I spent 120 hours interning for the Piedmont Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP). When I began looking for internships, I had no idea what I wanted to explore, but I knew I had to complete it whilst completing 15 credit hours of college courses. I couldn’t complete it over the winter break due to personal circumstances. I spoke to one of my professors and she connected me with Kim Lettner, the ASAP director. I had no idea what to expect or what was expected of me when I began, and I honestly knew very little about the court system. However, I learned quickly and I’m incredibly grateful for this experience.
The first 40 hours spent interning were mostly spent learning the ropes and shadowing. The first few weeks were spent shadowing the different positions at the office; learning how things work. I shadowed at the front desk and learned how the computer system software (ECM) works, how to open cases, view different files within different cases, that some people have multiple cases, and how to input and pull data from the files. I also learned what paperwork individuals have to fill out for the specific programs they are or need to be enrolled in, and why people are enrolled in certain programs, and what they are for. We had individuals come into the office regarding failed screenings, DWI charges, DUI charges, and reckless driving charges; I learned about the court process for drug charges specifically.
The next week, I shadowed the education position and the Ignition Interlock position. In the education position, I learned about the different classes ASAP offers. These include a four-hour aggressive driving class, an eight-hour driver improvement class, an eight-hour young offender class, a two-day RADEP course, the treatment education course which is eight hours in a four week time period, and the Intensive Education course which is ten hours in a five week time period. Something specific to Virginia is the RADEP course. If someone from out of state needs to complete this course, they can’t complete it online or out of state, only in VA. After the education shadowing, I then shadowed the Ignition Interlock position and learned about reporting out successful or unsuccessful to send to the court, and about terms of the Ignition Interlock, which the client has installed in their car and has to blow in it with a BAC of 0.0 for the car to start. Something else I did was sit in on a Bond Supervision Meeting. These Bond meetings entail meeting with each Bond client one-on-one to discuss their next appointment, next court date, paperwork, medications, any problems or concerns, etc. Bond is meant to keep the clients on track and out of jail until they go to court. Bond meetings are for checking-in and making sure they find or keep a job, maintain treatment, etc. Some clients even have to get drug screened when they come to Bond Supervision Meetings. After shadowing different positions, I started going through client files, sorting them into sections, scanning each individual section into the computer, and then inserting each section into their designated folder on ECM.
My next 40 hours of internship work at ASAP was quite similar to the first 40 hours, but I was more knowledgeable about and confident in the work I was doing. The other intern, Hannah, and I got into the groove of scanning documents, and having two people made the work go by a lot faster. We successfully scanned about 30 files a day into ECM, which cleared out almost three filing cabinet drawers worth of files.We were also given permission to close old cases – cases that have already been closed in the court system that were left open for paperwork purposes- when we were finished scanning them. The best part of every day was tossing the paper files into the shred bin before leaving. It was a tangible way to see how much we had gotten done each day.
Over the many hours sorting and scanning, we ran across so many different cases. Some people lost their license 20+ years ago and are just now trying to get their license back. This has been eye-opening to me. Something interesting that I was given the privilege to experience was going to court. I was able to accompany Kim Lettner, the director, to court, to watch as she testified for and against specific clients. Given that I am not a criminology major and don’t really discuss or know the in’s and out’s of the court system, I found this to be a really interesting and informative experience. Something else I did was sit in on a few intake interviews. I was prepped before the interview: a case manager will typically do these interviews; however, because the office did not have a case manager at the time, the director did these interviews. She had the name of the client pulled up on her computer; their driver’s license number, their case type, and a summary of their case, so when the clients came in, their cases were ready to be discussed with them.
When a client comes in for an intake interview, the director goes over the facts of the case, and discusses what the client still needs to do to close their case successfully. One of the clients whose interview I sat in on was convicted in 2017 and is just now coming back to get their license. The client will have to complete classes and possibly treatment such as counseling, in order to do so. During this time, I also learned about reporting out. When we have a case with someone who is transferred out of our ASAP and completed their VASAP training/education, before we can clear them, we have to look at their compliance summary, enter their finals into the DMV website, enter their completion into the DMV to make sure their license doesn’t require ignition interlock anymore. Once all the t’s are crossed and the i’s are all dotted, we can exit the case. Lastly, we had a day where Hannah and I had to run the front desk, answer questions and phone calls, and sort and label mail while the others in the office were conducting interviews for the case manager position. This was thrilling. I truly appreciate the atmosphere in this office. Everyone gets along and makes work that can sometimes get really tedious and boring, seem really fun and enjoyable.
My final 40 hours were spent cleaning, organizing, and finishing up scanning and exiting closed cases. My main job as an intern was to scan documents. As I’ve said before, the ASAP association in and around Farmville went digital between 2019 and 2020. This being said, they have many filing cabinets full of closed cases that have yet to be entered digitally into the system. Hannah, and I found a groove when it came to this. It’s a tedious process to open up a file, look up the individual’s case number, find them in the system, request for the online case file to be opened, sort through each paper in accordance to how it needed to be scanned into the computer, add folders into the online database, sort the individual’s paper folder alphabetically, then scan in all of their papers, and finally, if the case is closed, exit out of their case. Hannah and I, however, once we got into a groove, were able to complete about 30 folders a day.
In my last 40 hours, I helped clean up and organize the ASAP office too. In the last 2 weeks of our internship, the office hired a new case manager, and it was Hannah and my job to prepare her office for her, which I enjoyed. I have a tendency to want things clean and organized, so vacuuming, sorting through papers and staples, throwing trash away, and moving furniture was enjoyable to me. Reflecting back on these hours, I feel as though I finally perfected scanning and sorting documents, and I have learned a lot throughout 120 hours.
Before I started at ASAP, I had no idea what a warrant even looked like, let alone what a subpoena or a court ordered referral, and I’m amazed at how much I’ve picked up on and learned. I have come to realize throughout this experience that my mind will randomly apply sociology and sociological theories to everything. When sorting through individuals’ files, we see why they were arrested, where they were arrested, where they live, etc. Due to confidentiality, I cannot disclose personal information, but while going through files, I would try to use theory to help me analyze their cases. For example, if there was an underage, young offender case we were scanning, it would make me question their family life and SES. Are their parents divorced? Are one of their parents an alcoholic? What other factors led to drinking and driving as an underage individual? I also observed the stigmas many people hold against drugs and alcohol and how some individuals that came to enroll in ASAP were shy and seemed embarrassed that they were there. I could also apply the concept of gender. Most of the cases we scanned and most of the individuals that came to enroll were male. It makes me question if there is a significant correlation there or not.
I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. The atmosphere of the office was welcoming and understanding as we were learning how to complete the tasks that were asked of us. I have retained so much information, and although a lot of our work was filing paperwork, as each individual client came in with a different case, I learned how those specific cases were handled. The greatest skill I can take away from this opportunity, that I can apply to my future career opportunities, is communication and handling clients. No matter where I go, there will always be clients who are difficult to have a civil discussion with. I witnessed everyone at the office demonstrate that no matter how difficult the client is, it can always be handled civilly.