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Students Affected by Drug Presentation
By Katy Johnstone '10
STAFF WRITER

This semester, Sweet Briar students are getting an insider peek at the gritty details of life in the courtroom—and even behind bars. This world of drugs, crime, and abuse that seems so distant to many SBC students is brought to life by new Prof. Lawrence Janow, along with the help of police officers, psychologists, probation officers, law professors, as well as inmates themselves.

“I’m not a school superintendent or a police officer,” explains Prof. Janow, the instructor of the ‘Families, Juveniles, and the Law’ course. “It’s much more meaningful to students for them to hear from people who have actually been in these situations themselves.”

His philosophy was put into action on March 20, when a sheriff, an investigator, several additional police officers, and two handcuffed inmates from the Amherst County jail spoke to his six-person class of the perils and consequences of drug addiction.

Any assumption that the inmates were merely actors wearing costumes was quickly dispelled when each took her turn at the podium, a slideshow behind them displaying photographs taken throughout their lives. Candidly, the women explained how their former drug use consumed their lives—taking away their friends, family, job, and even the desire to live.

Despite their current situation, neither expressed a wish to have their old lives back.

“I wouldn’t have stopped unless I went to jail,” said Melanie Crouch, one of the inmates. “Probation didn’t work—I could still get crack.”

The other prisoner, Jessie Hammond, received an emotional surprise during the program when an additional speaker was announced—it was her teenage daughter Carrie. She looked on through wet eyes as Carrie quietly spoke about the hardships a drug-addicted and incarcerated mother inflicts on those around her.

The presentation also contained detailed descriptions of abused substances—both legal and illegal—and a glimpse into the life of a Lynchburg woman killed a decade ago as a result of drugs.

Prof. Janow is satisfied with the presentation and grateful that the event coordinators were willing to put on the program in its entirety for only six students. But, insists Sheriff L. J. Ayers, “We’ll speak for any number of people. If even one life is changed by our doing, we’ll be happy.”

The students also enjoyed the presentation, and appreciate the effort Prof. Janow has put into the course. “I thought the program was really impacting,” said first-year Kaitlin Keddy. “[The class] is insightful because sometimes a textbook isn’t real enough.”

While the class is intended to contribute towards a Government major or a minor in Law and Society, Prof. Janow believes it can be useful to many other students as well.

“I’ve tried to make the course compatible and helpful to majors in education, sociology, and psychology. There’s so much overlap.”

However, some students are disappointed that the class will not count towards their majors, though Prof. Janow hopes this will change.

Prof. Janow will return next fall, teaching a course on criminal law.