“I felt unknowledgeable.”
A photograph that Jason provided of himself for the Court Listening Project archive.
Excerpt from an interview with Jason a defendant in the Hall of Justice in San Jose, CA in fall 2021.
Interviewer: Can you think about how you felt, uh, during court on the day that you appeared? And if you could tell people in power anything about their time in court, what would you share with them?
Jason: Power about what?
Interviewer: About your time in court. How you felt in court.
Jason: Well, in courts, I can say I felt unknowledgeable. That --that would be the first thing to say. Right? It was not our first time appearing in court. But I guess, um, it's been my first time in years appearing in court and also appearing in a difference --I've never appeared in California court before as well. So, I guess, maybe perhaps it's best that you provide somebody with something that maybe explains the court proceedings and what an arraignment is. And, you know, what can be accomplished at an arraignment? Or, you know, what are they going to ask? Or, you know, what's the point of this? You know, probably something more --I guess, maybe a pamphlet before everything goes down. You know, if I'm sitting in jail for a day or so --
Interviewer: Right.
Jason: Just something that I could sit there and let me read through.
Interviewer: Right.
Jason: You know, you know, to be, I guess, caught up on the options and, I guess, not be completely, dumb --
Interviewer: Uh huh.
Jason: When talking to an attorney. Right, so, you know, that's the big thing that I would probably say, right. And also, I believe there should be a way, if you're sitting there in prison just --or jail --just sitting there, there probably should be something that allows you to look through the penal code, right?
Interviewer: Right.
Jason: You know, just to be able to understand the laws and the laws you broke, right? As something to be able to help your, I guess, help your case and understand your case. So, I would say just a pamphlet on the actual court proceedings and the California Penal Code should be provided to people before the proceedings.
