One term down, two to go (well, almost)!

After a few whirlwind months, I am almost done with my first term at Oxford (I have one final exam on January 17th for one class...cruel I know)! The first week of the new year has given me an opportunity to reflect on my first few months here and begin setting goals for the months to come.

As with anything, there are things I love and things I dislike about my experience at Oxford. On the positive front, I love my course of study, the town of Oxford, and the space I have to read, write, and study. Studying criminology is absolutely fascinating. Based on a recommendation from one of my professors, I am reading a book for fun called "Criminology Goes to the Movies." Each chapter discusses a different movie that highlights a theory on why someone commits crime. For example, watching Double Indemnity (1944) underscores the rational actor theory of crime which postulates that people commit crime because they have considered the pros and cons and have concluded there are compelling rational reasons (like cashing in on a life insurance policy) to commit a crime. However, movies like Frankenstein (1931), Psycho (1960), and Thelma and Louise (1991), all posit radically different theories of criminal behavior. Each one has their merits, and their flaws, and I am left concluding that the reasons why people commit crime are many and complicated. But I think there is always a reason, if you look hard enough.

As a town, Oxford is absolutely stunning with many cafes, restaurants, pubs, bookstores, coffee shops, and cute shops. It's quite a touristy place which can result in a crowded city center, but I love the energy and vitality. I do most of my work in cafes and coffee shops and have even started drinking tea - something I never thought I would actually enjoy (side note: a friend sent me an article on the psychological benefits of drinking tea – and offering tea to others – which you can read here if you are so inclined). One surprising observation is that people do in fact work in pubs. I often see people with beer or wine reading philosophy or writing essays on a Friday night with other rowdy intoxicated patrons hovering just feet away. Only in Oxford.

On the less glamorous side, I do have some complaints about my time here. I will keep it short, but I always think it's important to be forthcoming about the more mundane down moments that we all have here and there. One of my frustrations with the year is the lack of structure of my course. With such little class time and no assignments throughout the term (just final essays), I find it difficult to organize my work schedule to efficiently complete my readings. Additionally, while my course-mates have organized discussion groups outside of class, I do wish that my program organized faculty lead discussions that would give me more time to discuss and process the hundreds of pages of reading completed every week. In this regard, I am most apprehensive about the final term (April – June) because the entire 8 weeks consist of unstructured time set aside for writing my dissertation. While I know writing 60+ pages of academic text will be time consuming, I also know I do my best work when I am busy and stimulated with other activities and pursuits as well. But I’ll figure it out!

Another issue that affects me more than I would like is my slight commute compounded by the English weather. As a graduate student, I am housed about a mile from city center. On the rare sunny, slightly less freezing day, my bike into town is beautiful. However, during the winter, with constant rain, temperatures in the mid 30s, and sunlight for just 7 hours a day, leaving my accommodation can be daunting. However, by taking the bus more frequently and just "sucking it up" on certain days, I am figuring out ways to make it work. Admittedly, in the scheme of things, this is a minor complaint.

I figured I would wrap up this post by expanding a bit on my essays this term to give you a bit of insight into what I’m actually doing and the kinds of things I am thinking about during this year! My first term mainly concluded with three essays (3500-4500 words each) for the courses "Prisons," "Theorizing Punishment," and "Research Design and Data Collection." The essays for the first two classes are the most interesting to discuss here (I promise you aren't missing much regarding the research design essay).

For “Theorizing Punishment,” I wrote a paper titled “A Punishing Democracy: Punishment in America undermines democracy, but it doesn’t have to.” My thesis is that current punishment structures within the American criminal justice system undermine democracy by legally stripping Americans of their citizenship and destabilizing the intimate state-citizen relationship. However, there is potential for re-imagined inclusive modes of punishment – such as restorative justice practices and punishment schemes designed with input from offenders – which could bolster democracy thus reversing the current trend in the U.S. I explore the relationship between democracy and punishment and argue that punishment in America excludes the punished from society. However, punishment doesn’t necessarily need to exclude people if we are willing to reconsider what punishment looks like and how it works. For example, restorative justice practices allow defendants to be active and participate in their own punishment by giving them an opportunity to take responsibility, apologize, and then come up with a plan for the future that may involve attending therapy, doing community service, paying restitution, etc. By bringing defendants into the process of punishment, the system is able to teach some of the most vulnerable citizens the values of active participatory citizenship and, in turn, democracy.

I also loved writing my essay for “Prisons” which focused on the “pains of imprisonment,” how said pains affect people differently depending on who they are and their circumstances, and ultimately argued that the criminal justice systems’ use of sentence length as a measure of punishment severity is wrong. I focus on three main “pains of imprisonment: (1) the isolation from family, friends, and society (2) compromised healthcare inclusive of mental health and (3) the stigma and degradation of being incarcerated. Of course, these pains are not felt the same by everyone. For instance, a teenager incarcerated from 15-17 may find that being isolated from family and friends feels much more painful than a man in his 40s incarcerated from 45-47, despite both spending two years in prison. The teenager misses critical years of development with family and friends and may have a much tougher time getting their life back on track than the middle-aged man. Such an example destabilizes any notion that sentence length is somehow a direct translation of severity. This realization leads me to conclude that, along with reconsidering what punishment actually looks like, we must factor in how such punishments will affect the individual based on their individual factors. The “one size fits all” approach (i.e. prison sentences) lacks a rational defense.

Hopefully some of that was interesting, and if you’re curious to learn more I am always happy to send along my essays or expand on my ideas. Just ask! Also, I will be writing more regularly now that school is starting back up so stay tuned. For now, I’m back to studying for this next exam and enjoying the last week or so of break. Happy New Year and see you next time!

Izak

(A Picture of the Christmas Market in Oxford this winter)!