Visions and Solutions Podcast

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.

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.

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. 

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/

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

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

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

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.

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

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/

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.

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.

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/

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/

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/

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

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

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/

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.

Marsha Jean-Charles is an alumna of The Brotherhood/Sister Sol and currently both the Lead Organizer and a co-Facilitator of the Liberation Program. Marsha earned her BA in African American Studies from Wesleyan University, her MA in African American Studies from Columbia University and is pursuing a Ph.D in Africana Studies from Cornell University. While pursuing her Ph. D., Marsha taught Introduction to Africana Studies at SUNY Binghamton and African Literature at CUNY City College. https://brotherhood-sistersol.org/

Wendy McClinton is the President and CEO of Black Veterans for Social Justice, a non-profit community-based organization serving men and women veterans, their families and members of the NY community. She is joined by two of her colleagues from BSVJ to talk about the experiences and challenges facing black veterans. As a "one-stop-shop" for those transitioning from active duty to civilian life, they provide services in the areas of social readjustment, housing, employment, disability, medical treatment, and many others. http://www.bvsj.org/

Alejo Rodriguez works for the Exodus Transitional Community in New York and serves as the Mentor and Alumni Coordinator of John Jay College Prisoner Reentry Institute. Prior to joining the PRI community, Alejo’s previous criminal justice experience culminated into an extensive background of peer educating, organizing and mentoring. He was also a founding teaching artist member of Tribeca Film Institute’s Community Screening Series for incarcerated men. He enjoys the opportunity of Mentor Alumni Coordinator to support the success of formerly incarcerated college students and looking for creative ways to engage students in community building relationships. Alejo received his Masters of Professional Studies degree from New York Theological Seminary and a Bachelors of Liberal Arts degree from Syracuse University. http://www.etcny.org/ https://www.jjay.cuny.edu/prisoner-reentry-institute

Gina and Dr. Seward discuss their experiences helping people who were or are involved in the criminal justice system. Gina's book "In Chains, But Free" explores her relationship with her husband who was incarcerated for many of the years that they were married. It looks at the pain experienced, the growth, the bondages and the ultimate freedom from the world's thinking. Christ's death, burial and resurrection paid for our healing and it paid for us to be free. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. https://www.amazon.com/Chains-but-Free-none/dp/1986007871

Daniel Tolbert is the Clinic Director at Counseling Service of Eastern District New York (CSEDNY), a not-for-profit organization that was founded 30 years ago as one of the first federally-funded treatment alternatives to incarceration. Many of our clients are still referred by federal and state probation and parole, as well as the court systems. In the past decade, CSEDNY has expanded its mission to serve individuals from all walks of life who need effective addiction treatment. Today, CSEDNY treats over 3,000 individuals annually. http://www.csedny.org

Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prisonprovides college education, life skills and re-entry support to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women to help them make a positive impact on their own lives, their families and communities, resulting in lower rates of recidivism, incarceration and poverty. Sean Pica is the Executive Director. http://www.hudsonlink.org

Today we visit the National Action Network to talk with mothers who were formerly incarcerated. We discussed societal expectations of women and the stigma they have to deal with after prison, how it affects their relationships with their children, the loss of parental rights, and issues with prison life for women.

Jen Lackard has spent the last decade working with justice-involved populations and empowering communities to organize around social justice issues impacting returning citizens. She is the founder of RegisterNY, Race for Re-Entry, and a New York-based Re-Entry Meetup. Check her out at www.jenlackard.com and www.registerny.org/

Keston is a doctoral student at Yeshiva University researching the impact of father involvement in families of color. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for the Advancement and Rehabilitation of the Marginalized as well as the Fatherhood Program Director at SCO Family of Services. He was recently honored by Citizens Against Recidivism. Learn more at https://www.thefarmny.org and https://sco.org/ or follow Keston on social media @KestonJones

Families, Fathers & Children provides supportive and direct services to children of inmates and their families and assists in re-establishing and strengthening the father-child relationship. Ellen Edelman is the Executive Director.

Inventor of the Recharge Beyond the Bars Re-entry game, Leslie is a therapist in New York City, and she was a Consultant for the foster care system for twenty years. Leslie is the President of Beyond the Bars LLC, CEO and Founder of Trance4mation Games, and the President and Founder of the non-profit, Trance4mation Nation, Inc. Leslie invented Recharge, as well as Warrior Spirit Mission Homefront, a Veteran reintegration game in use nationwide across all branches of the military, the Keep It Real Diverse (Diversity & Inclusion) game, in use nationwide on approximately 1,000 college campuses and hundreds of Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide, and in partnership with Blue Courage, recently launched the In the Line of Duty Police Dialogue game. http://www.rechargethegame.com/

Known across the country as, “the realist speaker of the 21st century,” her audiences shout out loud, “Speak, Fox Rich” when the word she shares challenges or connects with their experiences. Fox Rich is a formerly incarcerated woman, prisoner’s wife, mother of six sons, and matriarch of the Rich family as they have endured 21 years of incarceration. Since then she has worked as an activist to reform the criminal justice system and help those affected by it. https://www.foxrich.com/index.html

Sheila Rule and Anthony Dixon are two of the brains behind WhenPeopleWork.com, an online employment system designed to make it easier for people with criminal convictions to find stable jobs.

The Vertex Outpatient Program is an OASAS licensed drug-free facility that provides individual and group counseling, relapse prevention, and gender specific group sessions.Paul Henderson is the Executive Director and former Assistant Commisssioner of the NYC Probation department. 

Tarik Greene is the Deputy Director of M.A.D.E Transitional Services, a reentry agency based in Rockland County that generates opportunities for individuals to transform their lives. 

New York Therapeutic Communities, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation which provides substance abuse treatment and other services to persons in need. Sandeep Varma joined New York Therapeutic Communities, Inc. in 1998 as Regional Director, and became Executive Vice President in 2007. Lisa Alexander is the Director of the Serendipity II program for women. 

Samuel Hamilton and James Royale have been part of the re-entry movement for several years following their involvement with the criminal justice system.

For more than twenty five years, Ready, Willing & Able has successfully addressed the dual issues of recidivism and poverty and delivered tens of thousands of men back to their families and communities as productive, stable members of society. Anthony Isaacs, formerly incarcerated, is now the Director. 

Charles Moore is an alumnus of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program and currently serves as their Operations Manager. RTA seeks to use the transformative power of the arts to develop social and cognitive skills that prisoners need for successful reintegration into the community. 

Brandon Holmes is the New York City Campaign Coordinator for Just Leadership, an organization dedicated to cutting the US correctional population in half by 2030. JLUSA empowers people most affected by incarceration to drive policy reform. 

Kathy Morse was incarcerated on Rikers Island and shared her story in the recent Bill Moyers documentary, Rikers: An American Jail.  Kathy is an advocate on social justice issues, concentrating on women’s issues and improving the quality of educational programming in jails and prisons as well as the community upon release. Kathy worked for over thirty years as a paralegal and was the Division Manager in New York for the Petey Greene Program, which supplements educational programs in correctional institutions by preparing volunteers, both college students and members of the community, to provide free, quality tutoring and related programming to support the incarcerated people.

Author and speaker Joe Robinson joins us to talk about his story of incarceration and reentry. His book Thinking Outside the Cell is an engaging, inspiring, information-packed business book designed to help the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated use what for many are innate entrepreneurial gifts in order to build the lives they want and break the cycle of recidivism. He is also the author of 7 Leadership Imperatives from a Wild Man.

When Ian Manuel was 13 years old, he was directed by older juveniles to commit a robbery. During the botched robbery attempt, a woman suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound. Ian turned himself in to the police and was charged as an adult with armed robbery and attempted murder. Ian’s attorney instructed him to plead guilty and told him he would receive a 15-year sentence. Ian accepted responsibility for his actions and pleaded guilty but was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. On October 29, 2010, EJI won a unanimous ruling from a Florida Court of Appeal, which concluded that juveniles convicted of attempted murder cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The Florida appeals court rejected the State's argument, holding that "simple logic dictates that attempted murder is a nonhomicide offense because death, by definition, has not occurred."  Ian's death-in-prison sentence was vacated and he was resentenced. The victim forgave Ian and petitioned for his release, which happened in November of 2016.

College & Community Fellowship eliminates individual, social, and structural barriers to higher education, civic participation, and economic security for women with criminal convictions and their families. CCF envelops women in support services that help them re-build their sense of self-worth and develop leadership skills while they complete their higher education. Melanie Steinhardt is their Director of Development & Communications.

Dr. Vanda Seward discusses issues incarcerated individuals face in the prison and during reentry, as well as the roadblocks their loved ones go through when visiting.

Laura Whitehorn, Dave George and Anthony Dixon join us from the Releasing Aging People from Prison campaign. 

A discussion at the home of the Sewards about the impact of incarceration on their family.

Soffiyah Elijah works to alter the landscape of injustice in American courts and prisons as Founder and CEO of Alliance of Families for Justice.  Following, we discuss the incarceration of women with Donna Hylton, advocate and author, and Elaine Lord, Former NYS prison Warden.

Ronald A. Williams founded New York Therapeutic Communities, Inc., a transitional house that provides substance abuse treatment and other services to help participants make choices associated with a healthy, positive lifestyle free of crime and drugs.