Capstone Project Highlight Series: Jalyn McRae ’21

Each year, a number of junior and senior class members choose to participate in the MFS Capstone Program. Designed to challenge students who wish to pursue advanced study in a particular field, the program asks participants to produce scholarly work by engaging in independent research and/or creative development under the guidance of an MFS faculty member. This series highlights recently completed projects of the 18 senior students in the program. 

“For generations, minorities, and particularly African Americans, [have been] viewed as individuals who are not capable of becoming successful. This preconceived belief, as well as stereotypes that depict members of minority groups as dangerous or as a threat, has caused so many young minorities to become victims of the criminal justice system.” Jalyn McRae ’21 wanted to understand why that is. More specifically, she wanted to understand why America’s underprivileged minority youth are negatively affected by the criminal justice system and why this has been an ongoing theme in our country’s history. 

Jalyn’s capstone project offered the opportunity to delve into the criminal justice system and take a deeper look at the inequalities minority groups face and how she could bring awareness to the topic. As part of her research, Jalyn interviewed three professionals – a labor and employment lawyer, a federal prosecutor, and an anti-poverty network activist – who all discussed barriers to justice including lack of education, living environments, and lack of adult supervision. In addition to the lack of access to summer programs, after school programs, and sports in low-income areas, these many “unequal opportunities make it almost impossible for [children] to not fall victim to crime and eventually become members of the juvenile justice system.” 

After identifying themes noted by her interviewee’s, Jalyn researched the criminal justice system as a whole, the statistics on incarceration rates – specifically those separating out rates among men and women and among different ethnic groups – and then the case studies of a number of wrongfully convicted minorities including Kalief Browder, Rodney Roberts, Troy Davis, and the Central Park 5. Her research, as well as the stories of the nine victims she cites, shows “how the incarceration of young minorities is a trend in our country and how our prison systems and government officials are mentally and physically damaging these victims.” However it also highlights that “many people in the world are fighting to stop this trend and help our minority youth not become involved in the system and provide them with resources and fair representation in life and in courtrooms.” Jalyn’s goal is to implement programs that focus on helping youth at high risk turn their focus to education and self-awareness. Read more about her research on her capstone page here.