The client's background and trauma
The client is a 13-year-old boy named Tony. He lives with his 65-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Harjo. Tony’s trauma derives from the recent death of his mother, which means has left him despondent and disinterested in schooling. This is evidenced by the fact that his class performance has been on a steady decline since the death of his mother. The drop in his grades from As and Bs to Cs is clear proof that the trauma is taking its toll on his studies. Basing on the changes in his nature, it is rational to infer that Tony was very close to his mother and is not particularly happy or comfortable at his grandmother’s place where he moved following the demise of his mother. His situation is compounded by the fact that his biological father is serving a prison sentence. Evidently, Tony is still struggling to cope with the enormity of his loss and needs professional support to normalize.
Self-care techniques for a social worker
For Q2
A combination of hobbies and socializing would be the most appropriate self-care techniques that I would face as a social worker. I base my answer on the fact that I am naturally a highly sociable person who maintains a strong and active network of supportive peers. Besides, my understanding and experience of social work has helped me to appreciate the merits of social work to an extent that I regularly seek the intervention of my friends whenever I incur work-related stress. Concerning hobbies, I always listen to soothing music across the genres as one of my preferred way of relieving myself of stress. Music has always worked because it lulls me to sleep after a few hours after a few hours of a profoundly immersive experience.
The role of the criminal justice system in the client's life
For Q3
The criminal justice system has a profound role in my client’s life because his father is in prison and Tony’s paternity has unresolved legal issues. His father is serving a five-year sentence in Arizona after he was convicted for possessing drug paraphernalia. The confusion surrounding Tony’s paternity derives from the fact that the hospital registrar erroneously listed his mother’s first husband as Tony’s legal father. According to the lawyer that Mrs. Harjo consulted, the chances of Tony being adopted by his real father are very low because of the conviction. Therefore, Tony is unable to receive certain services and benefits. I would find the information to help the client from the official website of the criminal justice system with particular focus on a section of convicts and their families. One of the things that I would do to help the client to help the client is to find a way of correcting his paternity issues and formalizing his relationship with his biological father.
Questions about the rights of convicted persons and the justice system
For Q4
One of the questions that arise from this case study is about the rights of convicted persons to relate to their families. Does the justice system have sufficient provisions to help the families of convicts? This question arises from the fact that Tony’s case is worsened because of the likely challenges related to formalizing relationships with his convicted father. The criminal justice system is supposed to safeguard the rights of the innocent (Neubauer and Henry 15). In his innocence, Tony suffers because of the nature of the justice system. This question shall be explored alongside the need to reform the system in a way that shall guarantee justice without victimizing the innocent people in the society.
Works Cited
Mrs. Harjo and Tony. Case Study. PDF
Neubauer, David W, and Henry F. Fradella. America's Courts and the Criminal Justice System. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2017
