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ASB 2011-2012 - Justice Deferred: The Realities of California’s Juvenile Justice System

Basic Information
Application Process: 
ASB 2011-2012
Trip Name: 
Justice Deferred: The Realities of California’s Juvenile Justice System
Trip Location: 
Bay Area, CA
Air Travel Trip: 
No
Number of Participants: 
12
Trip Description: 

According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Services in 2008, 263 juvenile offenders were in placement for every 100,000 juveniles in the general population. Since the 1990’s, politicians like Bob Doyle have been saying “We must shift the focus of the juvenile justice system from rehabilitation to punishment.” Is this statement true? This ASB trip will address the answer to that question as well as what happens to juvenile offenders in California once they enter our juvenile justice system, and how society views juvenile offenders.

During the 10-week course, we will explore topics such as juvenile sentencing, education, and health care issues affecting incarcerated youth. On the Alternative Spring Break trip, we will visit multiple organizations in the Bay Area all related to the juvenile justice system, such as the Santa Clara County Juvenile Detention Hall. By working with representatives from local non-profits, legislatures and juvenile halls, we will examine all steps of the incarceration process, while also examining the disparities that cause high rates of incarceration amongst the youth. We hope that through participating in our course, participants will gain an opportunity to challenge their own and collective preconceived notions about the juvenile justice system.

Trip Leaders
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Dominique Mikell

Dominique Mikell is from Marina, California part of the region called the salad bowl of America due to all the vegetables grown there. Since she is not a huge fan of salad, (she would rather eat pizza) she decided to try life out on a different farm, specifically The Farm. She now is a sophomore interested in studying Sociology and Philosophy and hopes to attend law school after graduating. Dominique spent her summer waking up at 7a.m. to intern for a high school’s counseling department, which led to her gaining a better insight at what the youth of today are up against. Last year, Dominique participated in the Justice Deferred: The California Prison System ASB with her co-leader Ramerah. She is now excited to get to lead an epic ASB trip.

Rameerah Anderson

In West Philadelphia, born and raised (like the Fresh Prince), but on the Farm is where Rameerah spends most of her days. She is a senior majoring in Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity with a concentration in the Institute for the Diversity in the Arts. This past summer Rameerah worked with The Pennsylvania Prison Society, a small non-profit where she assisted with the Re-entry program, virtual visitation visits, and wrote a few articles for the organization’s monthly publication. When she wasn’t helping with resumes & job searching, Rameerah researched the impact re-entry programs have on recidivism rates in Philadelphia. Rameerah participated on the 2010 ASB trip examining California’s prison system with Dominique.