Personal Narrative: My Journey Into The Criminal Justice Field

When I was younger my academic history was pretty good. I made A’s and B’s throughout time. When I got to 4th grade that's when my grades started slipping. 4th and 5th was when I struggled the most I struggle in history and math. Once I got into middle school my grades started getting better and I went back to my regular grades A’s and B’s.I knew that it was time to help myself up so I worked really hard to get good grades in 6th grade. Throughout middle school I did really well I was proud of myself on how well I did. Then I went into High school which just shooked me up. I didn't believe high school would have such high expectations and the amount of work we get is very significant. Of course I'm still trying my best to maintain my grades

Hey little brother sorry you can't call. I don't have any money on the phone. I haven't spoken with Mj in a month. I am so heartbroken. Your wife told me the great news and I am so happy for you both. Like I told Lamont I really don't talk to no one in Michigan. Kristy (1-2 times a week) Aretha and Fred (every other 3-4 months) maybe. Mom and Cass never. So that's that. You, Lamont and Mj are my concerns as long as you all let me be in your lives I will be. I love all my family dearly; however, along the way we have lost vital parts of who we are as a family. I think long incarcerations have made some feel that they are not family. Many people have forgotten who they are as simply Africans but on a basic level in this family we have forgotten

“The Sheriff´s office has issued a mandatory evacuation order for your area.” A phone call like that will get you out of bed in a hurry, and it’s something you don’t get used too. I grew up in Ramona, California, a small rural town with not much to offer. Mountains, farm animals, hillbillies and fires… all a part of Ramona.

I didn’t grow up in the best of circumstances. I grew up in a neighborhood filled to the brim with crime. My father was a low ranking gang member with little to no room for advancement. My mother was a heroin addict. Or whatever she had on hand. Sometimes my father joined her, but when he got high or drunk he became very abusive. That was typically when I snuck out and hid out at a friend’s house for a few hours. But I never stayed the night. My father made a habit of visiting my room, as if trying to make up for the fact that every time that he lifted his hand, maybe to catch my attention or something harmless like that, I would flinch away from him.

My full name is Samantha Taylor Miller, I am a criminal justice major. I am from Little Falls, New York. I currently live in North Hall with my roommate, who is also my close friend from high school. Although Little Falls is only about thirty minutes from UC, I am glad I chose to live on campus because I have met so many new people as a result of living in the resident's hall.

On 06-09-2016 at 1103 hours I was contacted at the front desk of the Police Department in reference to stealing.

I attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice not only to further my education, but also to take care of my family. My mother passed away when I was only six years old; however, I have a brother, two sisters, a grandmother who knows what struggle is, and a father who cannot find the words to define his love for my mother. At no point she was hesitant about being a mother to her four young grandkids. I always knew she was an important part of my childhood, but I had never truly understood how she influenced me until a much older age.

I will not stop until I make the world a safer and better place. Maybe it'll be done by me being a prosecutor and help bring justice to the families who have been hurt. Maybe I’ll be a police officer and work my way up to a detective, or maybe I’ll even be a forensic psychologist and testify in court for the prosecution. It’s obvious I don’t know exactly how I’ll protect my people and make the world safer, but I am determined to do so; I will not give up on making my dreams a reality.

the cops could never catch up to me. In March of 1965 before riding around George two guys decided they wanted to race me. After dropping my wife off, I told them my friend and I would meet them East of town and I started at where the funeral home is now and by the time I was at the nursing home corner I was doing 90 mph. Just a little way ahead there was a car sitting in the middle of the road, right where I was headed because of ice and water. I hit the brakes seconds before I collided with the car. I damaged the car and totaled mine. My friend in the passenger seat put his knee up and smudged the paint right off of the glove bow and when I saw the crash coming I grabbed the steering wheel as tight as I could and bent it forward until it vaguely resembled a steering wheel. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. The Highway patrol man never gave me a ticket because of the ice but looking at the damage, I thought it would be a good idea to give me a

A woman tied up to a bed, blood dripping from the stab wounds all over her body, blood all over the room you can tell she tried to put up a fight but got the bad end of it. He looks around for a murder weapon in the room. In a corner of the room a knife was discovered on the dresser. Where the killer left it when he exited the room, on the door a bloody hand mark was left from the killer. He leaves knowing his work is never done. He heads back to offices to go over the crime scene photos and the weapon to look for fingerprints on the weapon, he looks for any hair or skein under her nails or on her body that can help with the case to find out who the killer was.

My initial goal was to serve my community as a lawyer. I wanted to closely study the law to defend marginalized people and help them find justice. While I worked as a paralegal, I discovered that justice was easily accessible for some, not all. I witnessed different clients of our law firm with the same criminal background and offense receive unequal sentences. My time in the courtroom and correctional facility provided me with vital leadership skills that taught me how to carefully observe, actively listen, and ask intentional questions. I observed countless jail sentences that gave some people hope and a second chance while giving others a lifetime label as a “criminal.” I listened to countless “criminals” share about what led them to jail.

There are so many life experiences that play a role in my return to college to seek my bachelor's

Geoffrey Rivlin stated: “Laws form the framework in which [people use] to live their lives.” As suggested by this quote society could not successfully exist without laws that protect the people’s rights and ensure justice. The topic of criminal law has always interested me as growing up the only aspects of law that was available to me were documentaries and cases revisited in the news. The most significant case that initially pushed me to pursue a career in law, specifically criminal law was the Andrea Yates case. This case was especially heinous to me due to articulate nature of the murders she committed and the senselessness of her heinous act. This has pushed to wanting to understand the individual aspects of crimes, specifically the extent to which defence lawyers are able to interpret and present laws to

After spending my time in Law and Justice Institute I have change mentally due to this program. Before I come to this program, school was easy for me and I didn't have too much trouble with my subjects. However, when I came into the program I had to work hard in order to keep up in class. By doing that I was able to change the way I acted towards work. In the past I didn’t feel like I had to study or work hard because I already got it in the bag, but this program opened my eyes and showed me that I do need to study and work in order to success. In the end, by being in Law and Justice Institute I was able to grow by learning how to work hard.

So that night I knew that I could possibly not be released that next day. The next morning I left for the courthouse that I have visited 5 times before and the same process took place. I got on the police or highway patrol bus and arrived at the courthouse. I had my same jail clothes on and sat in a room with approximately 15 to 20 other people. As a result, I have to take the same approach which is to guard my mind and close my ears to avoid all the language and perversity. Again I sat in that same room for about 4 to 7 hours and eventually saw the lawyer. I must mention that before seeing the lawyer I was uncontrollably hoping for a release that same day. However when I saw the lawyer I was informed that I would be sentenced to 6 months in