Akila Couloumbis Memorial Scholarship for Social Justice

1. What social issue facing the US most concerns you? One of the most concerning social issues facing the US is the incarceration of Black and Brown people at astoundingly higher rates than people of other races, in spite of data that shows that Black and Brown people commit certain crimes at far lower rates than people who are white, for example. 2. What is necessary to create a system that operates "with liberty and justice for all"? Unfortunately, there is much that must change to have a justice system that operates with liberty and justice for all. For one, state public defenders should be paid the same salaries as state prosecutors. Where I live in Broward County, FL, for example, state public defenders make markedly lower salaries than prosecutors which is a huge issue as both prosecutors and public defenders -- particularly public defenders -- are who uphold the justice system. We also need progressive prosecution offices and sweeping criminal justice reform. Criminal justice reform must start from the ground up and include better educational initiatives for students, especially those struggling in school, more training and regulation of local police departments so that law enforcement is more equitable, progressive reforms in prosecution offices to promote rehabilitation over imprisonment, and a more of a focus on restorative justice, especially for minors and young adults accused of committing crimes. 3. What work do you propose to do and how will it be impactful? I propose to do study in my time in law school on how the foster care system and criminal justice system intertwine and how the justice system can better prevent, support, and help children in the foster care system from being involved in the criminal justice system and how they can avoid recidivism. 4. What findings or outcomes would be most important and how will you evaluate the success of your research project or program? It will be important to see at what rates children in the foster care system are charged with crimes compared with other minors, and which types of crimes foster children are most commonly charged with. These findings would be able to help pinpoint where foster children need more support, and the types of crimes committed could also reveal importing findings about their environments and additional support they need to lead healthy lives.