Personal StoriesWhile facts and data might paint a pretty clear picture of the condition of prison systems across the world, personal stories elevate this picture to a more personal level. Our goal was to find examples of individuals that have faced unfair treatment by police or by the current prison system as a direct result of their race, gender, or other identifying characteristic.
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Nozicka, Luke. “Kevin Strickland Rebuilds His Life after ... - Kansascity.com.” Kevin Strickland has been out of prison for a month. Here’s how he’s rebuilding his life. The Kansas City Star, February 17, 2022. https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article256720042.html. Retrieved from The Kansas City Star. Physical rights retained and permission granted from The Kansas City Star. Used under fair use.
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Kevin Strickland
Strickland spent 43 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Once out of jail, only his daughter (who he had never met outside of prison) was available to guide him through life: "To his daughter, the days could be frantic. She tried to help her father — who has never owned a car, rented an apartment or, until recently, used a cellphone — start a life as an adult outside prison walls. He needed paperwork, but there were challenges. One agency could not find his birth certificate, which to Strickland felt like the government 'didn’t even have me existing'" Once again, the government provided minimal help to the person who was exonerated. If it was not for his daughter, he would have had a horrible experience adjusting to living in a free world he had not seen in almost fifty years. |
“Finding Freedom - Arizona Illustrated.” 2017. Arizona Public Media. PBS. November 6. https://www.azpm.org/p/video/2017/11/6/119540-finding-freedom/. Retrieved from Arizona Public Media. Physical rights retained and permission granted from The University of Arizona. Used under fair use.
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Manny Meijas
A Tuscan native, Manny Meijas was released from prison in 2008 after serving a 20 year sentence for second degree murder committed at age 15. While in prison, he came to terms with what he had done, became Christian, and overall vowed to turn his life around. Once released, he discovered the lack of freedoms he had as a newly "free man". Him and his family struggled to find a place to live and a steady job. He promised himself that he would never go back to the neighborhood that he grew up in, and thats exactly where he ended up since no other places would accept an "ex-con". Because of his personal struggles, Manny started a non-profit organization to help newly released incarcerated people get back on their feet. He provides educational opportunities, job search assistance, and more. Manny had to take this upon himself to help others like him because the government does not provide services like this. Better reintegration systems need to be implemented in the US to avoid these struggles that newly released incarcerated people face in day to day life. |