fandomhigh | DETENTION Saturday

ETA: ~~Mun jst got horrible news and will be AFK for a bit. I'm sure you can tell this is a pretty loose detention. Just don't blow anything up. I'll be back later to release you.~~ I'm back. Play this funny for me, ok? I need cheered up.

Visitors are welcome during LUNCH only.

The Danger Room has been programmed to resemble the press briefing room at the White House. On each chair is the student's name on an etched brass plaque. Make sure you only sit in the chair with your name on it.

At the ends of each rows are thick folders rubber banded to a large stack of books. Behind the lectern is a white pull down screen covering the seal of the United States of America.

CJ stands at the lectern, wearing her glasses. She looks up as the students enter the room and checks their name off the list.

Honor System, Gang. If YOU know you have detention, please serve it. Not all the teachers submitted information, or else there were late additions. Thanks.

demon_belthazor

joan_not_jane

kimberly_shaw

mparker16-

jayne_serenity

nightsmoonchild

teen_twin

2ls_in_oneill

chosenslayer_

psycho_jackass

future_visions

veronicamars1

egyptianlove

jayne_serenity

alchemy_4_arson

futurebucs_star

valentine_tart

sogothcally

Ok. It's Saturday. It's detention. I'm supposed to mention about your wicked, wicked ways...yeah, not going to do that. Work harder. Quit screwing around. In some misguided attempt to keep you all sane and alive I signed up for this gig, so let's make the best of a bad situation, and make CJ happy, ok? [She smiles]

All right gang, this is going to be as painless or as painful as you choose for it to be. I want you in groups of not more than four. You each have a different stack of information. These are reports that are sent to the government so we can decide what to give money to. We had an intern, Winnie, and she's read them all and briefed me on them.

Your detention, since most of you are here for not doing your homework, is to consolidate the information, come up with a coherant presentation, and then get up here and present your findings to the rest of us. If you do it well, single moms and garbagemen get to keep on making a living. If not, you damage the environment, poison the masses, and generally create hell on Earth and destroy our noble Democracy as we know it.

But first, we're going to watch a couple films to help orient you to politics as I know and love them.

[Walks to the back, flips off the lights, and starts an old fashioned reel projector. Footage of the Kennedy-Nixon debates flashes on the screen at the front of the room and the lights dim so they can watch.]

I will post sub threads for different detention activities through the day.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Don't you think that money would be better spent on preventing crime? Our police departments are underbudgeted and understaffed."

Parker shrugs. "Economically speaking, this report says it's $2000 a year for the program per inmate, but $32,000 a year to keep them in jail if they go back after release. Seems like a good deal to me." She's still reading, and now looks up, thoughtful. "On the other hand, I think this critic (http://www.house.gov/fossella/Press/press2004/pr_040106_freecollege.html) has a point when he says that violent criminals like rapists and some murderers don't deserve consideration, especially when other low-income families are having trouble getting money for college."

Parker rubs her eyes. "Gah. What's the exact *purpose* of the damn grant, anyway?" She flips through the report, looking for the definitions.

Veronica finds something (http://www.collegeboard.com/article/0,3868,6-30-0-36318,00.html).

"Says here its one of the numerous potential sources of financial aid for college students is a Federal Pell Grant. This grant is a form of need-based financial aid, and unlike a loan, the money does not have to be repaid."

Parker finds that section, then quotes: "he amount of the grant depends on both the student's EFC and several other factors. These factors are the student's cost of attendance (tuition and fees, room and board, books, supplies, and so on) and the amount of time the student attends school (whether the student goes to school for a full academic year or less and whether the student is full-time or part-time)."

She frowns. "They've already got room and board. So it's just the cost of teachers and materials that is being subsidized. Again, not a bad deal." Parker makes a face. "It annoys me. It irritates me that criminals get this kind of deal. But the results (http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:02pXaq5uZtIJ:www.reentrypolicy.org/documents/stats-education-vocational-employment.pdf+recidivism+statistics+convicts+education+&hl=en&client=firefox-a) seem to bear it out..."

"It still seems wrong though. I wonder how many high school seniors don't get to go to college because their scholarship went to an inmate?"

[ooc: and i wonder exactly what type of presentation we're supposed to give...]

Connor, who has been quickly reading over the information while the girls talked, finally speaks up.

"Seems to me the money might be better spent in prevention. Not necessarilly the police departments. In the schools. Where it will reach these kids who are predisposed to violence and crime. A lot of crime is committed by young adults who feel they've got nothing, no other resources, no way out of what is to them a hopeless situation. They act out with violence because violence gets results, people notice violence, and even if nothing changes, the offender has made a name for him or herself.

"Get to them while they're still in school. Give them options. Music programs, art, self defense classes, anger management and financial planning. Job skills, inter personal skills, can all be taught. It takes time and it takes money, but it's not impossible."

Veronica nods.

"I agree." She thinks about how absolutely psychotic Aaron is though. "It wouldn't prevent the real psychopaths, but it should help those who just make poor choices," she amends.

:"Exactly. Strong inner-school programs have the advantage of building up the ones who aren't predispoased to violence nad crime, which in turn helps determine just who is truly at risk for illegal behaviors."

"So once they're in jail, we give up on them?" Parker says. "Not that I think you're wrong, necessarily. We need more money in the early education process, not after it's failed. But...."

"Well, no. Just...you know. Use inner school programs to weed out the victims of circumstance. The ones who are left, who enter the prison system despite the attempt to help them before the crime happens, they can still benefit from a prison education. There should be some money allotted to that. It's not one or the other, really. But I feel like more effort should go in to prevention."

Fair enough. I'm going to ask C.J. what kind of presentation we need to do."

_{[and start a new thread under here (http://www.livejournal.com/community/fandomhigh/255494.html?thread=12499462#t12499462).}

_{[new discussion/silliness-presentation thread here (http://www.livejournal.com/community/fandomhigh/255494.html?thread=12499462#t12499462)}

"There is that." Parker grimaces. "Wait. Is that how the program's set up?" She flips through again.

_{[[damn good question. I may go ping C.J., hang on.]]}

DETENTION Saturday

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