Day I: 05/10/2022

 Katharine Alfond

Senior Project


    Today, Tuesday, May 10th, I stepped into the Jefferson County Remington building, for my first day. It was 7:30 A.M. and although I was tired, I had no problem being able to feel awake, as I was excited and intrigued to see what my days would consist of.  I am currently interning with a probation officer, but within my first hour, I would be introduced and learning about all branches. At around  9:25, Officer Jimenez and I went on to Webex, and I sat in on two court hearings with Human Services. 

    One was a woman and mother who has struggled with domestic violence and drug abuse. Due to her addiction and unsustainable living environment and partner at the time, three of her children have been taken. However, through inpatient treatment, rehab, and self reflection, she has proven to be fit enough to keep her baby. This call served as a check-in, as well as offering more structure to guide her off of probation. 

    The second call was A Family Engagement Meeting.  to monitor another woman and mother, who struggled with heavy alcohol and cocaine abuse. Her children were taken, and she is currently living in a house. She has been working to get her three children back, however, has been struggling with relapsing. This call was served as a call to review treatment plan and progress for the Family Integrated Court Team (FIT).  


Afterwards, I sat in on an hour long webinar covered by Dr. Ashley Haynes, "Novel Psychoactive Substances." In this webinar, I learned about:

- Demographics of drug use

- Online drug codes

-NBOMe 2c (the backbone for opioids),

-MDMA

-Synthetic Cannabinoid

-Relationships between Psychosis, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar disorder

-Results in with-drawls from synthetic drugs

- The rise of Acetylfentanyl and Metonzitazene 

As well as the five-step forecast to drugs on the rise:

i. Availability

ii. Costs: legal/other

iii. Price & Subjective experience 

iv. Dependance potential 

v. Ease of acquisition


Finally, to wrap up my day, I was able to witness a PSI (Pre-sentencing Investigation).

This was unique and quite heavy. 

The defendant has been charged with the "internet luring of a 13 year old child." He was 28-years old, accompanied at home by a wife and two kids. He had been lured by investigators on an app called Kik. He had been messaging woman sexually on the app, and fell into a trap. The user (investigator) began messaging him and continued saying "I am 13" and the defendant perused the conversation. Once caught, he seemed to take full responsibility for his actions, and has been working compliantly with the investigators and officers. The defendant is now registering to be a Sex Offender, and has to begin his probation. The Defendant is scheduled for court in June. 


Overall, it was a very busy and interesting first day. I was in from 7:30-3:00, covering 7.5 hour. I am quite exhausted, but I am so excited for what these next weeks will bring for me. I have been fascinated with the world of criminal justice and psychology for a very long time. So being able to see in real time how these cases get handled instead of it is portrayed in Criminal Minds or Law & order, was very good for me to see. 

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