25 Years of The Beat Within

 The Beat Within Since 1996

Thankful to have the opportunity to reconnect with a program and publication that had the kind of impact on my trajectory towards being a part of education as a teacher. In the early 2000s, as I thought about what I would focus on after being selected for the Robert E. McNair Program at NMSU, I noticed a copy of The Beat Within amongst the scattered chaos of my undergrad studies on the living room floor. I had to meet a deadline for what I wanted to focus on when it came to continuing my education in the criminal justice field. That copy on the floor of The Beat Within magazine was the answer to what would matter most to me as a student of Hip Hop and a person that wanted to support and create platforms that allowed for more voices to be heard. At the time, I wasn't aware of how education would work it's way into what I wanted to do with my life. In my experience growing up in public education, during the formative years of my elementary and secondary life, what I wanted to be was far removed from ever working in a school. Looking back, it would take a bit more growing up and connections with teachers like Susie Castro Clark from high school and my 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Barkley for me to realize the kind of impact educators can have on students that aren't quite sure where they're headed. Over the years I'd see how the value of education didn't start or stop with a school building, but existed in those that raised us, the peers we connected with, and the experiences we attached ourselves to. When I started visiting youth at a local juvenile detention center, it was the young people there that helped me see how I could start to fulfill the responsibilities of an educator, a teacher, and a guide towards creative expression. The youth of Voices Behind Walls helped me see how in our own world out here in the Southwest, we could do our thing too and connect with our creative power to rhyme, write, and share our thoughts and stories. I'm honored to continue to have that chance to think about this experience through the pages of The Beat Within. 

In the 25th Anniversary issue, I got the chance to share a reflective piece titled Tupac Shakur & The Beat Within Legacy. The writing focuses on Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur and a text she helped usher into the public's hands titled Tupac Shakur Legacy. Shout out to The Beat Within founder, David Inocencio, for the chance to share a space in The Beat Within publication for a monthly column I titled VBehindWColumn. I encourage everyone to please support The Beat Within. Spread the word about this publication and encourage your local juvenile justice systems to make the publication available to their youth and reach out to The Beat on ways that youth can share their stories and learn from the stories of others in this magazine. Online you'll find The Beat at: thebeatwithin.org and please see the Subscription info thebeatwithin.org/subscription.

Here's to the next 25 years.

check.

Mr. Lee

COVID, Death, & Corrections in Texas

COVID & Corrections: A Profile of COVID Deaths in Custody in Texas
Download: click here

"COVID-19 has had a uniquely devastating impact on prisons and jails across the country. At one point, prisons and jails represented 44 of the top 50 COVID clusters in the United States. Criminal justice advocates, policymakers, and public health specialists alike are seeking information about the toll of the crisis and possible solutions to address it." To view the report please visit the University of Texas at Austin Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs click here.

The End of Policing

 

The End of Policing Making Contact Soundcloud click here
A conversation with Alex Vitale

"Alex Vitale is Professor of Sociology and coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College. Vitale’s book The End of Policing, is an accessible study of police history as an imperial tool for social control that continues to exacerbate class and racial tensions. Vitale also goes deep into the shortcomings of reform and in contrast, deepens the conversations around meaningful alternatives to ultimately ask the people to consider the end of policing."

Amazon: click here

The Prison in 12 Landscapes

An incredible film! Highly recommend.

You can watch on Vimeo click here

2019 Distinguished Resident: J. Paul Taylor

2019 Distinguished Resident: J. Paul Taylor

For his wide-ranging contributions locally and statewide, J. Paul Taylor has been named the Sun-News 2019 Distinguished Resident by Diana Alba Soular click here

"From working in the registrar’s office, Taylor shifted his career sights back to his childhood goal of education, becoming a sixth-grade teacher at Mesilla Park Elementary. It was the only job opening available to him at the time. He may have been the teacher, but, as he recalls, he was a student, as well. He spent his first year overcoming a big learning curve.

“Boy did I learn a whole lot,” he said with a chuckle. “I’d gone from college students who were just back from the war and who were very serious about their education to these little sixth-graders, who seemed very little then.”

A deep write up about the life of J. Paul Taylor. This note is to congratulate Mr. Taylor. I first met Mr. Taylor at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church on South Espina for a meeting with him, my CJ professor/mentor, and staff from the J. Paul Taylor prison. My goal was to propose an idea for a creative expression Hip Hop workshop at the J. Paul Taylor prison. He was a kind man, very open to ideas. He was very encouraging and overall the meeting went real well. For the next 10 years I'd have the chance to volunteer teach at the facility through our Voices Behind Walls program which had started a couple of years before at the Delta Youth Facility in El Paso.

I've always been interested in learning more about Mr. Taylor's involvement with juvenile justice issues in New Mexico. I've heard and from time to time saw him speak on the importance of addressing the juvenile injustice issues that seemed to be deeply rooted in New Mexico. I hope to learn more this in the future. There may be a few photographs I have somewhere of J. Paul Taylor's work with some of the programs I was involved in. There's not much mention of his connection to juvenile facilities one of which is named after him, the J. Paul Taylor Center. It's something worth exploring though, especially if there are any papers or reflections documented in J. Paul Taylor's historical records. 

Much thanks Mr. Taylor! I still remember that day at the Justice for Children symposium, when in a rare occurrence the facility had allowed a bunch of our participants that were incarcerated at the time to attend. You got up and asked one of our poets, "what can we do to help you? What can we do to help change things for the better?" And they answered your question. It was one of the most honest moments I'd seen in thinking about juvenile justice reform and just finally having a platform where an incarcerated youth could engage in a conversation with the public with a mic in his hand after having read his poetry. It was definitely a day to remember. Thank you for being kind to me and for encouraging me. It led to nearly a decade of connections with youth inside who were able to express themselves and document their voices. Some of them have passed on young, some of them are incarcerated for longer stretches of adult time, and some are finally expressing themselves outside the walls.What we refer to as our VOWs (Voices Outside the Walls). 

Thank you.

Kids for Ca$h

The Movie

In 2013 as I prepared for the following Spring semester 2014, I searched for a text that I thought would compliment our reading of Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow, Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.  I was looking for something that revolved around juvenile justice when I stumbled upon another New Press title by William Ecenbarger through an email blast about his book Kids for Cash: Two Judges, Thousands of Children, and a $2.6 Million Kickback Scheme.  I felt this text would be fit the focus on history we get from Alexander's text connecting mass incarceration to the roots of slavery and the modern day practice of zero tolerance and an American juvenile justice system in Luzerne County Pennsylvania that fed off the vulnerabilities of American children cycling them into an unnecessary costly detention binge. 

Over the course of the semester I had no idea a film would reveal itself based on the Kids for Cash scheme.  I finally got the chance to watch Kids for Cash the movie on Netflix and encourage everyone, especially CJ students, justice professionals, educators, policy people, etc. to watch and continue to pass the word on this film, especially the text.  It's an informative and detailed account not only of the Luzerne County story, but how it reflects a much bigger problem nationwide when it comes to both adult and juvenile incarceration.

This film puts a face to injustice unlike any documentary film I've ever seen.  By the end I wondered who's face sat behind the bench when Kalief Browder was remanded without bail having to endure three years on Riker's Island. 

For more information on the film visit kidsforcashthemovie.com

The film is available as DVD and stream from Netflix.  You can access Netflix through the app and watch on any mobile device.  You can also purchase your own copy through Amazon click here.

The Beat Within 2020

The Beat Within 2020

Taking a moment to honor The Beat Within, a publication of art and writing from the inside...Here's to another year & all its challenges. Check them out at thebeatwithin.org.

Ear Hustle HQ

Ear Hustle HQ podcasts

It's been a while! While frequent updates are posted on the Twitter handle @vbehindw more often than not, I did want to slide into the VBW blog to put up a permanent note about this podcast right here. In a podcast landscape that continues to grow daily, this is one of the few that I often return to to make sure I don't miss a beat! Broadcasting out of San Quentin Prison, there is absolutely nothing like Ear Hustle. One of the most unique and interesting forms of storytelling about the American Legal System that I feel I've ever heard. It makes me wonder what other prisons sound like. It makes me wonder the role it plays in the lives of all those involved and how exciting it must be to embark on an opportunity as groundbreaking as the podcast universe. I'm a big fan of earhustle and encourage everyone to check in with this podcast at the following link: earhustlesq.com

Respect to the Ear Hustle family...can't even express how crazy it is to have followed Earlonne's journey from the inside out. That's a story I'll never forget, especially to hear it all develop through the podcast itself. Tune in world!


If you have a podcast that explores aspects of the American Legal System please reach out and let us know! We'd love to be your audience! voicesbehindwalls@gmail.com

Latinos in the CJ System

Study: Latinos under-counted in criminal justice system
John C Moritz , USA Today Network 11:25 a.m. CST December 15, 2016

The Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center says the data means Latinos are short-changed on rehabilitation services.

AUSTIN – Latinos in the criminal justice system — from the point of arrest, through their incarceration and during their time on parole or probation — are often categorized as white on official records, which shortchanges the nation's largest minority population when it comes to targeted reforms to reduce recidivism, a new study finds.

The report by the Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center shows that many of the nation's most diverse states undercount Latinos in the criminal justice system, making it appear that the disparity between black and white offenders is more narrow than it  is.

“Leaving Latinos out when documenting the consequences of the American criminal justice system means our data tells an incomplete story,” said Ryan King of the Urban Institute. “As a result of that missing, inaccurate, or insufficient data, their voices are absent from the conversation when policy reforms are developed.”

The study, done in cooperation with the advocacy groups Latino Justice and the Public Welfare Foundation, surveyed the 50 states and the District of Columbia about demographic information on people who have entered the criminal justice system. While many states, including Texas, Oregon, Oklahoma and Alaska, compile publicly accessible data on how many Latinos have entered the system, several others have little or no data on their websites, the study found.

The report, titled "The Alarming Lack of Data on Latinos in the Criminal Justice System," is scheduled for release Thursday when it will be posted on the Urban Institute website. The USA Today Network obtained the completed draft on Wednesday.

According to the report, only Alaska has accessible data on the number of Latinos arrested, in prison, on probation or parole and breaks down race and ethnic numbers for each offense category. Texas, Idaho, Oregon and Oklahoma have numbers for Latinos who have been arrested, incarcerated and placed parole or probation.

Thirteen states, including Florida, Maryland, Louisiana and New Mexico, do not have any accessible recently reported numbers for Latinos in their criminal justice systems, according to the report. Twenty-nine states keep Latino-specific numbers for between one and three of the categories.

Juan Cartagena, who heads Latino Justice, said the undercount means that the needs of specific ethnic groups are not been adequately addressed.

"This affects how we look at programs to help with re-entry (from prison to the community). And that impacts recidivism," Cartagena said. "And what about how we look at sentencing disparities — who gets prison and who gets probation? We need to get a good handle on this."

John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at John.Moritz@caller.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.

#tweetcite #RT #retweet

#Latinos Undercounted in #CriminalJustice System @JohnnieMo @callerdotcom @USATODAY 12/16 http://www.caller.com/story/news/local/texas/state-bureau/2016/12/14/study-latinos-under-counted-criminal-justice-system/95430624/ #tweetcite #VBWResearchNet

The Impact of an Aging BOP Inmate Population

#Tweetcite

#DOJ @OIGatHHS Impact of Aging Inmate Population on the Federal #BOP. Report. Washington, D.C.: @TheJusticeDept 2016 https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2015/e1505.pdf

Original Tweet: click here

The @macfound #JuvenileJustice Status Report 2015

The @macfound #JuvenileJustice Status Report 2015

Download PDF: click here

"This report defines developmentally appropriate best practices in nine key juvenile justice policy areas and examines which states (and the District of Columbia) have, as of mid-2015, incorporated those practices into their juvenile justice statutes. The policy areas are status offense rules, age limits for juvenile court jurisdiction, transfer to adult court, access to counsel, competency to stand trial, courtroom shackling, solitary confinement, juvenile records, and sex offender registration."

The MacArthur Foundation. Juvenile Justice in a Developmental Framework, A 2015 Status Report. Rep. Chicago: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 2015. https://www.macfound.org/media/files/MacArthur_Foundation_2015_Status_Report.pdf

#tweetcite The @macfound #JuvenileJustice 2015 Status Report 2015 http://bit.ly/23vhPrA #TBWcj #VBWResearchNet


Keywords + Tag = The MacArthur Foundation | best practices | juvenile justice | policy change | status offenses | juvenile court jurisdiction | trial | solitary confinement | sex offender registration | 

A History of Juvenile Justice Policy in TX

Protecting Texas' Most Precious Resource:

A History of Juvenile Justice Policy in Texas

 Part I the Path to the Texas Youth Council:
Creating a Protective Umbrella for Juvenile Offenders
PDF: Download

Part II The TYC Era: 

Between Rehabilitation and Punishment
1949-2008

PDF: Download

Both reports were accessed through the National Juvenile Justice Network njjn.org, you can follow the group on Twitter @NJJNetwork and Facebook facebook.com/nationaljuvenilejusticenetwork  

The report was authored by Dr. William Bush of Texas A&M @TAMUSanAntonio University-San Antonio Department of History and edited by Isela Gutierrez @TexasCJC.  The reports were designed by Kim Wilks.

Keywords + Tag = juvenile | history | Prison Public Memory Project | Texas Youth Commission | TYC | Texas Youth Council | Dr. William Bush | Texas A&M | San Antonio | rehabilitation | punishment | Isela Gutierrez | Texas Criminal Justice Coalition | Texas CJC | National Juvenile Justice Network | NJJN | Burning Down the House | The End of Juvenile Prison | Nell Bernstein | The Real Recidivism Problem | One Hundred Years of Reform and Relapse at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys | justice | social justice | The Beat Within a Compositional History of Incarcerated Writing | #TBW2015cj 

Juvenile Court Statistics 2013

Juvenile Court Statistics 2013

Download: PDF (OJJDP)

"OJJDP-Sponsored, July 2015. This report draws on data from the National Juvenile Court Data Archive to profile nearly 1.1 million delinquency cases and 109,000 petitioned status offense cases handled in 2013 by U.S. courts with juvenile jurisdiction. 114 pages."

Tweet Notes | @vbehindw

Analyses of 749,722 automated case records & court-level #stats

1st Juvenile Court Statistics #report published 1929 by @USDOL of cases from 42 courts in 1927

In 2013 archive data pulled from 2,400 courts 84% jursidiction of juve population

Report describes #statusoffense cases handled between 1995-2013 109,000 cases petitioned disposed in 2013

In 2013 courts handled estimated 1,058,500 juvenile delinquency cases

31 million youth under #juvenile court jurisdiction in 2013 79% (10-15 years of age) 12% (16) 9% (17)

Between 1985-2013 case rates increased 54% for #druglaw violations

In 2013 total delinquency case rate for #black juveniles 74.3% was more than double the rate for #white juveniles 27.4%

Between 1985 and 2013 #lawenforcement agencies were primary source of #delinquency referrals 82% referred by law enforcement in 2013

The number of #delinquency cases involving #detention peaked in 2002 and decreased 44% through 2013

#Statusoffense is an act that is illegal because the person committing them are of #juvenile status

5 major status offense categories #runningaway #truancy #curfew law violations #ungovernability or incorigibility #liquorlaw violations

The number of petitioned #statusoffense cases decreased 13% between 1995-2013

American Indian juveniles had the highest rate for #liquorlaw violations in each year 1995-2013 #statusoffense

Schools referred 56% of petitioned #truancy cases in 2015

Source of referral for #statusoffense includes #lawenforcement #schools #relatives #socialservice #probation #victims

Citation

Hockenberry, Sarah, and Charles Puzzanchera. Juvenile Court Statistics 2013. Rep. no. NCJ 249164. Pittsburgh: National Center for Juvenile Justice, 2015. OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Web. <http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/publications/StatBB.asp>.

Keywords + Tag = juvenile | juvenile court | National Center for Juvenile Justice | NCJJ | statistics | report | archive | National Juvenile Court Data Archive | Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention | OJJDP | U.S. Department of Justice | DOJ | Barbara Tatem Kelley | data collection | National Juvenile Court Data Archive | NCJDA | status offense

VBW Justice Archive: ((Keep Your Head Held High))

For more information on ((Keep Your Head Held High)) please view the track information at the Soundcloud post: click here

About the VBW Justice Archive

The Voices Behind Walls (VBW) Justice Archive is a collection of audios, artworks, photographs, and writings archived on the following:

VBW Research Network Blog: vbwresearch.blogspot.com
VBW YouTube: youtube.com/voicesbehindwalls
VBW Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/vbehindw
VBW Website: voicesbehindwalls.blogspot.com

The purpose of the archive is to document VBW program history, specifically the creative expression of its participants and program partners.  Files of the VBW Justice Archive are resources for educators, youth, and the public to share.  We hope these files inspire new ideas and other creative expressions in all learning spaces.  The archive is especially to acknowledge the existence of its participants, a majority incarcerated youth,  who recorded into the VBW microphone between the decade of 2004 to 2014.  Hopefully you all find your way back to our page to reflect on your contribution to the VBW program.

The VBW Justice Archive began documenting its program history in 2014.  Audios will be posted periodically.  Updates will be posted at the links above including twitter.com/vbehindw.

Keywords + Tag = Keep Your Head Held High | Blues | juvenile prison | beats | keyboard | piano | Zoom R12 Controller Interface | New Mexico | Las Cruces | music | outreach | Hip Hop | creative expression | Dona Ana County | life | Soundcloud | Voices Behind Walls | VBW | adolescent | original | thought | experience | struggle | poetry |New Mexico State University | Social Justice Award 2014

VBW Justice Archive: ((Mysterious Minds))

For more information on this track featuring VBW participant Sam aka Mousey, please view the track information at the Soundcloud post: click here

About the VBW Justice Archive

The Voices Behind Walls (VBW) Justice Archive is a collection of audios, artworks, photographs, and writings archived on the following:

VBW Research Network Blog: vbwresearch.blogspot.com
VBW YouTube: youtube.com/voicesbehindwalls
VBW Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/vbehindw
VBW Website: voicesbehindwalls.blogspot.com

The purpose of the archive is to document VBW program history, specifically the creative expression of its participants and program partners.  Files of the VBW Justice Archive are resources for educators, youth, and the public to share.  We hope these files inspire new ideas and other creative expressions in all learning spaces.  The archive is especially to acknowledge the existence of its participants, a majority incarcerated youth,  who recorded into the VBW microphone between the decade of 2004 to 2014.  Hopefully you all find your way back to our page to reflect on your contribution to the VBW program.

The VBW Justice Archive began documenting its program history in 2014.  Audios will be posted periodically.  Updates will be posted at the links above including twitter.com/vbehindw.

Keywords + Tag = Mousey | Sam | juvenile prison | beats | keyboard | piano | New Mexico | Las Cruces | music | outreach | Hip Hop | creative expression | Dona Ana County | life | Soundcloud | Voices Behind Walls | VBW | adolescent | Boyz in the Hood | Ricky | thought | experience | struggle | mystery | mind

VBW Justice Archive: ((Honey))

For more information on the ((Honey Instrumental)) by Avoid the Lyricist please visit the Soundcloud and read the track information: click here


About the VBW Justice Archive

The Voices Behind Walls (VBW) Justice Archive is a collection of audios, artworks, photographs, and writings archived on the following:

VBW Research Network Blog: vbwresearch.blogspot.com
VBW YouTube: youtube.com/voicesbehindwalls
VBW Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/vbehindw
VBW Website: voicesbehindwalls.blogspot.com

The purpose of the archive is to document VBW program history, specifically the creative expression of its participants and program partners.  Files of the VBW Justice Archive are resources for educators, youth, and the public to share.  We hope these files inspire new ideas and other creative expressions in all learning spaces.  The archive is especially to acknowledge the existence of its participants, a majority incarcerated youth,  who recorded into the VBW microphone between the decade of 2004 to 2014.  Hopefully you all find your way back to our page to reflect on your contribution to the VBW program.

The VBW Justice Archive began documenting its program history in 2014.  Audios will be posted periodically.  Updates will be posted at the links above including twitter.com/vbehindw.

Keywords + Tag = Avoid the Lyricist | Avoid | Bird | ¡Aqui Se Puede! | Wanderer's with a Cause, Our Words, Beats and Rhymes | New Mexico State University | NMSU | El Paso | Metatron | beats | instrumental | Hip Hop | VBW Justice Archive | Texas | soul | Soundcloud | Voices Behind Walls | VBW

VBW Justice Archive: 'Wordsworth'

VBW Justice Archive: 'Wordsworth' by Carlos Andrés Gómez
VBWJA-audi0-20141207-CG1

VBW Justice Archive ((Audios)): click here

When Mr. Acosta aka Groove asked for recommendations of poetry, song, or literature related to tone & mood for his class at Jefferson High School, the first recording that came to mind was one I recorded years ago with award winning poet, actor, and writer Carlos Andrés Gómez.  The recording was conducted over a lanline phone at Cervantes Village for rotation on KRUX 91.5FM at New Mexico State University.  

I got the opportunity to do the recording thanks to poet activist & journalist, Monte Smith.  Having also conducted recordings & interviews with Monte, he had an army of other voices to recommend for our radio program.  As we continue to archive, recordings & interviews with Monte Smith will also be posted.  Much respect and thanks to Monte for his support during our radio dayz.

We've archived the 'Wordsworth' poetry recording on our VBW YouTube which you can listen to by clicking on the embedded player above, or the links.

For more information on Carlos Andrés Gómez please visit carloslive.com. 

About the VBW Justice Archive

The Voices Behind Walls (VBW) Justice Archive is a collection of audios, artworks, photographs, and writings archived on the following:

VBW Research Network Blog: vbwresearch.blogspot.com
VBW YouTube: youtube.com/voicesbehindwalls
VBW Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/vbehindw
VBW Website: voicesbehindwalls.blogspot.com

The purpose of the archive is to document VBW program history, specifically the creative expression of its participants and program partners.  Files of the VBW Justice Archive are resources for educators, youth, and the public to share.  We hope these files inspire new ideas and other creative expressions in all learning spaces.  The archive is especially to acknowledge the existence of its participants, a majority incarcerated youth,  who recorded into the VBW microphone between the decade of 2004 to 2014.  Hopefully you all find your way back to our page to reflect on your contribution to the VBW program.

The VBW Justice Archive began documenting its program history in 2014.  Audios will be posted periodically.  Updated will be posted at the links above including twitter.com/vbehindw.

Keywords + Tag = Carlos Andrés Gómez | Voices Behind Walls | VBW Justice Archive | archive | justice | words | Wordsworth | Monte Smith | creative expression | spoken word | performance poetry | KRUX 91.5 fm | Jefferson High School | New Mexico State University | NMSU | powerful | tone | mood | lessons

VBW Justice Archive: ((4 A.M. Cody Brown Remix))

VBW Justice Archive: ((4 A.M. Cody Brown Remix)) by Cody Brown
VBWJA-audi0-20141101-CB1 ((mp3)) | Download

Original Post / Cody Brown Soundcloud: click here

Cody Brown is an alumni of Voices Behind Walls.  He brought a lot of creative ideas to VBW with his knowledge of music production, not only as a Hip Hop beat maker, but also someone who knows how to play instruments.  He's also a brilliant song writer and lyricist MC/poet.  In many ways, like key players before him, he changed the course of our workshop and opened up the technical possibilities for how we recorded and what we could do with the limited equipment and software we had available.  Through Cody we were able to dream big in what was our goal for the youth themselves to have input along with others on the development of a studio inside of the detention center.

Upon his release from incarceration Cody continued with his music including the instrumental project featured above that Cody produced and uploaded onto his Soundcloud.  It is a remix of the Melanie Fiona single 4 A.M. off of The MF Life released in 2012.

Along with our own recordings, the VBW Justice Archive will feature audio downloads from participants and affiliates of the program.  You can download the 4 A.M. Cody Brown Remix by clicking on the links above or by clicking on the following: MP3.

About the VBW Justice Archive

The Voices Behind Walls (VBW) Justice Archive is a collection of audios, artworks, photographs, and writings archived on the following:

VBW Research Network Blog: vbwresearch.blogspot.com
VBW YouTube: youtube.com/voicesbehindwalls
VBW Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/vbehindw
VBW Website: voicesbehindwalls.blogspot.com

The purpose of the archive is to document VBW program history, specifically the creative expression of its participants and program partners.  Files of the VBW Justice Archive are resources for educators, youth, and the public to share.  We hope these files inspire new ideas and other creative expressions in all learning spaces.  The archive is especially to acknowledge the existence of its participants, a majority incarcerated youth,  who recorded into the VBW microphone between the decade of 2004 to 2014.  Hopefully you all find your way back to our page to reflect on your contribution to the VBW program.

The VBW Justice Archive began documenting its program history in 2014.  Audios will be posted periodically.  Updated will be posted at the links above including twitter.com/vbehindw. 

Keywords + Tag = Cody Brown | Lyric | remix | Melanie Fiona | mp3 download | download | mp3 | Trap | Hip Hop | Rap | 4 A.M. | alumni | Voices Behind Walls | beats | Las Cruces | New Mexico | The MF Life | soundcloud | VBW | audio archive | VBW Research Network | Moose    

Young People’s Experiences in the CJ System

In Their Own Words: Young People’s Experiences in the Criminal Justice System
and Their Perceptions of Its Legitimacy

More Information including Download Report: click here

"While there is a growing consensus that the country needs to re-examine the criminal justice system’s prosecution of serious young offenders, there is little documentation of how this population experiences and perceives the laws, policies, and practices that are intended to hold them accountable.

To address this shortcoming, the John Howard Association, Illinois’ only non-partisan prison watchdog, has completed a provocative new report, In Their Own Words, (PDF) that chronicles six young serious offenders’ journey through Illinois’ criminal justice system, from arrest to incarceration.

Based on this work, JHA's report offers four steps that policymakers should take to improve the fairness and effectiveness of the criminal justice system’s response to youth prosecuted for serious crimes:

1. Empower judges to determine whether serious young offenders should be tried in juvenile or criminal court, regardless of the crime they are accused of committing.

2. Provide young offenders with greater access to counsel during police encounters and pre-trial custody.

3. Ensure that attorneys and judges who deal with this population are trained in adolescent brain development and how to effectively communicate with young people.

4. Establish separate correctional facilities, treatment programs, and a sentencing scheme that takes into account young offenders’ mental immaturity and ongoing development.

Alongside these specific policy recommendations, In Their Own Words focuses on the root causes of violence that plague some of the country’s poorest minority communities, from parts of Chicago's South and West Sides to Ferguson, Missouri. Instead of over-relying on severe criminal penalties, JHA argues that the justice system must build the kind of civic trust that will promote safer communities by meeting people where they are and listening to them in their own words." 

John Howard Association of Illinois (JHA). "In Their Own Words: Young People's Experiences in the Criminal Justice System and Their Perceptions of Its Legitimacy." John Howard Association of Illinois. (2014). Web. 9 Oct 2014. http://thejha.org/words

Keywords + Tag = John Howard Association of Illinois | Criminal Justice | juvenile justice | words | experiences | out of sight out of mind | empathy | minority | unnatural environment | nothingness | degradation | devalued | second chance | children | prisons | understanding | civic trust | youth | listening | communication | brain development | adolescence | correctional facilities | treatment | expression | CJYO | NMSU | legitimacy | next generation | future | think | Voices Behind Walls

U.S. Attorney to ID Wrongful Convictions

Washington U.S. Attorney Sets Up First Unit to ID Wrongful Convictions

Full Article: click here Posted by Reuters

Notes from the article:

"The U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington has set up the first federal unit in the nation to identify and investigate cases that ended in wrongful convictions..."

That unit is called the Conviction Integrity Unit. 

"The unit will review cases in which defendants convicted of violent felonies can offer new evidence, such as DNA testing, that may establish innocence."

A quote from U.S. Attorney Ronald E. Machen, Jr. "This new unit will work to uncover historical injustices and to make sure that we are doing everything in our power to prevent such tragedies in the future.”

Who is U.S. Attorney Ronald E. Machen, Jr.?

There are prosecuter's offices that have created similar initiatives.  Two of those referenced in the article include the Dallas County District Attorney's Office click here and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office click here.  

The story of Donald Gates

"The U.S. Attorney's Office is sharing its results with defense lawyers and the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, a nonprofit at George Washington University Law School in Washington which fights wrongful convictions."  More information on the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project visit exonerate.org.

This article was published on September 12, 2014 and accessed October 9, 2014.

Keywords + Tag = Ronald Machen | U.S. Attorney | Washington | United States | federal | convictions | Reuters | Conviction Integrity Unit | DNA | innocence | evidence | defendants | court case | historical injustice | justice | Dallas County District Attorney's Office | Manhattan District Attorney | law | United States District of Columbia | Donald Gates | exoneration | Innocence Project | innocence | guilt | The New Jim Crow | proof | DeoxyriboNucleic Acid | compensation | Unjust imprisonment law | adjustment | freedom | lifetime | Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project