Recently, I got a comment suggesting that we accept Jo's
reformation and stop pigeonholing her as a criminal. I so, so appreciate the
place where this person's comment comes from. The law enforcement and criminal
court system in this country (which have very little to do with justice) is,
frankly, offensive. One really small thing we can all do is stop letting letting the word "convicted" ruin someone's life. People say, "Don't be a criminal! It's that
simple!" as if the entire world continues to be open to you when you have
to check that goddamn box. Defining someone by their history
despite substantial evidence of change is bullshit and is the sort of thing
that keeps people who have been convicted of certain offenses from being able
to participate in society in the way required to avoid a life of crime.
I give Jo shit because her reformation was an essential part of her character, yet she continues to fake IDs for the girls and commit other petty crimes throughout the series, all the way through Season Nine when she commits a crime on purpose so she can spend the night in lockup because she doesn't have another plan.
But none of this is real, and the flippant way I talk about Jo being a criminal is not a thing I'd do about a real person. It's extraordinarily important to remember that people who go to jail or prison are still people, and they can't improve their lives if you don't give them a chance to do so. If this issue moves you, please consider getting involved with or donating to an organization that helps ex-offenders reintegrate; or one that works toward removing some of those barriers to reentry. If you need some pointers, please feel free to contact me.
The thing is, this episode is particularly prime for a recall to Jo's history of criminality and bad judgment through a "like father, like daughter" joke. Jo has received this year's Best New Student award despite having gotten herself and
three of her classmates arrested and put on probation at school; had to work
off a shoplifting beef at a department store; and tried to run away to get
married to her (extremely hot) boyfriend in the middle of the night in the dead
of winter. I'm not saying it's impossible; indeed maybe those things helped her
to win the award, if it was decided by popular vote.
