for improvement in our justice system.

This discussion of the effects of mass incarceration on society was very eye opening for me. I never knew all the ways that mass incarceration could affect not only the incarcerated but their families and their communities. It was surprising to me that kids who live in a community where a lot of people are incarcerated have lower cognitive abilities even if they were not directly affected through incarceration through a family member. In addition, it was discussed how many children of those incarcerated have developmental problems causing many of them to be kicked out of preschools, thus, setting them back education wise. I also never thought about how child support could bury incarcerated fathers in debt. It was discussed how when released on probation there are many fees that need to be paid plus child support that causes a overwhelming amount of debt for those incarcerated. The issue of racism was also brought up when it was shown that black people with arrest histories are way less likely to be hired than white people with arrest histories. It was also interesting to me how because of the internet arrest histories become way more public, and that a record can cause way more damage now than it did in the past. Finally, I agree with the notion that families are the key element that decreases recidivation rates. I think that the program in which the incarcerated help their children with their homework is a great way for the incarcerated to stay connected with their family. Finally, I thought it was terrible that some people rather stay in prison that leave since they have no support system on the outside, and they are used to life in prison.

Yesterday I attended the event “Criminal (In)justice: How Mass Incarceration Disrupts Families and Communities.”  I learned so much in this hour and realized just how many major problems there are with the criminal justice system.  I was especially excited about this event because I attended a couple lectures about mass incarceration last year and found them to be incredibly eye-opening and important.  Furthermore, my professor who taught Intro to Sociology last semester, Professor Haskins, was a speaker yesterday, so I was excited to hear her talk about this.

The effects of mass incarceration go beyond the individual but extend to their family and community as well.  Professor Haskins mentioned that 1 in 10 kids in America have experienced parental incarceration, yet this statistic is not the same for all socioeconomic and racial groups.  Kids with incarcerated parents are especially affected in multiple ways, such as potentially hurting their performance or involvement in school.  I was surprised to realize that child support payments often remain the same for someone when they are incarcerated, even though they now are under-employed or unemployed.  This has caused a huge build-up of child support debt that cannot be paid which in turn harms people’s families and children.  Another thing that was discussed in the event was the importance of rehabilitation and the role that family plays in it.  One speaker told a story about a man who was afraid to leave prison once his time was served because he had spent most of his life there and he had no family or support on the outside.  This was especially heartbreaking and illuminates real flaws in the system that must be addressed.

When watching the Webinar Criminal (In)Justice: How Mass Incarceration Disrupts Families and Communities, it reminded me of a movie I saw about this very topic. A couple of years ago, I watched the movie Where to Invade Next, by Michael Moore, Moore detailed what he saw as superior qualities of other countries worldwide compared to the United States. In Europe, one of Moore’s most groundbreaking findings was that the criminal justice system in Norway is based on reforming convicts rather than punishing them. Due to this, the incarceration rate and recidivism rate is exceptionally lower when compared with the United States’ system.

When keeping this in perspective, while the American prison system is significantly worse than that of Norway, I do find something the webinar said very encouraging. I find that mothers being able to have their newborns in prison with them up to age three is a small, but necessary, step to trying to meet Europe’s level of rehabilitation. By doing this, you give the mothers a goal: to give their newborns a better life than they themselves had and work to make that happen. That may help incentivize them to work harder and use their time behind bars more effectively to help foster society upon release.

Today I attended Criminal (In)Justice: How Mass Incarceration Disrupts Families and Communities. The panelists all agree that mass incarceration is a cycle. The process is mass produced and millions of Americans have a felony level crime listed on their record. It is unfortunate that such a mass number of Americans are being incarcerated, but what is even worse than that is the effects of mass incarceration. That individual loses out on his or her life, loses touch with his or her family, and have difficulties rejoining civilization after the term is served. Mass incarceration is viewed almost as a business in the current day because prisons receive money based off of how many inmates it has in occupation. This is incredibly disheartening because it causes the entire system to be unjust. The panelists are passionate about controlling what they can, which is focusing on the rehabilitation efforts for when inmates are finally released. The panelists spoke about programs that begin the rehabilitation efforts immediately when the inmates enter prison. This is particularly beneficial because there is no time wasted, and the inmates can rather spend every single day combatting their incarceration, so they come out better after serving their term. This concept particularly stuck with me because I love the proactive efforts that are being made and the concept of starting rehabilitation efforts immediately once inmates enter prison. They are truly making the most of the incarceration, so they do not appear “behind” once they enter society after their term is served. This was one aspect of mass incarceration that I was not aware of and this helps me better understand the actions that can be taken, and the actions that the panelists today were particularly passionate about.

Criminal justice. Although I have been working towards studying forensic science for a few years, I now find myself taking an extra pause before answering those two words when someone asks what I want to do. Despite forensics being a relatively less significant current issue with the system, I worry it will be immediately associated with the injustice that characterizes the system and feel the need to justify and explain why I chose the field since it is often misinterpreted. However, listening to the panel talk about the key points of the entire legal path, from initial investigation to conviction to reintegration into society, made me realize how misinformed I actually was about the entire process. I had a rough idea the difference between an arrest record and a conviction record, but I did not know how permanent arrest records were or the cost associated with expunging the record. I assumed there would not be a charge if the person was never convicted, but that is not the case. Additionally, the permanence and disproportionate burden of an arrest record that costs to be removed has long term effects for young offenders, specifically those of low socioeconomic status, who might otherwise have aged out of the system and left their childhood brushes with the law behind them. Since records are so readily available, it makes it even harder to find work with a minor record and increases the recidivism rate. Attending the talk did not dissuade me from pursuing forensics, however it certainly made me more aware of the consequences that my actions, both in the initial stages of an investigation and in the courtroom, could have on an individual. I believe it is important to be informed of the long term effects such as these, and I hope I can manage to use science to help find justice without spreading injustice as a result.

When I was six, my dad worked in a city that was a four hour drive from my house.  Every week he would be gone Sunday night through Friday.  I remember sitting next to my friend and neighbor on the school bus one morning and breaking into tears because I missed my dad.  My friend understood my feelings and comforted me by saying “I know, my dad is in jail.  At least you will see him on Friday.”  As a six year old, I did not understand what it meant to have a parent in jail.  I did not really think a lot about how it would affect her.  I did not consider how much she must have missed him because I got to spend time with my dad every weekend.  My dad went to my Saturday soccer games and taught me to play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” on the piano.  He was still a big part of my life even if it was only on Saturdays and Sundays.  She could only spend time with her dad when she was brought to visit him, which was not often.  This seminar made me think more about what it really meant for her and her family when her dad was in prison.  It made me think about the impact it had on her education, her home life, and her relationship with her father.  This seminar taught me so much about how much children are affected by their parents being in jail or having been in jail.  And even though a parent may want to do the right thing, they are set back by laws or an excessive amount of fees that keep them from being able to stick to the right path.  I just wished I could have understood this all when I was six.

Today, I joined a virtual keynote titled Criminal (In)justice: How mass incarceration disrupts families and communities. This event featured experts including academics from Cornell and University of Minnesota, the Founder and CEO of Center for Urban Families, and the Executive Director of the Commission on Fatherhood of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. I thought this topic was quite interesting and the event allowed me to learn a lot more about mass incarceration and more specifically, the effects it has on children and families. Over 10 million children experience the effects of mass incarceration before they turn 18.  One part I found to be especially informative was the discussion of the community to prison pipeline. One speaker spoke about how infants affected by mass incarceration are being born into society premature and already behind the curve. From then on their frontal cortex is not permitted to fully develop and once they reach school they have not learned to regulate themselves. Another speaker discussed how criminal records severely limit job prospects after release. One thing that was new and shocking to me is the amount of fees that rare behind incarceration and probation. Newly released individuals have to pay probation fees, pay for their drug costs, and even pay for their records to be expunged so they may be able to find jobs. For those who  are already behind economically and looking for employment, these costs are hindering. Overall, I thought this talk was quite informative and allowed me to learn more about incarceration and the areas where improvements and reforms must be made.