*BostonBlueHen

Week Seven

This week, I only interned on Tuesday since I was going down to Delaware for homecoming weekend Friday-Sunday.  Tuesday I spent the first few hours working on my database entry aiming to finish it. Around 11 am an agent came in telling me about a database project he had for me that was a high priority. It took precedence over the ongoing project I've been working on. I worked on that until about 3 PM, and finished it. I worked and finished the ongoing database project I had until work ended!

 I was so determined to finish my project, especially since I wouldn't be in on Friday. When I was given the other project, I was at first thinking "No!!" because I am very much someone who likes to complete one project and begin another. But of course I was enthusiastic and understood that a project of high priority is the priority! Luckily, the project was pretty simple, just some more database work, not data entry. This project was 3 different spreadsheets for 3 different doctors. I had to go through each one to delete repeat patient names and make a simple list of patients for each doctor. Each database had several hundred to a few thousand entries. It just took some sorting and deleting to simplify the lists.

I was happy to get that project done, and to be able to finish my big project! I worked really hard all day, and diligently so I could complete everything successfully and in time. My supervisor seemed happy with me and noticed how hard I was working and how much I accomplished that day! It also made me think how that is how work goes sometimes: just when you're about to complete a project, another more important is assigned to you and you must be flexible! Sometimes we must juggle more than one project at a time. It was a good professional experience for me.

Class on Thursday was fine. We discussed an excerpt from "Angry Young Men" by Aaron Kipnis. The author was a former gang member who had spent a lot of his childhood and adolescence in foster care and institutions. The book mainly focused on how our communities could better deal with "angry young men" rather than incarcerating them. We discussed the reading in class as usual. Our professor wasn't requiring us to write a paper on this reading, which was great since I had a busy weekend ahead!

Week Six!

.Hello there!

Nothing too crazy to report on my internship. Just like a real job, there are down, busy times. I have been assigned a big database entry project of entering in information related to a case. Basically, I have a stack of 594 copies of checks, and for each check I need to enter in: Account Number, Check #, Date check is written, Payee, Notes, Signature, Endorser, Cashed (yes or no) and Date Captured from the bank. It takes a while!! So Tuesday and Friday I spent my days working on the project and chipping away at my big stack of 594 papers!

Class was fine on Thursday. Our book was Crime, Justice, and the Media by Ray Surette. I had a heck of a time with this book--but it was my fault! I waited too late to buy it on line, so my book didn't come until the day I had class (when I was already in Boston!) So I spent the previous week reading the copy of the book at the library, and copying chapters out of the book to read. Luckily, the Suffolk library is required to have each book a professor assigns as a Course Reserve book. You can take the book out to use for 2 hours at a time, but cannot remove it from the library. So I would copy 2 or 3 chapters at a time to bring home and read. I hated wasting the paper but I had to get the work done in time for class, and my book was a no show. Lesson learned: Order all books at beginning of semester so you will have them when you need them. Ironically, I never made this mistake before, and it's kind of funny that I learned it my final semester in school Oh well!

In class we discussed the impact of media on the criminal justice system and all those involved such as: criminal justice professionals, corrections, law enforcement, the courts, etc. It was interesting to consider how the media affects our perception of crime, our fear of being a victim, how we perceive victims and offenders, etc. The book was "text booky" but was pretty valuable to the criminal justice program. In class we agreed that a whole class could be created on Media and Criminal Justice. Perhaps in the future they will have one!

Week Five

Tuesday the majority of my day was spent reading and editing Interview Reports. Almost all of these reports pertained to the  case that I got to hear the briefing on and attend the search warrant for. I also worked more on the database that the agent had given me the previous week. When I sent her the finished product, she said not only was it how she wanted it, but she said it also substantiates what she speculated was going on. She also mentioned if I have more down time, she thinks she has more projects for me.  I spent the final two hours of the day working on some data entry for another agent.  It will be the kind of project that I will work on whenever I have down time.

Friday I spent most of the first half of the day working on the data entry database, slowly chipping away at it! Later in the afternoon, I went with an agent with the aim of interviewing a doctor who may be involved in some questionable work. However, the doctor was busy and we will try another time. Spent the remainder of the day working on the same database.

This week, I took my essay exam in class. We had to answer four questions. I wrote steadily for a solid hour and a half. I filled a whole blue book, and had to run over onto the inside cover-lots of writing! But I feel confident that I did well on the exam.  Also, it was nice to get out of class an hour early...a plus to having an exam!  Oh, and I got an A on my first paper in the class...will keep you updated on my exam grade, etc.

Have a nice weekend... let's hope for clear skies!