Update!

Things have really started to pick up in the program, so I apologize for my limited posts! Here are some updates on what I’ve been doing:

For seminar, we have been discussing youth who give false confessions often because they do not know their rights and are pressured by police to confess, although they did not commit the crime. We met with the Northwestern Center for the Wrongful Conviction of Youth, which fights for justice for these youth and to get them out of the prisons. Many youth have been given life sentences for crimes they did not commit, so it is great to know that they are getting a chance to be released and receive justice. However, it is heartbreaking to know that there still remains many wrongfully convicted youth serving life sentences. We have also been discussing the issue around sentencing youth to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Many people are fighting to get rid of life sentences for youth because they are not fully developed yet and still have their whole life in front of them. We met with Emmanuel Andre from Precious Blood Ministry of the Reconciliation, an organization that deals specifically with these issues.

We are starting to work more on our independent study projects. I am doing my project on running in the city. I am hoping to research the Chicago marathon and the path it takes throughout the city and then research the effect the path the marathon has on the neighborhoods it goes through. Specifically, I plan to run with different running clubs around the marathon route and learn why the club was formed and what running does for the members of the club. I am not for sure what direction this project will take, but I think I will enjoy getting to experience the running firsthand! OH and did I mention that I will be running the Chicago Marathon for the first time in October?!!? I am SO excited! And nervous J

I will try and post more this week!

Author: Maria W