Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Today I visited the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). It provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. OJJDP supports states, communities, and tribal jurisdictions in the efforts to implement effective prevention and intervention programs and to improve the juvenile justice system so that it protects public safety, holds offenders accountable, and provide treatment services tailored to the needs of juvenile and their families.

Dr. Donni LeBoeuf, Special Assistant to the Administrator spoke very well about the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the many grant programs that they offer. She told a story of a young man who went through the program and ended up wanting to go to college. Here is how the story goes. During recess, a young man decided to smoke knowing fully well that smoking wasn’t allowed on school property. When the bell rang for recess to be over, he threw the cigarette down and apparently it landed on the wall. The wall then somehow got caught on fire and ended up being destroyed. The boy then admitted that he was the one smoking the cigarette but didn’t mean to do any harm to school property. They still felt that he should be penalized for his actions. He was then ordered to do community service in the burn section of a Children’s Hospital. Knowing what he did wrong, he was scared because he didn’t want the kids to think of him as a bad person. 

To make a long story short, the kids ended up loving him. What everyone didn’t know was that this young man could draw. He help the children to create a wall full of drawings in which they showcased in a show to their parents. Everyone commended him on a job well done with the kids. He then decided that he wanted to go to art school after graduating high school. This program is very helpful in trying to get kids back on track.

American Policing Class

Every Monday from 5:30p.m. to 8:00p.m., I have to attend my Issues in American Policing class. Though it may sound like a long time to be in class, it really doesn't feel so. The issues are always interesting and my professor, Mr. Williams never fails to have a fascinating session. He also works with the Metropolitan Police Department and still manages to come into class at American University every Monday with a smile on his face. What I like most is that int he middle of the session, he gives us a 15 minute break to use the bathroom, buy snacks, or to simply socialize. Almost every Monday, he brings in a guest speaker who has been working in the field of Criminal Justice for years. Often times, these guest speakers teach us things that can be used in the work field after graduation. Whenever there is a speaker present during our class session, I try my best to always take notes because my professor usually takes some of what that speaker says and uses it on a test.

One of my favorite topics in my Issues in American Policing class is the issue of police discretion. The bottom line is that some police officers use to while others just abuse it. I strongly feel that in most cases, police officers should utilize discretion. My professor showed a video once of two random police officers on patrol who spotted a homeless man with a knife. One of the officers got out of the patrol car and walked behind the man. The officer then asked the man to drop the knife in which he didn't. The officer then shot the homeless man several times killing him. How did the police officer know if this man was deaf or not? How can he murder a man after telling him to drop a weapon once or twice? Why did he feel like he needed to take the situation into his own hands without calling for backup? Why couldn't he shoot the man in his leg or somewhere that wouldn't immediately kill him? These are all the questions that I want answered because I don't understand how that police officer can just murder someone in cold blood because he didn't drop the knife when he wanted him to. Police discretion to me is a necessity for all police officers.

More Heated Discussions

Today was yet another seminar review class. As usual, the discussion got extraordinarily heated. It all started because this week we visited the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services where we were able to hear about their services and all the programs that they offer. Our seminar class discussed their living situations at the retention center along with their everyday life. The review class was going good up until one of my classmates brought up a situation where a caucasian 15 year old girl schemed with her boyfriend to murder her mother in which they did. My classmate then said that the girl was placed in a detention center where she had to remain until the age 18. She finished up high school while in this detention center. She then applied to Yale and got in. Yale however found out about the situation and chose not to allow her to go to the school. She was then contacted by another prestigious school and was offered admission. Does anyone see something wrong with this? Well I do! Though this girl was a minor, she committed a murder and should have been punished by all means necessary. Some of my classmates argued that she deserves a chance to go to college, while others argued that she should have been incarcerated the minute she turned 18 because the fact of the matter still remained that she murdered someone.

The issue of her being abused by her mother then came up. My opinion on this was that there were other ways to deal with the situation. That girl did not have to resort to killing her mother. She could have first and foremost reported the abuse to a school official who would have then contacted youth services. Youth services would have thoroughly investigated the situation and try their best to make the situation better. I feel that this girl should have been seriously charged for this crime because to was premeditated murder. She actually sat there with her boyfriend and decided that she was going to kill her mother.

Our professor had to stop the discussion because everyone began to argue back and forth. She felt that it would have gotten really heated and tense to the point where friendships would have been broken. I thought that was a bit dramatic but I do understand where she is coming from. It is best to try to avoid situations before they happen.

Youth Rehabilitation Services

The District of Columbia’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services is the District’s cabinet level juvenile justice agency. It administers detention, commitment and aftercare services for youth held under its care in its facilities or residing in the DC community. The mission of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services is to improve public safety and give court-involved youths the opportunity to become more productive citizens by building on the strengths of youths and their families in the least restrictive, most homelike environment consistent with public safety. The age range of the children admitted to this facility is from 10 years of age to 21 years of age. Parents can't recommend for their kids to go there; it has to be an order from the judge. The crimes and offenses these children have committed can range from simple assault to murder. 


When I visited this detention center, most of the kids looked like they didn't belong there. Most of them were very nice and engaged in conversation with us. I was able to see the procedure they use to handcuff the detainees. They have to get chained around their waist which is then connected to their hands. They also have to be chained at the ankles. The housing for these kids are no different from the housing in jails minus the bars. They get the same metal toilets and the same type beds. Once in this detention center, all of these children's freedom are taken away. They have to be told when to wake up, when to take a shower, when they could watch TV, when they get to play, etc. They are only able to see their immediate family members twice a week for an hour.


While speaking to the principal of the school, I was able to find out that lots of the children who come through the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services can't read properly. Most of them are just not up to speed, while others can't even identify words. I found this to be extremely sad because an education is very important in this day and age. Without an education, it is hard for anyone to have a future.

Seminar Class

Today was very productive. When our seminar class actually meets in a classroom, we discuss everything that we did for the week. Everyone is able to voice their own personal opinion and hear feedback about it. Every week, a particular group leads the discussion in which they raise points. After raising these points, the class will discuss it wholesomely.

These discussions usually last about 2 hours. Today we basically discussed the Courts and the process that is used within the courts. We were also able to discuss the specific roles of the judges, the jury, the defense attorney, and the prosecutor. In today's discussion, we also discussed marijuana and gun rights. Our discussions almost always turn into a debate because everyone usually have different opinions and beliefs. And when I say heated; our discussion are extremely heated. I will never forget the most heated discussion was when were were discussing mandatory minimums.

Supreme Court Experience

Our teachers told us about 2 weeks ago that we would be able to observe a case at the Supreme Court. I already saw a few at the Superior Court and a few at the District Court. All that was left was to see one at the Supreme Court. The only condition is that we had to come to the court at 6 a.m. to wait for a 10 a.m. case to start. I woke up pretty early, probably around 4 a.m. so that I could get ready. I left the house with my breakfast in hand and walked over to the Supreme Court. When I got there, it was exactly 6 o'clock. I was exceedingly shocked because there were tons of people already standing in line from before 6. These people were literally camping out with blanket and throw pillows from before 6 a.m.

At about 7 o'clock, I started to get extraordinarily cold. My toes and fingers were numb. My ears felt as though they were going to fall off. My face, arms, and I'm sure legs had goosebumps all over them. By that time, I felt like I was one of the people in the Atlantic Ocean after the Titanic sunk. When I say cold, I mean below 20 degrees. Everyone was beginning to get cranky and restless. At around 7:30, they started handing out general admission tickets to be able to see the case. I was number 56, and unfortunately, only the first 50 are guaranteed seating. After hearing that, I felt unaccomplished. Six o'clock, remember? I finally was able to get out of the cold right after the tickets were handed out. We were sent to the court's cafeteria where we were directed to stay there until 8:30. We then had to all go back outside to come back inside again.

At around 10:00, I was let in. I was so excited to finally being able to see a Supreme Court ruling along with getting out of the cold. The case was basically about a DUI charge.

Work

Today was a productive day. It was a day full of new experiences. It was also another well spent day at the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Did I ever mention how much I love my internship? Well here it is; I love my internship. Anyhow, I woke up extremely early because like I said in previous blogs, it's a long commute. Luckily, I got to work a couple minutes before 8 o'clock. I microwaved my breakfast and continued working on my project for about another 2 hours. Today was also our monthly staff meeting where we come together mainly to discuss the projects and the progress that we've made over the past month.

I also learned how to use the bus today. Every morning when I get to Virginia, I usually take a cab from the Metro station to my job and it generally costs me between 5 and 6 dollars. This morning when I got to the station, there were no taxi cabs outside and it was freezing. I looked over and saw the bus. At first I said that I would just wait until the next cab comes, but the I saw the goosebumps appearing on my arms and legs. I then sped over to the bus and asked the driving if it went to the street that my job is located on. He sad no, but the directed me to the one that did. Fortunately, the bus pulled up as soon as the driver was finished giving me the directions. I got on the bus and asked that driver the same thing that I asked the previous one just to make sure that I wasn't making a wasted trip. He said yes and I hopped on. When I got on, I couldn't stop grinning because I haven't rode the bus since I arrived here and it turned out to be very cool. The driver said, "You look happy to be riding the bus". I replied, "I am; its a new experience". I sat and gazed out the window until he got to my stop. Get a hold of this tho; the bus ride only costed me $1.50. Cool huh?

At the end of the day, I caught myself being cheap after realizing the big price difference between the bus and the taxi cab. After work was over, I went outside and stood in the same spot that the bus dropped me off at. How stupid of me! Common sense should have told me that I have to stand on the opposite side of where I was dropped off that morning. Nonetheless, I got on the first bus that pulled up. It's a good thing that I ask too many questions because I asked him about my stop the minute I got on the bus. He then told me that I was on the wrong one and showed me where I'm actually supposed to be. The driver of the wrong bus then dropped me off in the middle of the street to the correct bus. I then thought, "VIP buses"? After being dropped off at the Metro, I got on the train and went to school.

When I got to school, I had already missed the campus shuttle which forced me to walk to school. By the time I got there, the lady was packing up to leave for the day. She told me that I had gotten there just in time. After we got done, I met my friend in the cafeteria. I didn't know that today was going to be my first day eating in the cafeteria. Like the bus situation, I was excited about the cafeteria too. When I got done eating, I talked to my friend for a bit then left.

Tomorrow I will have a whole lot to tell you guys about my 6 a.m. Supreme Court experience. Until then, toodlez! :)