Premium Essay

Convict to College: My Journey

In: Social Issues

Submitted By shayla320
Words 834
Pages 4
Perceptions of Convicts: My Journey
People have a lot of personal and media opinionated views of people who have been convicted of crimes. Employers, when they are screening for job positions might believe they cannot trust the convicts. If they have been arrested for one crime, then they must commit other types of crimes also, for instance hey must steal, lie, and cheat. Why would they be invited to holiday parties? They probably cause scenes because they are trouble makers. People think that if you have been arrested for drugs that you do not know the dangers of drug abuse. They do not know that drugs hurt the dealer and the users, not to mention how it affects the families on both ends. When people have been arrested for assault they need anger management. They are institutionalized and commit crimes because they enjoy to be in prison, so they must have gay or lesbian intentions. The think that it is easy for people that have been incarcerated to be upholding citizens without being prejudiced against. People do not believe if you have felony convictions you should not be able to vote for the political parties. They should not be able to adopt or foster children because they are not trustworthy. You cannot work for the state or federal government, why when there are people without the convictions who could fill those positions. People think that if you have been in prison for as a result of felony convictions that you are incapable of changing or helping other people. My experience is that people that have felony convictions work harder to get jobs when they really want it. They work harder to secure the job positions, and go beyond the expectations. They are more reliable and watchful of their actions because they feel as though they are always being watched. People that have had drug convictions become the best drug addiction counselors. They design programs

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Courage: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And Nelson Mandela

...the concrete path of destiny to shape the world into what is truly wanted. SUPPORTING 1 Just as it takes an immense amount of willpower to knowingly put caution to the wind to save someone from danger, finding a way to actually live a life is worth remembering so people can come to reflect its meaning. Most people are told to seek an education through college so top companies will consider them worthy of their company and hire them. This is the path set out for everyone: stay within the boundaries so there’s a guarantee to prosperity, there’s no other way, right? So what about passions, dreams, goals that yearn to be fulfilled? Sadly, it's the accepted fact that those never give a profitable return. Everyone is too afraid to work towards what their passions are, so they’re stuck in a closet that closes off from the world from 9 am to 5 pm five days a week. Why is this such a prominent pattern? It’s because it takes courage to labor towards dreams and turn it into reality. Joe Jo and Bart Kwan of the Youtube channel JustKiddingFilms set out on this journey in 2007. As they stated in their video Road to Success being “poor in college” and having a “uniform of wife-beaters, basketball shorts, and cargo shorts.” In their spare time, they would take an old recorder and act wacky characters in surprisingly likely scenarios for fun. Even when their other friends moved on to start families or continue education, Bart and Joe kept going because “it made them happy,” not because it was a...

Words: 1829 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Vsdgvfyhb

...really had the chance to watch it. The topic of it is something that I am extremely passionate about and was eager to learn more about. So I happily watched the documentary and quickly whipped out a first draft (rough rough draft) without even really having to think about it- the words just poured out. However, when writing my real rough draft, I tried to focus a bit more on the rhetorical appeals. My revision process on Inquiry Two was much more rigorous than my typical revision process. At my meeting with Bridget for my conference on my rough draft of Inquiry 2, she had me read my paper aloud. Reading it out loud made me realize how focused the paper really was on my thoughts and my opinions on the topic of the documentary. There was way too much emphasis on my thoughts on the public school systems of America, and not nearly enough rhetorical analysis of the documentary. I wrote what felt like millions of drafts and printed them all out and scribbled all over them. I also used Bridget as resource and took her ideas and comments into considering my final draft. Overall, I tried to focus the paper much more on a rhetorical analysis of the film instead of my own opinions on the issue (those can come in Inquiry Three!). Waiting for “Superman” Waiting for “Superman” examines one of the most heated debates in today’s political society: the question of what to do about public school systems in America. Most of the public schools in the country are funded based on local property...

Words: 2033 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Personal Narrative: A Career In Forensics

...Although my parents told me one day when I was in kindergarten, they went in for a parent teacher conference and learned some very interesting news. It seemed my kindergarten teacher had already decided on an area of careers that I was going to pursue. When they began talking the first thing that she told them was, “ I can already tell just by watching Dylan this year so far that he will have a career with hands on social activity. He is not afraid to talk to anyone and always helps everyone when they are sad. He’s also very importunate as well.” I was repressed this story until I was about 16 because that was about the age I told my parents I want to do something with Psychology. I feel as though I am someone who’s very accost. I also watch a lot of criminal investigation shows as well, which helps with the forensic part of my pursued career. I usually can guess why the assumed killer committed the crime he or she convicted. I already know a decent amount of knowledge about...

Words: 1746 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Homework

...Kenneth Blake Ms. Bowles Intro to College Writing 1310 All Is Fair In Love And Glue At a very young age my father used to always tell me “Ken, justice isn’t just.” In my younger years I just assumed that this was just another drunken quote coming from an intoxicated man so I paid the phrase no attention whatsoever. Maybe if I had believed him back in my younger years then I wouldn’t have been so hurt when I found out how true his words really are. As the weather slowly but surely changes from the comfortable temperatures of spring to the blistering hot and terribly humid weather that Memphis, Tennessee is known for, every kid in the school system starts to smile through the sweat because of one thing: miserable weather means that the school year is almost over and that the much awaited summer vacation is about to begin. This being noted even the daily sweat stains and frizzy hair can’t stop everyone on campus from enjoying this wondrous time of year. One of the best things about school this time of year is that the teachers are ready for their two months off just as much as the students. Years ago at my former high school the science department started a tradition to do class projects near the end of the school year that would count for a test grade. Although I’m not sure if the projects were for educational purposes or just because the teachers simply got lazy, I’m for sure am not going to be the one to complain about easy grades and fun classes. As I walk across the...

Words: 2048 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

2oth Century Genius Award

...subject has impacted society or lack thereof. If it has changed the overall path of human thought, it is considered genius, and the creator should be graced with such a title. If not, we move forward inspecting the next piece of vital information. During the course of this essay we will uncover one of the most underrated African American poets of the 20th century. This individual deserves recognition for his influential speech patterns that have altered the standard and set new creative boundaries for all inspiring poets to follow; which makes him a perfect candidate for this award. The life of Saul Stacey Williams is an interesting study of independence, truth, respect, enlightenment, innovation, courage, and spiritual awareness. His journey through the ranks of poetic artistry has been nothing less than astonishing; captivating crowds,...

Words: 1443 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Country Girls

...stories, “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker and “Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer, Racism is the theme and highlight of each one. Both stories are discussing racial issues but they are two completely different stories and the authors begin each one in a completely opposite fashion. '”The Welcome Table” was written by Margaret Walker. Walker was published under her maiden name. She was best known for her poem "For My People," published in 1942, and her best-selling novel, Jubilee, based on her what her family went through during slavery and immediately after the Civil War, it was published in 1966. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama., Walker was a resident of Jackson, Miss., and was a professor emeritus at Jackson State College. She taught English and was also a director of the Institute for the Study of History, Life and Culture of Black Peoples. Walker, began her career in writing in the 1930s. She,still was writing in the 1990s. Walker's last book of essays, On Being Female, Black and Free: Essays, 1932-1992, was published in 1997. This Is My Century: New and Collected Poems was published in 1989 (Odom, 1998). She died of Breast Cancer in 1998. She was 83 years old. Nadine Gordimer is the...

Words: 2212 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

The Poetry of Bruce Dawe

...The Poet of Suburbia In 1930, the world welcomed a personality who during the course of his remarkable life, revolutionised and helped shape or develop the meaning and world of poetry. He was born in Geelong, Victoria and lived an early life that lacked direction and unveiled very little promise as a writer. However, despite what his earlier years may have shown, he stands today as one of the biggest selling, highly regarded and most influential of Australian poets. And yet again, successful composers have proven to the world of literature that there is no need for an extended education to master the art of writing. Aiding in his success was his ability to capture the human experience with the timeless and universal themes that are implicit in his texts. Whilst Shakespeare was able to find universal human qualities in individuals with high hierarchical status such as Kings, dukes and other noblemen, the ‘Poet of Suburbia’ is a unique writer in that his work explicitly encapsulates the Australian way of life; he writes about the ordinary suburban citizen. “Bruce Dawe is the poet of Australia and the poet of the people. His poems effectively reveal many facets of Australian life.” Not only does this statement allude to Dawe’s work with the Australian poetic tradition, but it also informs the reader about his individual understanding of Australian life which accounts for his distinctive connection with the ordinary Australian. This essay will discuss this poet’s work with Australian...

Words: 3491 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

A.P.J.Abdul Kalam

...the freedom fighter, see Abdul Kalam Azad. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | | Abdul Kalam at the 12th Wharton India Economic Forum, 2008 | 11th President of India | In office 25 July 2002 – 25 July 2007 | Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee Manmohan Singh | Vice President | Bhairon Singh Shekhawat | Preceded by | K. R. Narayanan | Succeeded by | Pratibha Devisingh Patil | Personal details | Born | 15 October 1931 (age 81) Rameswaram, British India (present day Tamil Nadu, India) | Alma mater | St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli Madras Institute of Technology | Profession | Professor, Author, scientist Aerospace engineer | Website | abdulkalam.com | Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam ( pronunciation (help·info); born 15 October 1931) usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is an Indian scientist and administrator who served as the 11th President of India. Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, studied physics at the St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, and aerospace engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chennai. Before his term as President, he worked as an aerospace engineer with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).[1] Kalam is popularly known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology.[2] He played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998...

Words: 4111 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Learning from History

...Keem Avraham Adisa Chaney Social Work 305 October 14th, 2015 Learning from History A Retrospective Journey on Shahid and Connie Watson and the Life Skills Academy It is a truth universally acknowledged that social action creates stronger platforms for people to succeed and communities to develop more opportunities for improvement and involvement. Along with that universal truth, we must also acknowledge the fact that most of this change, most of these platforms, most of these improvements were started and spearheaded by the unspoken heroes and leaders of this world. Considering their 2.5% recidivism rate and their success in guiding people out of institutionalized and community-fenced prison systems, it is safe to say that Shahid and Connie Watson are two of the world’s greatest unspoken heroes. Shahid Watson is a native of Newark, New Jersey. Being one of five children, with parents and siblings who were involved in mainly drugs and violence, he had his sights set on getting out of his environment to create a better life for himself. After being homeless as a result of his familial situation, he graduated form high school in the top 10% of his class and was accepted into Rutgers University where he studied Business Administration (Watson, Shahid). As a result of the gang violence, drug abuse, incrimination, and the cycle of children being born into all of these categories, the Life Skills Academy was established in 1994. Life Skills Academy began out of a partnership...

Words: 2078 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Teachers & Weapons

...regulations. I will delve into the reasoning behind states that have implemented laws that allow teachers to carry guns in school and/or at school events. Included within are excerpts from this writer’s first-person interview conducted with Maria Otero-Ball, a kindergarten teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a teacher of children the same age as those involved in the Newtown tragedy, Mrs. Otero-Ball offers a first-hand view on the changes that she and the school have made following the tragedy, as well as her views on the practicality of weapons in the school. My goals in preparing this paper are to expand my thoughts on the subject, peruse the thoughts of others, and explore the statistics to provide a better overall understanding of the subject matter to myself and to my readers. During the research process, I found that a compromise on the types of weapons teachers should be allowed to carry would be the best option from my point of view. Keywords: teachers, weapons, school, tragedy, children Screams of terror, cries of anguish, tears of sorrow, heartbreaking agony; the nation bore witness to all of these and more as...

Words: 3993 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Life of Montage

...THE LIFE OF MONTAIGNE [This is translated freely from that prefixed to the 'variorum' Paris edition, 1854, 4 vols. 8vo. This biography is the more desirable that it contains all really interesting and important matter in the journal of the Tour in Germany and Italy, which, as it was merely written under Montaigne's dictation, is in the third person, is scarcely worth publication, as a whole, in an English dress.] The author of the Essays was born, as he informs us himself, between eleven and twelve o'clock in the day, the last of February 1533, at the chateau of St. Michel de Montaigne. His father, Pierre Eyquem, esquire, was successively first Jurat of the town of Bordeaux (1530), Under-Mayor 1536, Jurat for the second time in 1540, Procureur in 1546, and at length Mayor from 1553 to 1556. He was a man of austere probity, who had "a particular regard for honour and for propriety in his person and attire . . . a mighty good faith in his speech, and a conscience and a religious feeling inclining to superstition, rather than to the other extreme."[Essays, ii. 2.] Pierre Eyquem bestowed great care on the education of his children, especially on the practical side of it. To associate closely his son Michel with the people, and attach him to those who stand in need of assistance, he caused him to be held at the font by persons of meanest position; subsequently he put him out to nurse with a poor villager, and then, at a later period, made him accustom himself to the most common sort...

Words: 6136 - Pages: 25

Free Essay

Postmodernism

...The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search "The Innocent Man" redirects here. For a South Korean television series, see The Innocent Man (TV series). The Innocent Man | | Author(s) | John Grisham | Country | United States | Publisher | Doubleday | Publication date | October 10, 2006 | Pages | 368 | ISBN | 978-0-385-51723-2 | OCLC Number | 70251230 | The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town (2006) is a nonfiction book written by John Grisham, and his first outside the legal fiction genre. The book tells the story of Ronald 'Ron' Keith Williamson of Ada, Oklahoma, a former minor league baseball player who was wrongly convicted in 1988 for the rape and murder of Debra Sue Carter in Ada and was sentenced to death. After serving 11 years on death row, he was exonerated by DNA evidence and other material introduced by the Innocence Project and was released in 1999. Contents * 1 Synopsis * 2 Book edition * 3 References * 4 External links | Synopsis Ron Williamson has returned to his hometown of Ada, Oklahoma after multiple failed attempts to play for various minor league baseball teams, including the Fort Lauderdale Yankees and two farm teams owned by the Oakland A's. An elbow injury inhibited his chances to progress. His big dreams were not enough to overcome the odds (less than 10 percent) of making it to a big league game. His failures lead to, or aggravate...

Words: 18140 - Pages: 73

Premium Essay

Laws1001 Notes

...Summary Australian law is based on the culture of English law. The following characteristics derive from the English background of our law: * A system of representative democracy, using parliaments to make laws. See chapters 7 & 8. * A legal profession divided formally or informally into solicitors and barristers. See chapter 3. * A ‘common law’ system: * The system of law derived from the English legal system. Uses judicially decided cases as the basic form of law. See chapter 10. * The way that the law is made: Judges make law based on decided cases (precedents) and develop sets of legal principles which emerge from the judgments in decided cases.’ See chapter 12, 13, and 14. * The category of laws which grew from the medieval royal courts (‘the courts of common law’) and other areas of law, which came from the medieval Lord Chancellor’s role (‘equity’). See chapter 10. * Decision making in courts after an adversarial trial: derived from historical ‘trial by battle’ introduced by Normans. The battle has since then become a verbal one. See chapter 2. * A court system for dispute resolution: See chapter 11. However, Australian law has developed distinct characteristics of its own: * A federal system made up of a Commonwealth and States and Territories: separates out the powers of different bodies of government. See chapter 8. * A limited recognition of indigenous customary law: Mabo (No 2) held that native title to land could...

Words: 29591 - Pages: 119

Premium Essay

How to Write Essays

...HOW TO WRITE ESSAYS Visit our How To website at www.howto.co.uk At www.howto.co.uk you can engage in conversation with some of our authors – all of whom have ‘been there and done that’ in their specialist fields. You can get access to special offers and additional content but, most importantly, you will be able to engage with, and become a part of, a wide and growing community of people just like yourself. At www.howto.co.uk you’ll be able to talk to, and share tips with, people who have similar interests and are facing similar challenges in their lives. People who, just like you, have the desire to change their lives for the better – be it through moving to a new country, starting a new business, growing their own vegetables, or writing a novel. At www.howto.co.uk you’ll find the support and encouragement you need to help make your aspirations a reality. How To Books strives to present authentic, inspiring, practical information in their books. Now, when you buy a title from How To Books, you get even more than words on a page. HOW TO WRITE ESSAYS A step-by-step guide for all levels, with sample essays Don Shiach howtobooks ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author and publishers are grateful to Nicholas Murray and the Rack Press, Kinnerton, Presteigne, Powys LD8 2PF for permission to reproduce History from Nicholas Murray’s collection ‘The Narrators’. Published by How To Content, A division of How To Books Ltd, Spring Hill House, Spring...

Words: 11877 - Pages: 48

Premium Essay

Slavery

...Racial prejudice is the belief that one group of people is superior and better than those of a different colour or “race”. Many times in history one group of people has dominated and persecuted another group. One example for this is the history of black Americans in the United States. The USA has always suffered from divisions between white and black Americans. Many times white people have stopped black people from being equal citizens. White people thought that Africans were inferior and uncivilised. This idea justified the discrimination and exploitation of black people. But of course these justifications were nonsense: There were important kingdoms and great civilisations in Africa at the same time as people in Britain were living in primitive iron-age huts. Moreover from Egypt came ideas about geometry, arithmetics and astronomy. The proofs of their skills are for example the pyramids which are also one of the seven wonders of the world. Different words have been used to describe black Americans. For a long time they were referred to as negroes and often the word ‘nigger’ was used to insult them. Many whites called them ‘coloured people’. Since the 1960’s the term ‘black’ has become normal, although some people prefer the term ‘Afro-American’ as a reminder of their original roots in Africa. THE BEGINNING OF SLAVERY IN THE US The history of blacks in North America began in 1619, when a Dutch ship brought the first Negro slaves to Virginia. The first imported Africans...

Words: 6362 - Pages: 26