Assignment Task:
So, for this blog post, first read "No One Is Watching: Jail In Upstate New York," and then answer the following questions in about 2-3 paragraphs. Maybe even imagine how you would go about conducting this sort of research for someplace in Illinois or Indiana that you're familiar with (the city in this article is very close to where I grew up):
1) Who was the sheriff of Montgomery County, NY at this time, and how did he explain the high incarceration rate in the jail?
2) How did Judge Aison explain the high incarceration rate in Montgomery County? Did he play a role in this, according to him?
3) What is the new judge's view on Montgomery County's incarceration rate and her role as a judge? How might this impact the county's incarceration rate?
4) Jail incarceration data in many places does not accurately measure Latino/Hispanic incarceration. For example, if you were to look at the data for Montgomery County, it would "show" you that Latino/Hispanic incarceration is not high, but is in fact close to zero. Would you believe this, after having read this article? Why or why not?
5) At the end of the article, what do you think Judge Aison trying to say about the role of local newspapers in the criminal justice system?