Ripple Effects

For the past three weeks, I have observed the same family (a mother and her three children who appear to be around the ages of 16, 13, and 8) arrive at around 9 am and wait for over an hour in the courtroom. Every time the officer asks the family why they are at court, the oldest son tells the officer the name of his father who is an inmate at the Dutchess County jail. From my court observation forms, I noted that the father has been charged with aggravated assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon.

Each week it’s the same routine. The family waits patiently until the jail arrives with the inmates on the court’s docket. The moment these defendants begin stepping out from the corridor and before the judge, the family moves anxiously in their seats. Finally, when their loved one enters the courtroom, they each crane their necks to get a glimpse of him as he stands behind the armed police officers. The defendant searches the crowd and returns his family’s gaze with a soft smile and wave.

Within minutes, the defendant is guided out of the courtroom. He looks over his shoulder before disappearing into the other room. The mother tells her youngest to wave goodbye to his father, and then they all get up to leave. 

From the three days I have observed this family, they have waited over an hour and a half for a case that lasts only a couple of minutes. One week, the case was brought to a close in less than a minute. By the third Tuesday that I observed the entire family present, I wondered what the family’s other responsibilities were. Did the children have school? Did the mother have work? It is clear how important it is for the children to see their father, and the mother her husband, however, the children appeared to be of school age, and given the father’s current incarceration, it seemed necessary for the mother to work. 

Throughout my months of court watching, I have overheard numerous defendants complain about having to miss work to be at court. Each defendant’s life is interrupted by these endless court dates and necessary appearances. These interruptions, however, do not only affect the individual defendant. Family members are also deeply affected by a loved one’s confrontation with the criminal justice system, and this particular family’s consistent presence at court demonstrates this. They are likely missing school and work to be at court to be present for their loved one even if it is only for a couple of minutes. Missing work means a loss of income, and missing school results in falling behind in classes. With each court date, these losses grow to have greater consequences for the family. How does one balance the emotional and physical stress of having a family member trapped in the legal system while also supporting a life outside?