Undergraduate student Kyra Patterson is exploring and pursuing justice in her everyday life.
Kyra Patterson
By Quinn Keller, CLA Student Writer - November 27, 2024
Third-year undergraduate student, Kyra Patterson is majoring in political science with a double minor in writing and criminology. For the past six months she has also been a part of an internship at the Benton County Sheriff's Office.
“Growing up, my mom and I always watched Law & Order together, particularly SVU, and I thought, ‘that's so cool. I want to do that,’” Patterson said. Initially wanting to enter law enforcement, Patterson’s interests moved to wanting to become a lawyer, appreciating the process of building and arguing a case.
Growing up in Scappoose, Patterson described her high school experience as best defined by significant political and socio economic current events such as the Covid pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement, as well as a larger awareness of mental health and gun safety issues. After a tumultuous four years, Patterson was looking to get involved, form a career around activism, and become an advocate for others during challenging times. The School of Public Policy’s political science law and politics option would allow Patterson to explore the judicial side of advocacy.
Patterson loved the courses focused on civics, as well as how the professors opened up the classes to structured debate and discussion on various topics. “The law and politics track was exactly what I was looking for in terms of setting up my future,” said Patterson. “It provided a foundation for my journey towards getting a law degree.”
After taking Sociology of Drug Use and Abuse (SOC 442) and Deviant Behavior and Social Control (SOC 340), Patterson added criminology as a minor. In the latter class, Patterson was particularly inspired by a guest speaker who was a formerly incarcerated man now advocating for prison reform. Patterson eventually added a minor in creative writing, motivated by her long-time passion for writing.
Today, Patterson works with recently incarcerated individuals moving into transitional public housing for her internship at the Benton County Sheriff’s Office in Corvallis. As a Case Monitor, Patterson oversees the health and wellbeing of clients living in housing provided by Benton County. The purpose of transitional housing is to help people released from prison get back on their feet; they pay rent through community service and ideally stay in public housing for around 90 days before finding a place of their own. Patterson supports the clients by creating weekly action plans, including connecting them with resources to obtain job interviews and helping to find more permanent housing.
“It's nice to be able to support their journey and provide them with resources when they're just out of prison, especially since some of them are getting a single room for themselves for the first time in years. The most rewarding feeling is seeing people successfully transition into and out of housing and making a life for themselves. I feel that I’m playing an important role in helping clients feel valued and ensuring that the crimes they committed aren’t defining who they are.”
“People who aren’t involved or aware of the criminal justice system tend to inherently perceive those who commit crimes negatively,” Patterson explained. “There's no humanity for these people who are just trying to get back on their feet and start again. We have an eye-for-an-eye justice system, not a reformative one.”
Working at the sheriff's office has added a layer of transparency about the legal system as she became acquainted with the aftermath of sentencing. “From my interactions with people in the sheriff’s office, county officials, and clients, the whole experience has humanized the criminal justice system for me,” she said. Being in this post-conviction position, Patterson explained that it’s “important to see what a convicted individual’s life is like after a court sentences someone to 15 years in prison,” because from a lawyer's position, they don’t often see the aftermath.
This fall, Patterson is wrapping up her internship with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and is beginning to work on her honors thesis, focusing around ethics and AI. Expected to graduate in 2026, Patterson plans to go to law school, hoping to attend Lewis & Clark Law School.