Continuation of Issue Brief
I appreciate all of my peers’ feedback that I received and am glad there are others that believe this issue is at the level of urgency I described it as. There are true problems at the root of our criminal justice system that need to be sorted out sooner rather than later. Even though this issue has been proven to be a nationwide problem on a federal level, it may be more practical for me to focus on what states are doing so it becomes more narrowed down; I believe states can follow a good example set by another. I will express exigency on this issue by making it known how many cases in the past year have been discussed and reviewed for having excessive and unfair sentences. I will also be discussing how I mentioned before in my previous blog post how social media brought about awareness of most of these cases and how nongovernmental workers contributed to this change. It says a lot when a whole group of strangers over the internet can see how unjust the criminal justice system is and that is the wake up call they get. There are more inmates that haven’t reached public service yet that desperately need to escape their debilitating sentences that do not serve the implications of their crime. Finally, to once more discuss exigency I would explain how people in power over the last year have increasingly used internal bias to make decisions about sentences.
To discuss the rhetorical situation of this issue brief I would make sure to include it right away in the introductory paragraph. The factors that play into the rhetorical situation now are that we are in a time stamp in history where people are using their voice and directly challenging people in charge and policy makers. Social media has done a great job at circulating petitions and passing around informations of what inmates need help and I think that should continue but we need to do more past this rhetorical situation. I would be addressing state officials, secretaries, communication specialists and policy makers addressing how we can allocate funds to help eliminate racial bias in pre-trial and sentencing reform. The audience I would also like to reach are families who don’t have a voice or the resources to fight the fight of bringing a loved one home.
Off to Yellowstone National Park
This is another place I have always wanted to go but was never given the opportunity to in the past. This is a place I’ve grown up hearing my parents talk about as one of their favorite places on their cross country motorcycle trip and I am just dying to visit. Yellowstone National Park is a great trip you can take with your family or friends and can either be turned into a fun road trip or a short flight if that’s what you prefer. The best thing about Yellowstone is that it is filled with amazing scenic locations that are mostly free and they are views that will stick with you forever. Yellowstone is definitely for the outdoorsy type; filled with multicolor pool swirls around hot springs, volatile geysers, lush forests and miles of mountains. Yellowstone covers 2.2 million acres from the northwest corner of Wyoming into Idaho and Montana. There are a number of hot springs, trails and wild life watching opportunities. The best way to get around Yellowstone is by car, especially since they don’t have a transportation system, which also gives you the option to rent a car.
The best time of year to visit this national park would be April, May or June; temperatures in April can go as low as 10 degrees and highs of 60s, meanwhile May would be right in the middle and June is more on the warmer side if that is what you prefer. In May there is also the Montana State University Billings Foundation’s Wine & Food festival. As I mentioned before Yellowstone is known for its natural features that attract so many tourist a year. Old Faithful is probably what you all are most acquainted with, but it is one of the world’s most renowned geysers with its eruptions averaging around 130 feet high and is completely free to see. The next spot I would go to is Yellowstone Lake which is more west in the park; it is the park’s largest body of water and you can find many grizzly bears and bison trekking the shallow ends of the water. This lake is overlooked by a beautiful mountain range with the bluest of waters. The next location is something I really would love to experience and this is Grand Prismatic Spring, it is the largest hot spring but its rainbow waters are what makes it so mind blowing. These colors are caused by pigmented thermophilic bacteria that thrive on the rich materials produced by the geothermic activity. There are also many walking tours, guided hikes and wildlife sight seeing activities but those must be paid for.
I am a very outdoor centered person and I believe this would be the perfect place to visit soon, I definitely recommend taking a trip here soon to see these amazing views.
https://travel.usnews.com/Yellowstone_National_Park_WY/
Issue Brief
The issue I have decided I will be briefing on will be related to what I have previously discussed in my civics issue blogs, located around criminal justice reform. Now there is a lot to try to fix and implement in the U.S. criminal justice system, but what I will be narrowing down on is the issue of diminishing mass incarceration by pretrial reform, sentencing reform and post-conviction reform. It feels like the proper kairotic moment to discuss this issue because people are finally really sharing information about cases with unfair sentences trying to gain clemency, a pardon or even get out of the death penalty. 2020 has been a year where we have started to really use social media to talk about important issues and not just about fashion, sports or celebrities. Right now the bare minimum that ordinary people can do to alleviate the issue is sign petitions siding with a clemency; but we need to move forward in a direction that prevents these unfair sentences to begin with and eliminate racial bias as well in the courtroom.
Looking back at the Keyword entry on “Causes”, a sentence that seemed of importance to me was, “any one problem can have multiple causes”. Now going back to issue brief I will be discussing I was having a bit of a hard time figuring out if there was more than one type of cause to this enormous problem. I believe the cause that mostly plays a big part in this issue would have to be intentional cause; which signifies an issue happens because one person, group or institution deliberately created the problem or knowingly allowed it to persist. I think this perfectly encapsulates the U.S. criminal justice system because everyone is about power here and will allow their opinions and biases to get in the way of decision making. There are police officers, jurors and judges that will let their racial bias take control of a case and an innocent person of color could walk away with life in prison. Since the cause of my issue is intentional, this means the reform would have to include removing the bad apples in the situation and curb unethical unethical practices for pre and post trial.
Policy making to me seems like the most difficult part of this whole process, and I get that there is a lot of elements that need to be heavily researched and evaluated carefully. The policy instrument I would most likely implement into this issue brief writing would have to be system changes; system changes would directly address the problem of corrupt people in power and harsh ideologies held within the criminal justice system. I think this would be beneficial for this issue because it would get right to the heart of the issue and could lead to creating more direct policies about unfair sentences and allocate funding to judicial services and reduce the number of individuals incarcerated under excessive sentences. The only downside I can see as a result of using this instrument would be that it could stress already scarce sources, it wouldn’t be beneficial in poverty ridden environments, where crime also seems to have the highest rates. But I still believe this is the best possible route for this issue.
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/criminal-justice/reports/2020/10/07/491314/reimagining-federal-grants-public-safety-criminal-justice-reform/
Let’s Talk About Clemency…
What exactly is clemency? It was term I used to not hear quite often and when I did I never bothered to ask what it meant or what it was even associated with. Again I am not an expert on legal matters or the criminal justice system but I want to learn more about it so I can find ways to change criminal justice issues from the outside; since the inside isn’t really doing the best. In today’s post I am going be introducing to what clemency is, how it plays out in our criminal justice system and an unfair case or two that are using clemency petitions and how you all can help. As we know, many offenders get sentenced away for an excessive amount of years based on a non-violent crime they have committed and most of the sentences are very problematic.
By these offenders being put away for an unnecessary amount of time, especially for a first time offense, it really is damaging to the prisoner and their families. Being locked up for a nonviolent crime you committed for more than 25 years seems a but extreme and the prisoner going through this can really have a tough time, mentally in there. Those who are hit hardest are offenders who are single parents with young kids, they have now lost their only guardian, have little to no money and just no one to rely on for the next 25 plus years of their lives.According to American Progress organization website, “Clemency is a mechanism for granting a person convicted of a criminal offense relief from a court-ordered sentence or punitive measure.” There are two types of methods for clemency that includes pardon or commutation of sentence. A pardon exempts a convicted individual from any remaining punishment or future consequences stemming from a conviction. Commutations reduce an individuals sentence either partially or fully. The clemency process is usually requested through a petition or an application process and can be granted for a multitude of reasons. States constitute the power to grant clemency but the who can do it varies; some states it is the governor in others it is an independent board. But for convictions under federal law, the U.S. constitution gives the president virtually ultimate and unlimited power to grant clemency. During President Trump’s administration he received 8,000 petitions for clemency yet he has only granted 35. To receive clemency seems like a long, hard process that can be time consuming and attorney fees really stack up.
An issue that arises with the use of clemency is that the president or state constitutions could be misusing it, either too much or not enough. Again here we can see politicians using clemency for their personal agenda; for example if they pardon a person of color they are trying to show society they care or side with minorities or will make them a priority. Or they might excuse someone that had a hefty sentence for drug offense to show they are anti drug. But according to the American Progress Organization, “most modern presidents and governors have shied away from using their powers of clemency, in part to protect against attacks from political opponents.” With politicians shying away from this jurisdiction it is more important now more than ever to grant more justified clemencies and raise awareness about cases that are petitioning for it.
Again, the first time I heard of the term clemency was from Kim Kardashian on instagram, she has a lot of people reach out to her for legal help and a case she took on was by the name of Alice Marie Johnson. Johnson is a sixty-three year old great-grandmother who was sentenced for life without parole for a nonviolent drug related crime; she “was convicted in 1996 on eight criminal counts stemming from a Memphis-based cocaine trafficking operation involving more than a dozen people” according to Harper’s Bazaar. This was Alice Johnson’s only wrongdoing to society and she was led to committing these crimes out of desperation in a hard time of her life, she had lost her job at Fedex, had gotten divorced, lost her son in a motorcycling accident and had a gambling addiction; she was only trying to make ends meet. Johnson had only a small part in this drug trafficking by relaying coded messages over the phone, she never was the leader of the operation or brokered or handled drugs, so why did she receive life in prison for such a low ranking in this operation. Johnson’s children have long petitioned for her release stating she was a model inmate and even worked in the prison hospice. Kim Kardashian received pleas from the family and hired a new team of lawyers on Johnson’s behalf. Kim ended up meeting with Trump to discuss prison reforming and sentencing and brought up Johnson’s case. Johnson was pardoned and later went on to write a memoir and speak out against prison reform.
Most recent clemency cases in the recent past year have been for less harsher sentences than Alice Johnson had and it seems like the president is just getting out of the way the minor offenses before handling the bigger ones. An example of a case that was granted clemency in late 2020 was for Gary E. Hendler. Gary was imprisoned for three years with probation for conspiracy to distribute and dispense methaqualone. Even though he was given a way lighter sentence than Alice Johnson he still received clemency, but there are many cases similar to him. What confuses me is Alice Johnson had a small, minor role in her drug offense, not even selling or distributing the cocaine, and others get off much quicker and easier. It makes me wonder again if race, gender and class play a key role into the deciding factor of who gets granted clemency. It seems the president and state governors are choosing who is granted clemency either based on how quick they can sift through the case or to fit their own political agendas.
Thanks to again more social media outrage and activism clemency petitions are surfacing more and more bringing more awareness to this aspect of the criminal justice system. Change begins from the inside and we need to make sure our current presidential and state constitutions are not abusing the power of clemency and are really taking the petitions into consideration. Maybe we need to have more comittees in each state to grant more deserving clemencies, but there needs to be significant change.
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/criminal-justice/reports/2020/05/01/484300/clemency-101/
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a20968667/who-is-alice-marie-johnson-kim-kardashian-prison-reform/#:~:text=Johnson%20was%20convicted%20in%201996,than%20two%20decades%20behind%20bars.
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/pardons-granted-president-donald-trump
Staying Local This Trip
New York City is the next location I will be discussing as a place to travel to, I am from Long Island, NY and my town is about 30-35 minutes from New York City. I was hesitant to write about NYC because I didn’t want to give too much of a biased opinion and I know it is a very controversial place that has its pros and cons. I particularly have a love/hate relationship with NYC just because of how frequently I am there or to certain places I’ve been too. I think the great thing about New York City though is the versatility of it and how much culture is present there. There is the stereotype that it can be very expensive but there are many things to do for a very wide price range. I think each borough has something to offer too many various tourists and New York City truly lives up to be the melting pot it is acclaimed to be. What I would advise though is to not spend too much time in Times Square, it is really not worth it and sometimes very dirty looking. The city is also versatile in the way that there are many different things to do in summer and winter.
Traveling to New York City, whether that be a short car ride, train ride or flight is worth the visit no matter what time the year you go, it’s just one of those places you have to see for yourself. Metropolitan lifestyle may not be for everybody but there are some things to do that make you feel that you are not even in a city setting. In the summer the best things to do are take a visit to either Central Park, Bryant Park or the High Line. In Central Park in the summer they hold free early morning concerts by Good Morning America and the Today show, I’ve seen artist such as Demi Lovato, Halsey, Selena Gomez and Keith Urban. The High Line is also a beautiful sight seeing walk, it is located on Manhattan’s West Side on an abandoned train track and stretches over three of the cities very lively neighborhoods; there is a handful of food vendors there and beautiful public art installments. No matter the season, if you like to shop and eat great food I recommend heading over to SoHo in Lower Manhattan, you”ll be sure to find a great brunch spot over there. In the winter Bryant Park is also amazing where it is all beautifully decorated for the holidays and they have an ice skating rink and little shops set up with hot chocolate in churro cones. Also the Macy window setup, Rockefeller Center Tree and Saks 5th Avenue has amazing light setups.
For a more spring or fall approach I recommend going to one of the many museums found in New York City, in my opinion they don’t get enough recognition. I went to the MoMA, The Museum of Natural History and The Museum of Moving Image (which is in Queens) when I was very young and those experiences are some that I cherish the most from my visits to NYC. Another activity for this season is The Big Onion Walking tour in Brooklyn which takes you through ethnic, close knit neighborhoods where you get to learn about the history of many cultures and try amazing food. Broadway shows are also a great thing to attend if you are able to, Wicked was awesome when I saw it.
I could go on and on about all the different things available to do in this city and I think it is truly something to check out because there is always something for everybody. You’ll get to see all types of different people and try new things without having to leave the country, unless you live outside the United States then you have a journey ahead of you. It is a place filled with unity, great food, great stores and amazing people (just don’t get in a New Yorker’s way).
Death Penalty being used unjustly…
The death penalty is a very hot and cold topic, some people are totally for it while others completely oppose it no matter what; but then you have those in-between people who say it depends on the situation. I really do not know a whole lot on the death penalty and what jurisdictions call for it, except homicide cases, but I feel the sentencing it whirling around social media a whole lot now and I want to be more aware about the issue. I know social media isn’t the best way to get information or learn, but it does get the job done of being an amazing platform to spread awareness about injustices, especially Instagram. What caught my eye was a post from the Kim Kardashian; she is currently studying for the Bar exam to become a lawyer and she uses her huge platform on Instagram to describe unfair cases that get sent to her that include hefty sentences or sometimes even the death penalty for non-violent crimes. Her and many other smaller accounts post links for petitions for pardoning a death penalty. I would read some of the cases that involved inmates receiving these sentences for minor crimes in the long run and was just very confused by the whole process. I also learn from many of these cases death sentences are being used so freely because of the gender, race or class bias from the people deciding on them. From my point of view, like myself and others respectively around the same age, I think this a topic we should all be well accounted for and be informed more about.
I am here to evaluate what crimes are receiving the death penalty and what outside factors are contributing to those decisions. The death penalty, also known as capital punishment is a state regulated homicide of a person as punishment for a crime. Not all states have capital punishment as a sentencing instead they reside to life in prison. For the states that do use capital punishment, it is used for the following non-violent offenses: treason, aggravated kidnapping, drug trafficking, Aircraft hijacking, placing a bomb near a bus terminal, espionage, aggravated assault by incarcerated, persistent felons or murders and criminal enterprise. Looking at statistics found on the Death Penalty Information Center you can evidently see the significant decrease in state and federal sanctioned capital punishment executions and sentences from the last 40 years; but this still doesn’t excuse the unfair cases that are suffering from it.
With the introduction of COVID19 to the United States, it forced the closing of courts all over the nation for a while, which delayed many cases. The United States was on track “for a sixth consecutive year of 50 or fewer new death sentences and 30 or fewer executions.” according to “The Death Penalty in 2020: Year End Report”. The United States ended up with only 18 executions for the 2020 year, due to COVID19 and the current presidential administration coming to an end, many of the death sentence cases were resolved rashly with a political agenda behind it. Under previous presidential administrations, the federal death penalty has either be used to lightly or too harshly, always with a political motive behind it which is one of the reasons why it is used with misconduct. For example, Trump’s administration was all for punishing high crime and anyone who didn’t obey the law and he utilized that to his fullest extent, considering, “the Trump administration had carried out more federal executions in a calendar year than any presidency in the 20th or 21st centuries and had scheduled more executions for the transition period between presidencies than had ever been carried out in the history of the United States.” It is evident to see that it is wrong to bring in your personal political agenda when it comes to dealing with federal court cases with capital punishment; you are dealing with other’s lives here someone should rightfully be getting what they deserve but the decision should’t be overlooked so quickly. It is not a task to check off your list, it is a serious matter that needs to be looked at from all directions with a generous amount of time. The criminal justice system is very tricky to work around but with strong public voice I think great changes can be made.
Another way executions and death sentences are being used harshly correlate with a race bias. A case that really caught my eye in the latter part of 2020 that I have some say on was the case of Julius Jones, which also happens to be the one I mentioned earlier about Kim Kardashian posting a petition for clemency. Jones was sentenced “for the 1999 murder of a prominent white Oklahoma City businessman during a carjacking. The case presents significant questions of innocence, official misconduct, and racial bias.” according to another article on Death Penalty Information Center. In Jones case there was a heavy control of racial bias used against him, having a stereotypical ideology that African American men are involved in violent street crime, with no evidence to support it. There was though evident use of racial bias tendencies by his lawyer who did not properly defend him and the jury on the case where they would call Jones racial slurs and dehumanize him, again they chose a death sentence for him based on their personal agenda. Julius is still on death row in solitary confinement awaiting his execution day but there is still time to stop it. The petition that has been circulating on Change.Org is demanding clemency for his sentence.I think clemency is a great solution for getting rid of the death penalty in unfair cases and is usually brought about by family members trying to save their convicted family members life and is amplified with the power of the public. Clemency is a term for reducing the penalties for a particular crime without actually clearing your criminal record. Not every clemency petition is granted but they do occur often.
I want to discuss more cases in the future but next post I will be looking to talk more about clemency petition capital punishment cases for non-violent crimes. For now I think an important take away would be that people in power are imposing to use executions and death sentence to fit their own personal agendas and morals and it needs to be stopped. Hopefully with a new presidential administration in power we see a better control on how cases are handled and better unbiased choices of who are handling them. It all stems from the top of the food chain and that’s where progress needs to be made.
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/crimes-punishable-by-death/death-penalty-for-offenses-other-than-murder
http://www.clearupmyrecord.com/pardon-vs-celemency.php#:~:text=Clemency%20is%20a%20general%20term,actually%20clearing%20your%20criminal%20record.&text=A%20pardon%20is%20meant%20to,appropriate%20for%20the%20crime%20committed.
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/nfl-season-begins-with-players-outspoken-about-death-penalty-racial-justice
Just a plane ride away… or two.
Welcome back to my travel blog, or welcome if you are new and this is the first time you are visiting my page. I hope you enjoy this first post of the spring semester and future post from here on out. I started out with the travel blog just going off of places I have visited or would like to go to in the future and I will still be incorporating that. Although it is not the most ideal time to travel across the ocean or country right now, despite what celebrities show you, my travel post come from an angle of hope and optimism to be here in a COVID19 free environment.
For while I was having a blank mind on where I would like to travel to next, which then leads me to search up ideas on Google. The first website I come across has the 30 best places to travel too, of course this is just the author’s opinion but I would have to agree with their top choice which is my pick today. My next location I would like to travel to and recommend to you all is South Island, New Zealand. Now this location is a far long trip from where we are in the United States, a little over a day being on an airplane, which could be torture for absolutely anyone, but I am dedicated to make the trip and I think you all will be too once you see the pictures. The South Island is also known as Te Waipounamu and covers 58,084 square miles, making it the twelfth largest island also hosting a moderate climate. The South Island is shaped by the Southern Alps and includes New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki/ Mount Cook. It is home to the Canterbury Plains, rough coastlines with a high amount bush and national parks. January and February would be the best time to visit if you are looking for a summer feel, while July is the coldest.
Once arriving to South Island, New Zealand there are a multitude of different activities to partake in and sites to see since it is a very diverse piece of geography. Warm weather activities would include kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park where there would be a high chance of seeing dolphins and seals riding along side you coastal waters. Another activity would be visiting the Hokitika Gorge on the West Coast; here you may lay your eyes upon the most beautiful turquoise water filled with lush native bush. A location that has activities to do for both seasons is Mt. Aspiring National Park in Wanaka; this area is filled with glaciers, river flats, mountains and turquoise waters once again. In this national park you can find yourself hiking, jet boating or even taking scenic flights. Besides the locations for the outdoor enthusiasts, they have a great street art trail on Christchurch Street in Canterbury with great cafes there as well. I throughly encourage you all to travel here if you have the time, money and resources because it sounds like a beautiful all around place, despite the long plane ride; this place is definitely now at the top of my list.
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Draft for “This I Believe” speech
A popular ideology in having a great social life means getting to experience fantastic events or memories with loved one or close friends; that you should always have them by your side for day you know will be memorable. That can be nice and fulfilling, but not always in my eyes. I grew up believing you make friends for the sole purpose of having someone to rely on, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to talk into and someone who would help me at the drop of a hat. You make friends early on because we are taught that to be a foundation of our social life, but we learn that friends come and go like a revolving door. It is nice to finally find a true, strong, genuine connection with someone you label a friend; until they let you down in ways that teach you a valuable lesson.
I was 14 years old, finishing up my first year of high school, just becoming comfortable with the friends I made this year and grateful to have them in my life. It was a 4 o’clock morning with crisp spring air and I was getting ready to see an early morning concert with one of my “best friends”, my dad was kind enough to drive us in to Rockefeller center to see the show. 10 minutes before I leave the house I send a text to my friend “Leaving in 10 minutes see you soon” five minutes pass by with no response so I send another text with the same message, my stomach is starting to turn now as the worst case scenario whirls around in my head. I text that I’m leaving, still no response, pull up to her house and call her about 5 times letting each call ring to the last possible second, also trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, as tears build up in my eyes and I feel choked up I realize it was time to just head into the city without her; I was not going to miss out on an experience because I was alone now. Standing next to all these girls with their friends waiting for the music to start, hearing them laughing, talking about what song they were most excited to hear or what their plans were after made me more upset that I was not sharing this experience with my friend; but once the singer came out all that sadness, self pity and disappointment went away. I learned to make conversation with people next to me so I wasn’t uneasy. The concert came to an end and a feeling of relief and content swarmed me.
This experience made me believe in experiencing things by yourself. It taught me you don’t always need a friend by your side for every moment that you will feel a whiff of euphoria in. This experience has made me grow up and become more confident to walk by myself, attend an event by myself or even travel by myself. It is best to experience activities like these on your own so you can really relish the moment and be happy that you got to live within a passion of yours. My belief in experiencing things on your own pushes you to satisfy yourself and learn to enjoy just the company of yourself, without relying on others.
Final ideas for blogs
My civic issues blog will based around the broad them of social justice, with the main topic being about prison reform and issues with prisoners receiving the death penalty for nonviolent crimes. I believe this will be very beneficial for me as well as my peers reading because it is a very pressing and relevant issue happening in our society today; we aren’t always informed about cases like these and I would like to bring more light to the situation.
My passion blog I have decided to continue writing about locations to travel to in the future or other trips I have previously taken. I have gained so much positive feedback from my classmates last semester with my posts so I feel I might as well stick with it. The research I have done for it has lead me to find so many new and diverse locations to travel to and hopefully I have inspired others to want to travel to these places as well one day.
Ideas for Blogs
Two ideas for my “This I believe podcast” are listed below
- This I believe… always stay in contact with early childhood friends; friends made at younger ages tend to be the ones who are more genuine and know you for you.
- This I believe…Music shapes your appreciation; Music is one of many powerful artistic sources that open your eyes to knew feelings and as if you’ve known the artist your whole life.
Two ideas for my passion blog are listed below
- Sticking with my original idea of traveling, my travel experiences or places I would like to go; but I realize this topic has become more difficult to work with due to COVID circumstances.
- Another route would be talking about serial killer cases or cold cases, because I am very interested in that area and watch a lot of true crime documentaries.
Two ideas for my civic issue blog are listed below
- Exploring the issue of the death penalty for non-violent crimes or just prison reform in general. I feel it is a very relevant issue that is just gaining light, especially on social media where petitions are made to stop or reverse a death row charge.
- Another topic I am interested in is child abuse in homes but focusing more on mental and verbal abuse and helping kids recognize at an earlier age what abusive signs are from parents.