Who gets to claim “self-defense?”
Kyle Rittenhouse is free. I served thirteen and a half years for taking the life of my abuser. Which is self-defense?
Straight Ahead
What do survivors of violent crime need to heal?
We talked to three survivors of violent crime—Movita Johnson-Harrell, Antoinette Kreiselmeier and Jean Mayes—about what they need to heal.
Top Five Takeaways from “Time For Justice”
The Urgent Need For Second Chances In Pennsylvania’s Sentencing System What better time for justice than 2022. As we dive into this new year, we should lean into our lawmakers to urge them to bring our friends and loved ones home. As part of their continuous efforts to support second chances in Pennsylvania, Families Against …
Survivor Stories: Testimonies of Triumph and Tragedy
This past week we hosted a panel highlighting the voices of survivors, both of street violence and to prisons. We were joined by a few powerful women: Antoinette Kreiselmeier is a justice reform advocate. Movita Johnson Harrell is a retired PA State Rep and former Chief of Victim Services and Restorative Justice at the Philadelphia …
Survivor Stories: Testimonies of Triumph and Tragedy Read More »
New PA bill offers a chance at freedom to aging and sick people in prisons
Pittsburgh residents are showing their desire to dismantle mass incarceration. A recent referendum banned solitary confinement in the Allegheny County Jail. Chemical and militaristic weapons were also banned at the jail. All in the last year. Now, demand is rising to decarcerate our prisons and bring home our elders.
We’ve fought and won, and now we need your help!
Over the last year we grew. We listened. We organized. And we fought and won. And now we need your help to keep the momentum going.
The Fight to Free Our Elders
Mid-day on September 30, 2021, community members and lawmakers gathered outside of Philadelphia City Hall around the 12-foot bronze Octavius Catto statue for a press conference to gather support for the newly introduced Senate Bill 835 that would establish geriatric and medical parole in Pennsylvania. Several movement partners came together to host the event, namely …
Unpacking SB 835: Who has a chance at freedom from medical and geriatric parole?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate but is not law. We at Straight Ahead want to see the bill become law, as it would allow the possibility for parole for many older and sick people in prisons, including those who might not be covered by other reform bills. This was written and last …
Unpacking SB 835: Who has a chance at freedom from medical and geriatric parole? Read More »
Unpacking SB 135: What does the Death By Incarceration bill do?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate but is not law. We at Straight Ahead are fighting for it to become law, as it would essentially eliminate life without parole sentencing. This was written and last updated July of 2021. Bills can sometimes change after being introduced. Here’s what the bill does The bill …
Unpacking SB 135: What does the Death By Incarceration bill do? Read More »
In Prison, Fatherhood was Only a Dream
This year is my first father’s day. But for the decades I spent incarcerated in an Alabama prison, I dreamt of him every day. I’ll spend the day at church, parading around the baby the congregation had been waiting for—one that I’ve been waiting for much longer. I’ll probably reminisce on the birth of my …