Multidimesnsional Project (Scripted Interview)

 

Naomy Rodriguez

Professor Nargiza Matyakubova

ENG 201 Exploring Writing across the Disciplines

20 May 2022

Scripted Interview

Background information: Kathy Urena (Retired detective) More info will be provided later

1.     Do you believe those who were incarcerated have a shot at redemption?

a.      “Well, this is really a tough question,

and it is also very circumstantial. I do believe most people could change if given the right resources and the right sort of help just to say. But there are some others that if I see them on the street, I will do my best to avoid that street. No one is paying me to go there.”

2.     To the best of your knowledge, do you think prisoners receive enough resources for redemption?

a.      “To my knowledge, they do. Here in New York City at least but I cannot speak country wide. There are a lot of programs here in the city that are designed to help ex-convicts.”

3.     Do you know anyone that has been “reformed” by any rehabilitation program?

a.      “I’ve seen many teens do horrible things. Dealing drugs, using them, and even hurting people just for fun. To get a kick out of things. Most of them do these things because of the environment they grow up in. They think its normal. There was this one boy in particular. He was just 13. His mom was an addict, and he had a deadbeat father. He was always getting into trouble. After much counseling he joined a youth group, and he was able to turn his life around. He now attends UPEN and is an honors student.

4.     What’s the main flaw in the justice system?

a.      “Racism definitely and racial profiling.”

5.     What is one of the worst things you’ve seen in your entire career?

a.      “I’ve seen way too many to even count. But the one that haunts me every night was a little boy that shot his sister accidentally. His father was a former cop and had a gun. Gun safety and gun control is a huge issue in this country.”

6.     Do you think every crime was for a reason beyond a person’s control? As in do you think the way people grew up have some sort of effect on the crimes they commit?

a.      “Yes and no. Some people are just simply crazy and have no regard for others. They are almost not human. There are others that grew up poor or grew up with abusive parents, so they have to resort to crime to live day by day.”

7.     Do you think the attitudes of the general public towards ex-convicts have an effect on recidivism?

a.      “Yes definitely. If people constantly tell them they can’t change and tell them they will never be anything they will start believing it. It affects them mentally.”

8.     Why did you become an officer?

a.      “It was mix of a lot of things. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in life, but I also grew up in a neighborhood where crime was prevalent and I wanted to make a change from within the system.”

9.     Have you seen other cops committing crimes?

a.      “Sadly yes. Its truly f***king stupid. How are you going to be a cop, an enforcer of the law, but still do the things you are actively trying to battle. It hypocritical.”

10.  Is there anything you would change about the justice system?

a.      “There’s a lot I want to change. Way too much. They say justice is blind, but it really isn’t. I’d like to change the fairness of the system. I want people to be treated equally.”