May 3rd, 2017

Judges, Senior Project Board

First Colonial High School
1272 Mill Dam Road
Virginia Beach Virginia, 23454

Dear Judges:
Going into senior year, I was both excited and apprehensive about taking this course. Since our
very first Leal Studies class, Introduction to Law, weve been told to plan ahead. Weve heard
success stories and horror stories, from students and teachers alike. In the very first year, English
teachers were already encouraging us to start filtering through possible topics, and using these
possibilities in our papers. Having some idea of the tremendous efforts students must make to
complete senior courses, most heeded that advice. I however, did not. I wanted to research
something new each year, giving myself more opportunities to discover my many, ever-changing
passions. Another reason I avoided this trend of stockpiling information on one thing was that I
worried Id burn myself out. I didnt want to get stuck with something Id ceased to enjoy
learning about. Choosing a topic that would be personally relevant to me during this process was
one of my top priorities.
That goal led me to choose correctional psychology. Over the summer of my junior year, I
interned with the Virginia Beach Sherriffs Office. I was able to interact not only with the
deputies, but with the inmates. Visiting the mental health area of the jail, I was able to speak to a
social worker. She discussed the troubles of the incarnated mentally ill, as well as the barriers to
treatment faced in the facility. I could hear a few people yelling incoherently in the background.
This fresh in my mind, I also began to notice the difficulties most inmates had in simply filling
out forms. Almost every grievance and work-request I saw had a significant amount of
grammatical or spelling errors. Many had even incorrectly recorded their inmate ID number.
Some of the paperwork submitted was almost impossible to understand. I could clearly see a lack
of education in the offenders residing there.
Finally, Ive spent years volunteering at a summer camp that provides extra help in math and
reading to impoverished elementary school students. Sadly, economic difficulties are not the only
things these kids have to face. Many have parents or siblings who cycle in and out of jail, and
therefore their lives. They would be released from the system, only to fall back into the same
patterns.
During my senior year, I wanted to explore the ways the criminal justice system tries to help the
inmates currently incarcerated, and how it attempts to break the cycle of recidivism. I began
researching the therapeutic, educational, and vocational programs that are offered, and tried to
evaluate their effectiveness. I found that while they are an under-funded, imperfect system,
rehabilitation efforts in US prisons are extremely important in empowering and inspiring inmates
to lead more productive and meaningful lives once released. I hope to further explore this topic
in the George Mason Honors Program next year, along with majoring in the broader area of
criminal justice.
In a country where the retribution and rehabilitation systems are hotly debated, Ive found myself
firmly grounded in the opinion that teaching is preferable to simply punishing. I hope that my
paper and the accounts of my project help you to see the merits of correctional psychology as
well.
Sincerely,
SAVANNAH CLINTON
Savannah Clinton