I have run into a few different structural inequalities during my time at the Manatee County State Attorney’s Office. Starting with the actual assistant state attorney’s, it was so surprising to see how much work they were expected to complete. There is so much to do and not nearly enough office time, so many of the SAO lawyers are working 20 out-of-office hours on top of their regular 40 hour work week. The case load is unattainable and draining, from what I have seen. This leaves victims waiting, defendants unpunished, and attorney’s exhausted.
I also noticed that a lot of the victims and defendants alike come from lower economic statuses, had substance abuse disorders, mental illness, face homelessness, and other disadvantages. This made it clear that disadvantaged people are more likely to face jail or the court system, not because they are inherently worse people, but because they are in inherently worse situations. This is what sparked my Capstone project, which has focused on the Specialized Court Systems that work to heal homeless and mentally ill populations rather than imprison them, in order to correct their criminal tendencies.
I am really passionate about what these systems are doing and how much they are helping the individual, as well as the overall system. I cannot include any pictures from the actual meetings with participants of these specialized courts, but it has been so powerful to see people physically, mentally, and emotionally change just in the course of the few months I have been at the SAO.
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