SSF Blurb - VERSION 2

These past nine weeks as the Summer Service Fellow at the Juvenile Public Defender’s Office have been some of the most difficult of my life. Last year, the Department of Justice found that our court regularly violated due process rights and that African-American children were discriminated against throughout the legal process. While I was aware of the report before I applied for the fellowship with the Public Defender’s Office, I didn’t understand the severity of the problems until I began researching the effects of educational levels, race, and gender on children’s legal outcomes. Not only are there absurd policies in place that judges rely on in place of subjective decisions, but there is systemic racism, sexism, and ableism within the legal world, from the initial charges to the post-adjudication outcomes. Unfortunately for the youth of Shelby County, our juvenile justice system is still more concerned with rigid policies and so-called community protection than providing the promised rehabilitative justice.

For our clients, education was the strongest predictor for legal outcomes, with each grade level a child had fallen behind corresponding with a drastic increase in number and severity of complaints. My experiences from sitting in on hearings, assisting with the social worker’s client intakes, and performing family interviews only served to strengthen the data’s narrative. As I became increasingly embittered with the legal system, I became more certain that pursuing a legal career would best prepare me to effect change both within the juvenile justice system and in the larger Memphis community as a whole.

Being able to work alongside some of the most passionate attorneys and social workers in this city has been simply incredible. I have grown as a person, a student, and a citizen over the past nine weeks, and even though I was disturbed by the justice system as a whole, I will be leaving with a much more hopeful view of our future. Our office focuses on removing the barriers to long term success, and I see this definition of service playing out across Memphis' non-profit world. The work done here is truly inspiring and the fellowship program allowed me to learn about creative solutions to the variety of challenges facing our city. This fellowship has been by far the most influential educational experience for me, and I know that Rhodes’ dedication to serving this unique city will continue to change its student’s lives for years to come.