End of Semester Reflection

1.) I did some of the work.
The assignments that I got this semester were really interesting when I got to choose all of my topics. The only good thing was that we only got assigned 3 essay for the whole semester, but there were small tasks that we had to get done like post on our blogs or to turn in a draft. I did not do most of the smaller tasks. Don't get me wrong but I liked the blog idea, but when it came to actually having to do it, I got really lazy and I would put it off and then totally forgot about it. I got lazy on the drafts too. I knew the essay wasn't actually due so I wouldn't bother making a draft.

2.) I tried, but did not put a lot of effort into it.
I tried on my essays but I did not put 100% into them. Having a total of 6 classes to worry about and working 5 days a week, totally killed my energy, mood and motivation. Any time I had to relax and do nothing (mostly the weekends) I would take advantage of it and then regret it later when I would have to stay up late at night the day before it was due to do the entire essay. When I actually did the essay I would put the effort into it knowing that this draft would be counted as a grade.

3.) Going forward.
I learned a lot of things this semester and I will be taking those things with me and using them for other essays I do in the future. I'm finally getting my essays to the required length which before I could not get to even 4 pages.

4.) and it take aways.
The things that I am taking with me is how to quote and cite my sources, how to approach an argumentative essay is a new way, how to summarize articles, and how to use your own voice and make it personal.

Things to improve.
Something I really need to improve is managing my time wisely so I don't have to do the whole essay the night before it's due. I also need to learn to ask for help ahead of time so I don't struggle so much on the essay.

Public Rant

For my public rant, I posted how I felt about TBHs on Tumblr. I think that no one will see it because it is so long, but you never know. Here's a screenshot of my post. 

TBH? Really?

One thing that really bothers me and I feel like it shouldn't, but I just hate people who post TBHs on social media. Like really? First of all, if you expect to get an honest opinion from people you are wrong. No one is going to be completely honest. People even like someone's TBH picture or status that they don't even know and want their opinions. Like why should anyone care what other people have to say about them? Everyone should be their own person and not have to worry about whether people like them or not or if they think they're pretty or to get a compliment to make themselves feel good or important. You could say TBHs have their benefits because people are going to give you all these compliments, but then again people don't need other people's opinions to make themselves feel like they're pretty, etc, especially since mostly no one is going to be completely honest.

After Innocence

Things I liked about the film, "After Innocence" is that there is actually of group out there that put so much effort into trying to find people who have been sent to prison for something they did not do and try to get out of prison. I also liked how the film showed the case of this guy named Wilton and he had been charged with two life sentences for rape and a DNA test showed that he was innocent. You can see a woman from the Innocent Project trying to call a prosecutor to try and get them to re-look Wilton's case and the prosecutor just kept making excuses, so they do not get to re-open the case. But you get to see the process of Wilton going to a hearing and listening to it. The judge ordered a Y-DNA test and it proved Wilton was innocent. The part I loved was when you see Wilton leaving the prison and finally being able to hug his parents and be at his parent's home for the first time in 22 years. Also, I liked that from all the men they showed, they all ended up doing good things, like one of them was trying to get their bachelor's degree in psychology. Another was reinstated back to being a police officer, others finding jobs, and getting married. It was good to see that after all those years they spent locked up in prison, they were able to get back up and resume back to their normal lives even if it was difficult for them at first. 

If I got a chance to sit and have lunch with one of them, I would like to talk to the people who are in the Innocent Project. I would like to ask them if they had any women that reached out to them or how many innocent women have they been able to free. Also how many people overall have they been able to help and free them.

One thing that really bugged me about this movie was that one of the men that had been wrongly imprisoned for 10 1/2 years and was released, wanted to get his record expunged but the courts told them that he had to pay 6,000 dollars to get it expunged. That made me mad because if he was innocent for the crime then why does he still have a record that he committed such crime? It makes no sense. It just makes an innocent person look bad and make it harder for them to find a job. If they are convicted of a crime and later proved innocent, there is no need to leave a record that he committed it when he did not. All the men that were in this film spent over 5 years in prison, at most 23 years, the least the courts can do for them is expunged their record at no cost. These men spend years they cannot get back, locked in a cell. It is only fair that their record of that particular crime is expunged. 

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Reflection

A very interesting film I watched was "After Innocence" and it really got to me because it was criminal justice related and I am criminal justice major. This film was about 8 men who were imprisoned for a crime they did not commit. The crimes went from rape, battery, first degree murder, and robbery. Here is the trailer of the film.

All the men were imprisoned for more than 5 years. It was really interesting to see how much this impacted all of their lives. It should men from different backgrounds and you get to see the struggle they face after they get out. Most of the were having a difficult time getting a job and not being able to get into a relationship because of they were in prison.
There is a group called the "Innocent Project" and they receive letters from inmates who got wrongly convicted and imprisoned for a crime they did not commit and try to have their cases be re-opened and looked through so they can use DNA, if possible, to prove their innocence. You also get to see what some prosecutors have to say about trying to have cases re-opened and have another trial. It is quite shocking what some prosecutors said.
If I got the chance to participate in something relating to this. I would want to join the Innocent Project and try to get people who did not commit a crime, out of prison. No innocent person should be in prison, so they do not have so many years wasted away, years they cannot get back or even be executed knowing that they were innocent and they could be out in the world living their lives.