https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z en-us 2022-11-17 22:31:06 UTC 2025-05-28 13:18:33 UTC hello@padlet.com rcruz281 https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z/wish/2389052810 week 11:

A 2008 film featuring a juvenile's experience in the system.  This story takes place in a span of over 4 years and it uncovers Aimee's struggles, thoughts, and actions. She falls into using illegal drugs at multiple points of her journey in recovery. Her misbehavior resulted in many incarcerations and releases. 

Aimee received therapy sessions and parole counselings. She was able to build a relationship with her teacher Ms.Lewis and her parole officer Mitch Blackart. 
She learned that they were both very important to her because they believed in her. When Aimee experienced setbacks she continued to have the support of the people she trusted. 

In this short film, she is diagnosed as bipolar. Aimee was juggling her mental health and family issues. During her recovery, she learned that she needed to work on her good judgment. Her parole officer insisted she stay on the right path and stay away from falling into the same bad habits. 



]]> 2022-11-17 22:33:45 UTC https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z/wish/2389052810 rcruz281 https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z/wish/2389052943 week 12

 In this article, John DiIulio defines a superpredator as "a young juvenile criminal who is so impulsive, so remorseless that he can kill and rape without giving it a second thought" 
This word has been used by politicians and has caused great fear in many communities as the word became popular. "It has a profound effect on the way in which judges and prosecutors viewed my clients" ( Bogert, 1). This word gave meaning to a juvenile's trial. 

A Professor stated that it is social class and adults that are responsible to teach right from wrong. John warned the public by stating that by the year 2000 there would be a significant increase in juvenile crime ( murders, rapists, and muggers ). However, that statement was false in the year 2000 juvenile murder arrests decreased by two-thirds. Juveniles were being prosecuted for crimes to many years of incarceration. For example, a 19 yr old in 1997 was found by the police trapped on a bridge, weapons on him, and thrown into prison for 21 years. Later on to find out that he was wrongly convicted of a crime by faulty eyewitnesses.  Juveniles were no longer looked at as children but seen and treated as adults. 

The word superpredator was a way to keep describing the upcoming wave of juvenile killers. The word was being used without questions and it appeared in magazines, articles, and newspapers. As politicians prepare for their campaigns they would promise more law enforcement and tough penalties for juvenile offenders. This shut the doors to looking into the potential reasons WHY juveniles committed crimes. For example "the greater availability of guns " (Gobert, 2). Moreover, as juvenile crime continued the legislature made executive decisions to take away children's protections in juvenile court. 
This word brought negative actions, thoughts, and concerns and this word was the incorrect verbiage to describe a Juvenile. 

Statements : 
- " Should we cage the new breed of vicious kids?" 
- "Todays newborns will become tomorrow's super-predators"]]> 2022-11-17 22:33:59 UTC https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z/wish/2389052943 rcruz281 https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z/wish/2389054037 week 13

Cyntoia Brown has an inspiring yet tragic story thru her experiences in the juvenile justice system. This documentary filmed in 2004 explains the story of her arrest for committing murder. She was found guilty of killing a forty-three-year-old man named Johnny Allen. This film reveals her past and presents thru a span of six years of filming Cynotia. 


At the age of 16, Cyntoia was a sex trafficking victim she lived in a hotel with a guy referred to as "kut throat". When she met Johnny Allen he told her he would pay to have sex with her. Mr. Allen took her to his home and that is where Cyntoia fired the weapon as an act of self-defense. She believed her life was in danger when she thought he was grabbing a weapon under the bed. 

Cyntoia was tried as an adult and convicted of first-degree murder. Thru her trial countless times was she viewed and spoken of as a cold-blooded killer. Her trial ended with the decision of a life sentence in the year of 2006. As Cynthia's story became popular with the support of celebrities and others she was granted clemency. 

Her mothers played a role in her childhood development. Ellenette Brown is Cyntoias adoptive mother describes Cyntoia's childhood of being sexually assaulted for many years by a neighbor. Ellenette expressed that her and Cyntoia didnt have the strongest bond when she reached her teenage years.
On the other hand, her biolgoical mother stated she drank alcohol and used drugs thru her prenancy with Cyntoia. This could have been the risk factor that caused her behavior. She gave Cyntoia up for adopiton when she knew she realized she couldnt take care of her.  

During Cyntoia's imprisonment, she was able to accomplish her high school diploma, associate's degree, and a bachelor's degree. Her mission once released was to be able to help other women and girls by sharing her story on suffering abuse, and exploitation. ]]> 2022-11-17 22:35:47 UTC https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z/wish/2389054037 rcruz281 https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z/wish/2389054783 Week 13

This article published by "The Guardian" gives us an insight into 20 incarcerated women cases. Their lawyers are now seeking justice for killing their abusive partners. These women explain their horror of living in fear with their significant other. For example "He had strangled me at the bottom of the stairs and that frightened me because you can get punched in the face or your hand broken, but I had never lost my breath before, she recalled" ( The Guardian, 1). Traumatic events as such trigger these victims and could affect their mental health. 

As these women fought to survive with their partners they also continue fighting when they are on trial. These women unfairly convicted are seen as criminals meant to serve life in prison for choosing to survive. A surprising statistic stated, "new data shows that between April 2008 and March 2018, 108 men were killed by women they had a relationship with" ( The Guardian. 2). This statistic brought forward evidence that these women had experienced violence or some type of abuse from their partners before. 

Among these cases, 43% of the women were convicted of murder and 46% of manslaughter. The most common method of killing was by stabbing their partner. Females tend to use weapons more than male partners. In-court weapons add more time in years in prison. These women kill as a last resort "It had a really big impact on me because I never wanted what happened to me as a child happening to my son and it did. Justice wasn't done" (The Guardian, 3). 

This article states if a woman pleads guilty their chances to enter a plea are slim to none. It denies them access to being able to say it was for self-defense. This article concludes by acknowledging that the victims of domestic abuse has a horrible impact on them. Moreover, Prosecutors should carefully analyze all pieces of evidence such as mental health. ]]> 2022-11-17 22:36:59 UTC https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z/wish/2389054783 rcruz281 https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z/wish/2389055482 Question:
How does Cyntoia fit in with the "superpredator myth?"

Cyntoia fits the persona of "superpredator" when prosecutors said she committed cold-blooded murder. She was referred to as a criminal without any hesitation to commit the crime. She was treated as an adult at the age of 16 and eventually transferred to an adult prison. During her first trial, her mental health was not taken into consideration. Many fought for her retrial to be reopened and be heard once again with more investigation. 
Her trauma of sexual abuse was unrecognized and it affected her future life decisions. 
She was a victim of being sentenced to life without parole. The term superpredator closed the idea of the possibility of other factors that could have led to this crime such as mental health.  Her new case was able to present she had fetal alcohol syndrome. "Superpredator" disregards a person's childhood trauma and situations that they themselves could not control. Law in itself continues to evolve and include new data in medicine, science, and technology to figure out more about juvenile crime/development. 

Question: 
What are the common themes between Amiee and Cyntoia? 

The common themes between Aimee and Cyntoia are family dysfunction and mental health and abuse. Both juveniles experienced abuse that caused them to for past experiences to trigger when confronted with a similar situation. Aimee lived in an abusive home and she experienced being raped by one of her older brother's friends. Cyntoia experienced multiple rapes and physical and mental abuse that nobody kept a record of. 

Family dysfunction with Aimee is that whenever Aimee came home her brother's friends continued to be welcome in their home. Aimee didn't feel safe coming home after probation. Cyntoia was surrounded by violence her biological mother was an addict to alcohol and illegal drugs. 

Amiee was diagnosed as bipolar. She was given the opportunity to be able to do school and get back on the right track. However, Aimee fell back into using drugs and leaving school. Cyntoia suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome. Her biological mother admitted in the film that she used to drink a lot during her pregnancy with Cyntoia. 


Question:
How is Cyntoia's case an example of the way women are treated in self-defense cases?

Cyntoia's case as an example of the way women are treated in self-defense cases because the court viewed only the negatives. For example prostitution, a juvenile, and because she was a troubled kid. The court didn't take into consideration her mental health and why her actions were the way they were. Cyntoia was a victim of previous abuse and wasn't given the opportunity for restoration. She was sentenced to life and when given the opportunity she was able to accomplish so much. Cynotia for being a victim of sex trafficking, abuse, rape, and poor mental health came across a situation she needed to survive. ]]> 2022-11-17 22:37:58 UTC https://padlet.com/rcruz281/37to791yjse8ki0z/wish/2389055482