by JWoo
Our March meetings started by continuing our journey through Jennifer Lackey’s Criminal Testimonial Injustice. Chapter three addresses ways in which the epistemic agency of eyewitnesses is undermined by investigators when testimony is extracted. The chapter discusses many ways that interrogators and other police representatives exert undue influence over eyewitnesses, including leading them to make statements or identify particular people in lineups. This undue influence took many forms like threats to remove children from an eyewitness’s home for failure to comply, to manipulation of lineups so that only one person even resembles the established description, to outright coercion.
Community members compared these different methods and the institutions and policies that have allowed this to continue, like the lack of accountability for an interrogator who has overstepped. We also discussed alternative interrogation practices from other countries that avoid many of the pitfalls of the process so prevalent in the US.
Our second meeting stepped away from our planned topic to address a proposal for a new program for incarcerated youth, led by incarcerated adults, that inside members were drafting and planning to formally propose to the prison administration soon. The program is aimed at incarcerated youth who have little motivation or skills to try to change themselves. A key feature of this program is offering incarcerated youth credible messengers that change is possible and desirable. Our discussion was aimed at supplying constructive criticisms, guidance in potential opportunities, and the shaping out of wrinkles in the process.
Our separate projects continue to move forward. The Abolition Writing Group is editing our contribution to the Abolitionist Worldmaking book, and it’s filling out amazingly. The Creative Arts group has completed a compilation of material for another edition of our ‘zine. Our Oral History group was informed that our podcast proposal was rejected and is awaiting feedback from that process to determine how we will move forward with an oral history project. Moving forward, we will complete Lackey’s book in anticipation of her visit in April, submit our book chapter for review, release of a second issue of our ‘zine, and conduct interviews about restorative justice practices and potential.
