Project by: Olivia DeTraglia (11th Grade)
Project Advisor: Ann Carroll
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Kelly O’Shea
Description of the Project:
For this project, I want to do an in-depth look at the 8th Amendment, specifically the “excessive bail” section. And move to focus on cash bail and how it’s used in the justice system. I have learned a lot about the argument for the abolition of cash bail, but I haven’t heard much about other perspectives. Through this project, I hope to learn more about the cash bail system, including its history and the purpose it serves today. I also will be focusing on hearing perspectives from both sides before forming my answer to the question: Is there really a need for cash bail in the United States criminal justice system? I also hope to learn about writing/ presenting this sort of information in a clear and persuasive way.
At the end of this project, I hope to write a piece about cash bail, formed around my answer to the question I posed above. I also think that sharing this information possibly through some sort of public presentation could be beneficial for both myself and the rest of our community, but I am still thinking about that aspect of the project.
Final Product (e.g., documents, images, video, audio, poster, display, etc.):
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab Final Reflection on Learning: I have learned a lot through this project. I have furthered my knowledge about the bail system a lot and my opinions about it have also gotten a lot strong. All of this work that I have done to learn about the system has pushed me to want to do a lot of work to actually try and change it. Through this project, I have also learned a lot about the writing process and I have had to do a lot of experimentation with my own writing style and going back to the basics to form a strong cohesive argument.
Update on Progress from Weeks 1-3 (include any photos or video if relevant): These first few weeks of the trimester, I have focused on collecting information about this topic both through online research and by hearing the experiences of those who have been through the criminal legal system and have been impacted by cash bail. I have also begun mapping out what my final writing piece is going to look like and set deadlines for the completion of this project.
Update on Progress from Weeks 4-6 (include any photos or video if relevant): I started these few weeks with a map of the final project and I began writing my piece by reading “The High Cost of Georgia’s Restrictive Voting Bills” by Jelani Cobb and looking at the structure of the argument. I used that article to begin crafting my argument and I am now at the point of this project where I have finished my first draft of the paper and I am going to start revising it.
Update on Progress from Weeks 7-9 (include any photos or video if relevant): I finished off this trimester by creating a final writing piece. It was a little difficult to actually do this because I have been so out of practice with writing. I wrote a piece that didn’t sound at all how I wanted it to so I had to go back to the basics and write it as a basic 5 paragraph essay just to get back in the practice of writing and creating a strong argument.
