Jennifer Hall, PhD

Currently reading and thinking about:

This book examines the interesting and heartbreaking life and history of Willie Bosket, Jr. Once considered the most dangerous inmate in New York State, Bosket was the reason that New York State lawmakers changed the laws to allow juveniles to be tried as adults. What’s interesting about this book though, is that it traces Willie’s lineage and makes connections to his ancestors and a broader conversation about America’s tradition of violence. Bosket never met his dad but both were convicted murderers and committed to the same institutions at the same ages. Overall, its a thought-provoking read on the interplay of nature and nurture. And a deep look into the institutions and systems that define the lives of the black poor and how they work.

Recently watched and thinking about:

How does poverty, race, gender and place culminate to determine the trajectory of individual lives? The story of the Central Park Five is a good place to begin to understand these issues. Five black and brown teenage boys in Harlem in the late 80s demonized by the press and railroaded by the justice system are convicted of the brutal rape and near-death of a wealthy white woman in Central Park despite overwhelming evidence to suggest that someone else was responsible. The police, the prosecution, and the press refused to believe that anyone else could be responsible. And even a decade later when a serial rapist and murderer confessed being the sole perpetrator crime, and the confession was confirmed by DNA evidence, the NYPD issued a report stating that they still stand by the coerced confessions and are confident that they apprehended the right offenders the first time. Disheartening and frustrating to be sure.

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