Phillip Robinson Memorial Scholarship

As a recovered addict and alcoholic, I have had many run-ins with the criminal justice system back when I was using and wrecking my life. You might assume at this statement, that I would naturally be negatively biased towards criminal justice as an institution. But that's where the miracle happened for me. Each time I was arrested, my self-worth was destroyed. Incarceration changes you, and hardens you. But then a ray of sunshine in the form of my criminal defense attorney came to visit me in jail. He treated me like the human being I no longer felt I deserved to be. He gave me hope and became my advocate in several charges when I had felt so lost and alone facing what I had done. In each of my dozen arrests, there was one thing in common. Each time, no matter how out of control I had become, officers, paramedics, hospital staff dealing with my overdoses, and professionals showed me compassion when I didn't deserve it. My mind began to change and open up, and I realized that these people who step in to advocate for those who are lost in the criminal justice process play a huge part in reminding the accused of their humanity. I knew I needed to become a part of this system, to take my own experiences and struggles and use them for good. I must become an advocate for someone facing criminal charges who feels lost and alone. I will pursue my dream of becoming a criminal defense attorney and I will find a way to give a voice to those who have lost their own. My specific goal includes finding programs and pro-bono work that allows me to work with drug addicts and alcoholics, give back to the system that gave me back myself, and set me on a path to sobriety. My experiences, my tattoos, and my heart will reach those who believe nobody could understand. I will reach those who are lost, and change the stigma around the criminal justice system. I will work towards reform and rehabilitative goals of deterrence and find a way when all seems lost. I plan on bringing hope and attention to those affected by addiction and seek new and innovative ways of resolving criminal charges in rehabilitative ways that effectively give my future clients hope. Addiction is a disease of the brain, and the justice system could use more attention to how we handle drug-related offenses. Maybe one day, restorative methods built to help instead of hurt so that future crimes involving drugs are no longer a statistic or an expectation.