Sophie Walker
Court Watch NYC
New York, NY
My name is Sophie Walker and I am a junior at Gallatin. This summer I will be interning with Court Watch NYC, a collaborative project with the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, 5 Boro Defenders, and VOCAL-NY (Voices of Community Activists and Leaders). Court Watch works to abolish money bail, end mass incarceration, hold elected officials and prosecutors accountable, and create more transparency in the New York City criminal justice system. Through organizing a consistent presence of court watchers in arraignments to collect qualitative and quantitative data, Court Watch works to hold district attorney’s accountable and amplify narratives that are underrepresented in the media.
I began volunteering with Court Watch in October after volunteering in other court systems and reading about Court Watch in a newsletter. A few months before I read Josie Duffy Rice’s article, “Prosecutors Aren’t Just Enforcing the Law— They’re Making It,” and then listened to Rice on The Appeal podcast, Episode 1: “District Attorneys Are the Most Powerful People You’ve Never Heard Of.” I had no awareness of the scope of their role prior to this.
District attorneys (DAs) are elected officials that have great impact and influence in their jurisdiction (and beyond). There are five DAs in New York City (one in every borough), and they each have unique perspectives on the criminal justice system. Some things they are responsible for include deciding what charges and individuals to prosecute, requesting bail, remand (detaining a person until their trial), or consenting to a person’s release on their own recognizance. They have a lot of say in day-to-day proceedings in court.
Though I have lived in New York City for most of my life, I, as a privileged white woman, have unsurprisingly had little contact with the criminal justice system. I was not aware of the scope of the different systems and industries that make up the prison industrial complex (commercial organizations and state/government agencies). I was not aware of how being arrested affects a person’s immigration status and parental rights, and I had no idea that the majority of people on Rikers are detained because they cannot pay cash bail.
This summer I will be learning about and contributing to Court Watch’s organizing efforts for the Queens district attorney campaign (June 25). It’s a huge event, because the prior DA, Richard Brown, held the position for almost 28 years. Additionally, I will be working on an accessibility campaign and ongoing efforts to end cash bail. While I am not yet sure what my position involves day-to-day, I am excited to begin!