Hello HerCampus! I’m Catherine, a soon-to-be sophomore at Princeton University in Princeton, NJ. I’m originally from North Jersey, about 40 minutes outside Manhattan so I was extremely excited to land an internship at the Midtown Community Court in NYC this summer. Not only does this internship give me a chance to explore the field of criminal justice as well as New York City, but it is also within commuting distance, allowing me to stay at home close to my family and friends!
The Midtown Community Court is a problem-solving court (the first of its kind in the world) that deals with non-violent misdemeanors and violations committed in Midtown Manhattan. Thousands of people walk through court each day, having committed anything from quality of life crimes such as public urination or biking on the sidewalk, to more serious misdemeanors such as shoplifting, drug possession, and prostitution. What’s unique about MCC is the world that lies beyond a short elevator ride above the court. On the upper floors, MCC offers a variety of social services and counseling for all New Yorkers, not just defendants. Rather than paying a fine for their transgressions, most defendants here are sentenced to community service and counseling groups.
This summer, I’ll be working with a job-readiness group for non-custodial fathers with criminal backgrounds, all above the age of 24. I’ll be teaching them interviewing skills, how to write a cover letter and resume, etc. in order to provide financial stability for their children. Though I’m excited to make connections with people from totally different backgrounds than my own, the next two months seem incredibly daunting. Here I am, eighteen years old, barely an expert on job-seeking myself, and I will be the one these men look to for the answers. I grew up in a middle-class suburb and went to college. My students grew up in inner city streets, and went to jail and had children before they even had a chance to grow up themselves. How can I ever relate to them, to make them believe that the lessons the program has to offer are valid and potentially life changing?
I think the key to making this connection with these men will be to look past first impressions. Maybe I can’t exactly relate to them, but perhaps I can at least try to understand their stories—and share mine— and we can move forward from there. The job-training program starts in early July, so I have spent the past two weeks simply observing court-proceedings and counseling groups. Already I am encountering people from all walks of life; I admit, sometimes I tend to judge the proverbial book by its cover, but I am quickly learning to get past this tendency. Behind every defendant is a story, one that he/she deserves to tell and that is certainly worth hearing. One concept MCC stresses is to look at people as people, not as their charge or case number. A prostitute isn’t simply a prostitute. Peel back the layers, and perhaps you’ll find a scared young woman, abused and defeated with nowhere else to turn but working the tracks.
On my second day, I sat with the judge behind the bench and observed the trial of three women charged with “loitering with the intent of prostitution.” I was shocked when their cases were dismissed because of lack of conclusive evidence. That’s it? One woman was arrested wearing a lacy pink top, standing around a high-end hotel for two hours. How could she not be punished, or at least sent to counseling? The judge later told me that even though he believed the women were indeed prostitutes, he had to follow the law and dismiss the case; with little evidence, these women needed to be given the benefit of the doubt. As bad as it may sound, I never really thought of prostitutes as people before. Sure, I knew they were living, breathing humans, but I never made an attempt to understand why they would be driven to prostitution.
Over the next few months, this will be my challenge: to look past the “who,” and listen to the “why.” Why did some urinate in public? Why did a teenage boy shoplift from Sephora? Why did this young father, fresh out of jail, lose yet another job—and therefore adding another strain on his relationship with his already-alienated children? These are some questions I’ll try to answer in my internship, and I’m excited to begin to do so.
