I interned in the Juvenile Intake Department of the Washington DC Superior Court in the summer of 2009. I interviewed people younger than 18 (with their guardians) who were arrested in Washington DC. Those arrested were overwhelming youth of color from the urban and low-income Southeast quadrant of DC.
I represented the youths’ interests in court and made recommendations to the judge where they should be placed until their initial hearing date, such as their home, a youth shelter, or prison. During the interviews, many of them were not truthful in their responses. For example, when I asked if they were currently using drugs, they would tell me: “nope!” Yet the drug test administered that day indicated otherwise.
I knew these children were growing up in a world stacked against them. When talking with them, interview after interview, I saw the school-to-prison pipeline and how our American political and justice system has disproportionately targeted and criminalized People of Color. For some, this was their first encounter with the law, for others, it was their second, third, or fourth offense. For those with prior records, I realized they may have been used to being over policed or rewarded for being dishonest because the system wasn’t working for them. Yet I realized that the system couldn’t take away the children’s integrity and sense of self.
In the interview process, I wanted to find a way to encourage the youth to tell me the truth so that I could make a more favorable recommendation to the court. To encourage honest sharing, I demystified the court process. I explained that the judge ultimately determines where they will be placed until trial and that she takes into account the risk of the alleged offense and my recommendation based on the interview. I also noted that the process is about restorative justice: the community understands that children make mistakes and desires to provide services to help individuals make better choices in the future. Lastly, I shared that I would interpret honesty as the first step towards positive change: if the youth’s housing placement was on the border of two options, I’d recommend the more advantageous placement.
I kept my word. If the risk factor of the alleged offense put them on the border of a youth shelter or prison, I recommended placement more advantageous to them when they told the truth. Unfortunately, this was one of a few small acts relative to the weight of the American criminal justice system. After interviewing the youth in the cell blocks and visiting them in probation centers, I hope to see long lasting systemic change so that children of color have a fair shake.
Stephanie Lang 