Week 5

Tuesday, I learned tons of new names. I spent the day filing closed cases in alphabetic order and catalogging them. It was actually fun- to my surprise. I was able to see how different social workers organized case notes and see how different each case actually turns out (especially in size).
Wednesday was obviously LEAD day- Legislative Education and Advocacy Day. Fairly cool. I enjoyed the amazing breakfast, the beautiful hotel, the enthusiastic social workers, the spankin' luncheon, and the variety of attendees. After 10:30 the day went downhill on a plastic sled greased with vegetable oil. I attended the breakout session for children and families which is pretty much my favorite area of policy. Turns out, the female version of Ben Stein was hosting this breakout. Not good. My attention span was quite limited and captain monotone wasn't helping any. The rally was incredibly cheesy. I felt like only half the group stuck with it, but once we got to the State House the rally really tapered off. Waiting outside the State House was quite possibly the most annoying experience I have been forced to endure since Ben Stein's scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. We stood outside in the rain listening to some hyperactive girls behind us mess up the LEAD day chants for at least 20 minutes. It was a true test of my patience. Once inside the state house, we saw some unique antiquities. I would not have explored nearly as many of the rooms without the requirements of the scavenger hunt. We got to talk to an intern for the leuitenant governer who was attending Butler University. Our group also met a state representative who took our picture in the big room with the mural (pictures to come once cable cord is located for digital camera). The free food made the trip worthwhile.
What was most valuable? How could my learning experience have been improved? The food and the enthusiasm from the leaders was most valuable to me while I would have learned more if the break-out sessions were not spoken about in such a bored tone.
Thursday morning, I went to the Correctional Facility on Girl School Road (the reason the road has its name). As a representative for the Public Defender Agency, I wrote a letter requesting an informational tour of the facilities. Seven of us showed up which is about the perfect number for a tour. When we arrived at the administrative building, an older inmate was waxing the floor. He was supervised and silent. The lady cop who checked us in was bound and determined to give us a hard time. She was on some sort of power trip. We had to check in like we were criminals. We presented ID's, locked all possessions in a locker, and were patted down after a trip through a metal detector. These people went out of their way to make themselves look good. They first presented a power point that was intended to "answer any initial questions we might have." The presentation had loud music, slides with loads of information that we didn't have time to read because they passed so fast, and pictures that were too bright to see like they had adjusted the contrast too much. Very sneaky... You thought we wouldn't figure out that you're a detention facility! Foiled again Dr. Evil! The woman hosting the tour was sure to tell us all about the programs intended to help the kids with reentry into the community, but the validity of her argument has yet to be determined. The facility hosts about 160 girls and 80 boys. They have a new comissioner and have $25,000 less than years previous. They make the delinquents who enter the facility go through phases. The first phase consists of admitting to what they did wrong. I wonder how much trauma some of these kids really endure, because they are made to believe that their crime is 100% their fault, when most cases involve lots instigation from superiors or violations of rights. One example might be a learned behavior where the child has hit a parent because the parent has beaten the child all his or her life. It just seems to me that the people in charge at the department of corrections are anxious to get what they want even if its not the truth. Anyway, the tour was so interesting. The area known as the "segregation" ward is for kids who get in trouble after entering the facility. Most of the girls are cutters or suicidal while the boys are violent toward other boys most of the time. The girls' segregation unit was having the lights replaced. The woman behind the front desk looked she was going to kill someone. She had latex gloves on while she handed one of the electricians a bio-shield intended to protect the staff from spit, blood, etc. Apparently there was a situation with a female inmate attacking the light fixture who took the broken glass to cut herself. We heard screaming, cursing, and much resistance. The inmate sounded sedated and unable to get words out a normal "fit-of-rage" pace. We also saw inside the on-site school. The boys go to school from 7-12 and the girls from 1-6. The guidance counselor said they were looking for a science teacher. All the teachers are required to have Special Education Teaching Certificates. She said the teachers are very strained because kids come in at all grade levels and bring much resistance to succeeding in academics. The psychiatrist gave us a very interesting testimony, too. She was a small Indian lady who was animated and entertaining. She explained the most common ailments the kids had and told us how she handled psychotropic medications. The tour took about 2 and a half hours.
WEEK's hours: 20.2
Hours to date: 82.2