Sasha Bruce Youthwork

Our seminar class was given the pleasure to visit the site of the Sasha Bruce Youthwork in Washington D.C where their main concern is to improve the lives of runaway, homeless, abused, neglected, and other at-risk youth and their families in the metropolitan D.C. area. I was able to tour the site/house where the runaway children are housed. I never pictured runaway kids being housed in an actual house. This house, which is the only one of it's kind in Washington, D.C. can unfortunately only house 10 children. This is exceptionally sad because what if there is an 11th runaway child who needs to be housed. That child will have no where to stay because of the shortage of beds. I feel that because the Sasha Bruce house is the only one of it's kind, it should be able to house more children. Another thing that I noticed was the fact that it is not government funded. All of their monies come from private entities. I feel that the government should be a huge part of this movement because this involves the welfare of the children, families and communities.

One of the biggest problem with the Sasha Bruce house is that they only house the children for up to two weeks. I feel that it is not enough time to try to work out the kinks within a household. Two weeks is definitely not enough time to try to solve long lasting problems in a family. But I do see why they can only stay for a short period of time which is because there isn't enough space when other children need to be housed for the same reasons. At the house, we were able to interact with the children and see their everyday schedule while there.

Washington Post

Today during my Critical Issues in American Policing class, we were welcomed to be joined by one of the Washington Post's crime scene reporters. One of the main things that stood out to me was the fact that he said that you will never see reporters with money. The most they have is a pocket full of change. I liked the fact that he stressed that he loves his job. Though it may cause a bit of a strain on his relationship with his fiance, she understands. He talked about how hectic his job may be at times and how he could be called out of his house at 3 in the morning to cover a crime.

He told us of this one story where he helped with finding a neighborhood thief/rapist. The thief was apparently going around raping women and stealing their things. One of the victims managed to somehow cut him under his eye. That cut was then used as a way to identify the assailant. The reporter went around to a couple houses and then finally knocked on the right door. He was then able to call the authorities to get the man arrested because he was planning to flee to another state. The reporter also told the story of when he was in Tuscan, Arizona and managed to be there the same time of the Tuscan shooting. He was merely there on vacation with his fiance but was able to get a hold of all the details from the shooting first hand. He told of how hard it is to get police officers to give reporters information that could be helpful in a case. All in all, he recommends his job to anyone that loves justice and journalism. So if you love any of the two, this field may be just right for you.

Capital Punishment

What do you think about the death penalty? Do you think that the government should decide who lives and who dies? Do you think that someone who has committed a series of deadly crimes should just simply be killed without suffering? Do you think that the death penalty is really needed? 


Capital punishment in the United States only applies for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. The methods of execution and the crimes subject to the penalty vary by jurisdiction and have varied widely throughout time. Thirty-two jurisdictions have banned it by law, others have suspended its use, and others are trying to expand its applicability. In 201o, there were 46 executions in the United States; 44 by lethal injection, 1 by the electric chair in Virginia, and 1 by the firing squad in Utah. The issue of capital punishment has been an important issue socially in the United States. I personally feel that the government shouldn't be the one who decides who lives or dies. Though someone may have committed a serious crime, he/she should not be put to death. I think that they need to be incarcerated in the worst prison there is. They shouldn't just be put out of their miseries by simply killing them because in most cases, these people want to die. I just feel like the death penalty isn't going to solve any or be of any help because people are still out here committing mass murders and still not getting adequately punished. Well that's my view on it. What's yours?

National Juvenile Defender Center

In the District of Colombia, juvenile crime and violence is a huge issue. The National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) was created in 1999 to respond to the critical need to build the capacity of the juvenile defense bar and to improve access to counsel and quality of representation for children in the justice system. Hats off to this organization because they are for the children; they want to help them. They work diligently to create an environment in which children are treated with respect, dignity and fairness. It is evident that they want to create surroundings where juvenile courts are knowledgable, sensitive and responsive to the needs of children. They want to make sure that juvenile defenders have the capacity to fully protect children’s rights, including adequate resources and compensation, manageable caseloads, and sufficient access to investigation, expert and other ancillary and administrative support. Most importantly, the NJDC wants to be sure that the juvenile defenders have resources and compensation on par with juvenile prosecutors and adult defenders.

The thing that interested me the most was the fact that there are so many Supreme Court cases that gave and took away the rights of juveniles. Twenty years ago, juveniles did not have some of the rights that they have today. Back in the day, juveniles were treated the same as adults. They were considered adults at any age once they committed a crime. They didn’t have miranda rights and didn’t have the right to an attorney. Can you believe how much things have changed? In this day and age, juveniles are only treated as adults if they are 16 years old or older and that’s only in some states for specific crimes. 

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Today was one of the hottest days of the entire semester. The heat felt as though I was back in the Virgin Islands minus the wind. There was absolutely no breeze blowing. I couldn't believe that the weather went from thirty degrees straight up to a little over 80 degrees. I went outside in the morning and it felt like sixty degrees and I was happy because I haven't felt weather like this from since Spring Break in the Virgin Islands. I later heard one of my housemates verifying with everyone for the air conditioning to be turned on. I wondered why. So I then stepped out the front door and it felt close to ninety degrees with no breeze at all blowing. I immediately said, "Sam, we do need to turn on the air conditioner".

That day, everyone came home with their blazers off, faces shiny, and extremely tired. I looked at them and laughed because they definitely underestimated the power of Washington DC's bipolar weather. They didn't know that it would get so high so fast. In the afternoon, I had am American Policing class at 5:30. After seeing the weather, I didn't want to go, but the semester is almost over so I knew that I had to. Luckily, I checked my student email a couple minutes before I began to get ready because my teacher cancelled class. I jumped for joy because he made it possible for me not to have to deal with the DC heat.

Later in the night, I remember that in 2 weeks I have a research paper due for my American Policing class. So I immediately started searching for topics because I intend to get an A in the class and without a good grade on this research paper, I won't be able to get that A. I then decided to do my research paper on Information Sharing Initiatives. I think that topic good because currently, police do not have the adequate tools to share information between different states and jurisdictions.

Crime and Punishment Museum

“They are dead; but they live in each patriot’s breast, and their names are engraven on Honor’s Bright Crest.”

                                                                                                            -  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

                                                                                                        American Poet (1807 - 1882) 


The National Museum of Crime and Punishment is an interactive museum devoted to the history of criminology and penology in the United States. It primarily focuses on forensic science, crime scene investigation, law enforcement and most importantly, the harsh consequences of committing crime. The Crime museum provides an unforgettable insight into the issues of crime and crime fighting through a fascinating, interactive, scholastic and entertaining experience. The layout and organization of the exhibits in the museum captivates the audience, forcing them to be more inquisitive about crime and their repercussions.  

           
On Saturday, I visited the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. I heard so much about it, but I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I thought that it was merely a museum full of nothing but facts and stories about crimes that happened decades ago. Surprisingly, it wasn’t any of the little that I did expect. Instead of decades, the information went back centuries. I was able to learn about crimes and punishments that dated back to the year 1656 when Captain Kemble was forced against his will to sit in the Stocks for two hours where he was charged with “lewd and unseemly behavior” on the Sabbath. I found this weird because all Captain Kemble did was kiss his wife upon returning home after three long years at sea. I was correct however with the expectation of crime stories being present. One of the most interesting stories was the story of Bonnie and Clyde. The museum showcased their getaway car along with the guns that the couple used during their robberies. The fascinating thing about displaying the getaway car was the fact that it was the same one that the both were murdered in. The car was riddled with over 30 bullets. The story of Bonnie and Clyde relates to justice because they were criminals who needed to be severely punished for all the dozen or more robberies that he committed. Though they were murdered and justice wasn’t completely served in that they didn’t get incarcerated, they did get taken off of the streets.

            
I was extremely surprised when I found out that the museum is co-owned by America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh. The entire downstairs of the museum is the production area where is there is a live set. There was an entire forensic lab along with recordings of some of the interviews that John Walsh did. One of the most important things about the whole America’s Most Wanted ensemble was actually getting to see who is actually America’s most wanted. There were posters with pictures that explained what the person is being charged for along with the reward if captured. America’s Most Wanted relates to justice because. Another attraction that I enjoyed was the CSI lab where I learned about fingerprints, footprints, DNA and eyewitness evidence. There was also a showcase of the different tools and chemicals that are used to process evidence.

The above quote is basically about the many heroes, soldiers and crime fighters who died. It is basically saying that tho these people have died, their name still lives on in the heart of all citizens. This quote caught my attention because this a true fact even in this day and age. I enjoyed my visit to the museum especially because it helped me with deciding the career path of an FBI agent. I was able to see the weapons, safety equipment and also play interactive games that made learning about the Federal Bureau of Investigation easier. I was also able to learn about the requirements to become and agent. The National Museum of Crime and Punishments is one of the most interesting museums that I have been to and I think that everyone should visit it. It’s one of the best experiences that a Criminal Justice major can ever have!

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Today I visited the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This was one of the saddest places that I’ve visited for the entire semester. I think it’s sad because this is where parents have to go when their kids run away or just mysteriously end up missing. It was extremely sad when I learned that in some cases the kids either are found dead or somethings they aren’t found at all. It made me happy when Kevin O’Brien of the Exploited Child Devision said that sometimes they are able to track down the children and return them safely to their families. This made me feel like there is hope for some families who may have lost their children. He even mentioned an incident where a young woman who was stolen while she was months old found her biological parents when she was in her 30s. This shows that anything is possible.

The most interesting thing that I saw while I was at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was the fact that they could predict the age progression to see how these kids look as teenagers and maybe even as adults. They are able to take a picture of a missing toddler and predict how that child looks 10 years after that picture was originally taken. The people at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children can even use bone structure to determine the race and possibly even some of the facial features of a dead child.

What bothered me the most was watching an interview of a child molester. The man who was in his 50s or 60s was on video explaining to the interview just how much he loves young girls. He went ahead to say how gullible they are and that all he had to do was show them that he cared. I feel that this is a problem that parents and families cause because if they teach their children how to avoid these predators, fewer of these situations will occur.