Name: Jack Rosen

Social Justice Group: War and Violence: How race affects conviction rates in NYC (B)

Date of Fieldwork: December 18, 2024

Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Helena B.

What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork:

During the fieldwork, we zoomed into the criminal justice system with Helena B. During our meeting, we talked about her experiences as a lawyer along with the people she met, the facts about the New York criminal justice system including the numbers and the difference between America and the rest of the world, and what other things can change a judges mind about a person. Personally, I learned how far a first impression goes when you are in a courtroom, and how big of an effect it can have on the judge/ jury. “You’re more inclined to smile back at him. And so, it’s just, when we talk about bias” were some of her remarks on the topic.

In general, I learned about the big effect cost has on many different systems provided by the government. During the interview, we asked Helena what changes she would make to the justice system, and she told us that she would take the cost out of the picture. She stated that because so many people use legal aid societies, it lessens the resources or the amount of time they can put into your case. If somebody gets arrested often, it compounds and decreases the impact of those resources. She said that if the resource funding for a case was even, or on the front end of defense itself. To sum up, this informational interview has helped my group and me better understand the justice system in New York.