360degrees.org: Criminal Justice, Unfiltered
by Jeff Mellen
360degrees.org is an ambitious, well-designed social activism project
that shines in what content it has, but ultimately suffers from its
incompleteness. Developed by Picture Projects, Inc., a publicly
funded group that seeks to "create online spaces for voices traditionally
overlooked by mainstream media," 360degrees offers an uncut view
of the criminal justice system, from both the inside and the outside.
The most powerful and thought-provoking section in 360degrees is
its "Stories" section. Developed in partnership with
National Public Radio, the stories contain first-person dialogues
from inmates, wardens, attorneys, and crime victims. For each
narrator, we can hear their voice and get a 360-degree view of their
work or living space through Quicktime VR. Right now, there
are two central stories-- that surrounding James Mills III, a young
man serving eight years for armed robbery in a youth detention center
in North Carolina, and Cristel, a 17 year-old girl who had served
three years in a Rhode Island girls detention center for viciously
slashing a 13 year-old student's face. Each story revolves around
the crime and the facility itself. In Mills' story, a security
guard and warden give their opinions as to the rehabilitative value
of prisons (in their estimation, very little), Mills himself describes
his cell and what he does, and Mills' mother sadly surmises her son's
situation. Cristel talks about how the crime still haunts her
in her nightmares, while her victim, now a high school senior in Rhode
Island, describes her room, her friends, and how she feels satisfied
that she has been able to live a normal life while her assailant has
been locked up.
Although these first-person narratives are the best part of the site,
there is interesting additional content. For example, you can
take a quiz to determine whether or not you've ever committed a crime
that is worth incarceration. There is also an informal survey
as to the nature of crime and its causes, a criminal justice timeline
dating back to 600, and a message board to discuss the individual
stories, the system in general, and what can be done to tackle crime
in America.
What's there does a good job in raising fundamental questions about
America's exploding and segregated criminal justice system.
However, the site does suffer from its incompleteness. Eight
stories are promised; having only two there hurts a little bit.
In the "Dynamic Data" section, only two of the five categories
have been completed. Other facets of the site, such as targeted
message boards and forums, are still in development. Finally,
the timeline has only been completed up until 1945; the meat of today's
problem-- a quadrupling of the prison population since 1980-- is not
covered. The site's case will be stronger with more content.
Still, 360degrees.org is an innovative and thought-provoking exercise
in social activism, and should be applauded as such. Let's hope
that Picture Project's sponsors allow the site to grow to its fruition.