Losing Faith In Our Court System

Donyelle Hall was living a normal life, trying to further her career and staying out of trouble until one faithful night she was arrested for drunk driving. This caused a domino effect in the worst of ways for her, as Donyelle Hall’s life was impacted in an incredibly negative way as a result of her experience with probation and the criminal justice system. There were many things that went wrong with her experience and seldom that went right or well for her, especially considering a majority of the bad things could have been prevented had she been sent to a specialized court due to their ability to handle her case better. With her unfortunate introduction to the criminal justice system and all that went array for her on probation, a specialized court would have benefited her tremendously and saved her from all the issues she faced and still may face in the future.

Being introduced to the criminal justice system and probation was something Donyelle Hall never expected, considering she had no previous convictions prior to this one. However, she soon found herself drowning in court, probation and alcohol education courses, which was altogether “$385 a month, her lawyer’s fee of $1, 500, fines and court costs totaling $252. 50 and the $2, 000 bail bond”. Not only that, she struggled with finding a job that was within distance as her license was suspended and she was unable to continue at her job some 20 miles away. In addition, she had multiple conditions for her probation, some of which seemed highly restrictive and unnecessary given this was her first offense. As a result, she was unable to move without permission even when her apartment became infested with rats, garnering her a trip to see the judge for violating a condition of her probation. This and various other situations she found herself in as a result of her probation were parts that went horribly wrong. Eventually, she was sent to jail for not having documentation of attending her Alcoholic Anonymous. Donyelle Hall was in jail for 32 days before finally being released. However, even if she wanted to put it all behind her, she was unable to because “she still owed $1, 806. 97 to the state Division of Parole and Probation”. Overall, her experience with the criminal justice system and probation was negative from the very beginning, with no end in sight and only getting worse as time passed.

A diversion into a specialized court would have made a significant difference in her case due to the fact that the specialized courts attempt to look at the crime as a result of their addiction which decriminalizes their behavior and allows them to pursue treatment rather than be sent to jail or placed on probation. When an individual is sent to specialized court and the behavior is decriminalized, “punitive sanctions are decreased because the person exhibiting the deviant behavior is now defined as ‘sick’ instead of ‘bad’”. This, in addition to having a judge that was more understanding and not as bias as Judge Gordon-which it appeared she was in regard to drunk drivers due to being hit by one-would have most likely allowed Mrs. Hall to face far less harsh conditions and not have a criminal record. A strong focus on rehabilitation would have been more beneficial for Mrs. Hall and would have allowed her to go back to her life without any serious repercussions, yet with the knowledge that she should not repeat her behavior. There were many things that went wrong with Mrs. Hall’s experience with probation and they are sure to have a lasting impact on both her and her husband. Cases like these are the ones that cause people to believe that the system does not work and they lose faith. And yet, specialized courts help immensely with these cases, which is something jaded individuals may not have experienced. Mrs. Hall’s experience is not unique, but it is something that others may be able to avoid with the help of specialized courts. Not everyone has to lose faith in our system.