Personal Narrative: My Experience With Sex Offenders

Growing up as an upper-middle-class Caucasian girl in Casper, Wyoming, my community was scarce of rich diversity. However, I was fortunate that my parents welcomed everyone into our home equally and never looked down on anyone for any difference we may have had with them. My parents were specialized parents that provided care for ten foster children over the years during my adolescence. Every experience with each foster child was not positive, however, they did expose me to the harsh reality that not every child is afforded the opportunity of just growing up and being a carefree kid. The empathy I felt for those foster children undoubtedly helped shape who I am and why I know it is the responsibility of all to strive for human rights for everyone. …show more content…
While working in the legal field, my exposure to just about every diverse circumstance and individual arose. I’m grateful for the opportunities to be a part of all these situations. Had I not experienced the harsh realities of human behavior and societal views, I would not fully appreciate what ultimately causes such circumstances to happen. A notable example of how diversity has impacted me was in the infancy stage of my paralegal career when I started working with sex offenders. Sex offenders make up a diverse population that requires patience and understanding. In all honesty, the first couple of offenders that I worked with were extraordinarily challenging. Frequently my thoughts got the best of me. I found myself hypercritical and even bitter towards the sex offenders with whom I worked. However, after I came to know them separately from the crimes that society defined them with, I was able to distinguish them as someone’s son, someone’s friend, someone’s sister and most importantly, someone of value. I do not condone the impulses that they acted upon that put them in the legal troubles they were in, prior to my working with them. I never considered what might have happened