La Paloma Prisoner is a theatre project by Raquel Almaƶán about the reclamation of identity by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women in the prison system. Developed from her longstanding work with incarcerated and impacted communities, the play will have its World Premiere at Next Door @ New York Theatre Workshop in spring 2020, alongside a series of initiatives aimed at raising awareness and inciting action towards the end of global mass incarceration. The project includes programs designed to uplift the voices and narratives of current and formerly incarcerated women-identified folx of color through workshops in prisons, conversation circles, a mini symposium, and panel discussions leading up to the production’s scheduled run at NYTW in April.

La Paloma Prisoner Project - Raquel Almaƶán

Eddie Ellis was a visionary, serving as president of the Community Justice Center, Inc., an anti-crime research, education and advocacy organization.  He’d also founded and was president of the Brooklyn-based Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions. His daughter Greer works at the Center for Justice at Columbia University.

The Legacy of Eddie Ellis Continues - Greer Ellis

James Cavitt is the Housing and Outreach Coordinator for California State University, Fullerton, where he supports formerly incarcerated students during their course of study. Project Rebound constructs an alternative to the revolving door policy of mass incarceration in order to increase community strength and safety. http://www.fullerton.edu/rebound/ James earned an Associate's Degree from Patten University through the Prison University Project at San Quentin. He graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 2019 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Social Work at Cal State Long Beach. He is the recipient of the John Irwin Memorial Scholarship and the Epsilon Epsilon Scholarship. JC is committed to empowering those who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. He is passionate about restorative justice, criminal justice reform, and disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline. 

Project Rebound - James Cavitt

The Rose M. Singer Center, nicknamed Rosie’s, is the women’s jail on Rikers Island and is among the top-12 worst jails in the country. WCJA’s goal is to find a clear and quick path to close Rosie’s and create positive change in the justice system. https://womenscja.org/beyond-rosies/

Women’s Community Justice Association - Cheryl Wilkins & Kandra Clark

Dr. Vanda Seward talks about recent updates in the field of criminal justice, including new legislation that affects those facing trial.

Dr. Vanda Seward, On the Move

A discussion with leaders working to empower women who have been incarcerated.  The needs of women post-incarceration, primarily “a safe place to be,” (housing) is paramount for getting and keeping a job, kicking a drug habit, escaping an abusive relationship and moving back into the community.  Guests:   Donna Hylton, Author, A Little Piece of Light  https://www.donnahylton.com/  Roslyn Smith, VDay - An Incentive for Change  Tanya Smith, Co-Founder and President of Life Unbolted, Inc. Life Unbolted

Women’s Roundtable Discussion - Donna Hylton, Roslyn Smith, Tanya Pierce

Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin has been working to serve people with criminal justice histories for over a decade and is currently Chief of Housing Activities for the New York City Housing Authority. NYCHA’s Family Partnerships Department manages partnerships with external providers and City agencies offering youth, seniors and social services.  Family Partnerships connects residents to critical services and implements programs and policies that support household stability and tenancy, individual advancement, and aging-in-place. The Family Re-entry Program helps reunite select individuals leaving prison and jail with their families who live in qualified public housing apartments and provides the returning individual with re-entry services

NYC Housing Authority - Family Partnership Department - Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin

Mr. Kevin Mays recently returned home from the criminal justice system and joins Dr. Seward to talk about his transition as well as the reconciliation program he created.

Life After Incarceration - On the Move - Kevin Mays

Shawn Rolfe is an expert on laws and other barriers former sex offenders face when reintegrating into society.

Sex Offenders: We Are Human Too - Shawn Rolfe

Tia is the Founder and CEO of State vs Us Magazine, State Vs Us Magazine, publishing content spotlighting high criminal profile cases and speaking up against corruption in the jail system, police departments and government. https://www.statevsusmag.com/

State vs. Us Magazine- Tia "Mz. Konnoiseur" Hamilton

Tracy Wood Mendelsohn is President and CEO of the Black Public Relations Society of New York (BPRSNY), an organization that serves as a knowledge, resource, support, and opportunity network for African American practitioners of public relations and other communications disciplines. They provide advocacy and thought leadership on diversity and inclusion policy and programs to advance the dialogue to effect meaningful progress and change in systemic and cultural barriers to equity in opportunity.

Charting the Course - Tracey Mendelsohn from BPRSNY

William Oree was recently released from Attica Correctional Facility after serving for 12 years. He describes his time at Attica as a positive and transformational experience. He is joined by his friend and colleague Alexander Nelson, an artist with an educational background in the criminal justice system.

Life After Incarceration - William Oree & Alexander Nelson

Youth Represent is dedicated to improving the lives and futures of young people affected by the criminal justice system. The organization was created from a recognition that young people need comprehensive representation to address their diverse and unique legal issues. What began as a single attorney working from a borrowed desk is now a citywide organization that provides free legal services to more than one thousand youth annually. Learn more at http://youthrepresent.org/

Youth Represents: Steffi Jean-Jacques, Nefertiti Ankra, & Dale Ventura

Evie never thought that someone like her could end up in prison, much two federal prisons. A frequently engaged speaker, she founded and serves as the Director of Witness to Mass Incarceration, a digital library of experiences of women and LGBTQIA individuals. They work to change the narrative from invisibility and victimization to empowerment through documentation, organizing and advocacy, as well as find alternatives to mass incarceration. Evie also created the Suitcase Project, which provides suitcases filled with basic necessities to help people newly released from prison get on their feet again. https://www.witnesstomassincarceration.org/

Witness to Mass Incarceration - Evie Litwok

Healing Communities Network (HCN) was founded in 1979 by Father Stephen Chinlund under the combined direction of the New York State Commission of Correction and the New York State Department of Correction, now the Department of Correction and Community Supervision. The program was in 30 New York State Prisons and four New York City communities. The mission of Healing Communities Network (HCN) is to help reduce recidivism by working with people inside prison and after prison to direct their own rehabilitation in support groups that build self esteem and a sense of community. HCN was one of the earliest programs to address the trauma of incarceration and understand the importance of empowerment and difficulties faced upon returning to the community. HCN adopted its new name in 2011 to better reflect its mission. Currently, HCN is in six prisons and four New York City communities. It is a unique program because it is a bridge from inside prison to the community and involves families. http://www.healingcommunitiesnetwork.org/

Healing Communities Network - Jaqueline McLeod

Ms. Nolasco is a criminal justice reform advocate that focuses on furthering the advancement of women of color, reducing mass incarceration, ending gun violence, increasing youth empowerment, and creating safer, healthier, and more resilient communities. In both her personal and professional life, she has worked on coalition building, policy analysis, strategic planning, program implementation and evaluation in public and not-for profit sectors at federal and local levels. She is a public servant dedicated to advancing the ideals of integrity and social cohesion to increase public safety. www.nyc.gov/peacenyc

Office to Prevent Gun Violence - Hailey Nolasco

Sharon Richardson is an advocate, entrepreneur, and CEO/Founder of Reentry Rocks. RR's Mission is to spread awareness, create societal and institutional change, and support women coming home from incarceration through strengths-based, creative programming. We empower formerly incarcerated women with histories of domestic violence and trauma to become leaders and achieve their goals of obtaining employment and housing through mentorship and case management. We also support women in their journeys to heal from their past and rebuild their lives, rock by rock, through counseling focused on creative expression, storytelling, responsibility, remorse, and change.​ http://www.reentryrocks.org/index.html

Free after 20 years of Incarceration - Sharon Richardson

Former NYS Parole Office Michael Murphy discusses his career and how he tried to help the people he oversaw.

Parole from the Inside - Michael Murphy

PA is a non-profit membership organization, PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. Founded more than four decades ago, the PEN America Prison Writing Program amplifies the voices of incarcerated writers through providing resources, mentorship, and a publication platform through the Prison Writing Awards. Recently, PEN America launched the Writing For Justice Fellowship, which commissions writers to create written works of lasting merit that illuminate critical issues related to mass incarceration and catalyze public debate. With a membership of 7,200 and thousands more allies, PEN America brings strong relationships with the most socially engaged and well-known authors of our time, as well as direct access to hundreds of talented writers in prison. https://pen.org/

Pen America - Caits Meissner and Robert Pollock

Kraven Weeks, advocate, recovery coach and speaker from Buffalo NY has a 18 year career in social work, helping criminal justice involved people and needy individuals in Western NY. Does recovery ever end? What is the role of the family when someone is fighting addiction? Kraven and Dr. Seward share their insights and experience.

Visions and Solutions Podcast

Visions and Solutions Podcast

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