Mass incarceration’s impact in the United States is far reaching, devastating people, families, and entire communities. The vast majority of the nearly two million people who are incarcerated will eventually return home—and they deserve a fair chance to rebuild their lives when they do. Yet the consequences of criminal legal system involvement can extend long after people have completed their sentences, including barriers to accessing housing, education, employment, and more.

Voices, a video series from Vera, centers the lives of those most impacted by overcriminalization and mass incarceration. By sharing the stories of system-impacted people, we aim to move past the labels that strip them of their humanity and dispel the negative stereotypes forced upon them.

Meet Dunasha

Dunasha saw prison “destroy and dismantle people” in her seven years of incarceration. “That is what it's designed to do,” she says. “It is designed to strip you of who you are, what you are, and where are you going and just bring you back to ground zero.”

In this Voices video, Dunasha discusses what pursuing education meant to her while behind bars, and how her family’s unconditional love—before, during, and after incarceration—helped her survive. Dunasha says that although “prison took motherhood away” from her, she is committed to rebuilding and repairing her relationship with her daughter, whom she didn’t see during those seven years.

Meet Eric and Anthony

Growing up in New York City in the 1980s, childhood friends Eric and Anthony found themselves selling drugs at a young age. “You were either part of the drug problem or drug solution; go without, or go out and get something,” Anthony explains.

They each served over 20 years in prison, and reconnected following their releases, discovering that their experiences had inspired them both to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. Eric reached out to a former professor from his time at Sing Sing Correctional Facility and asked for help creating “a platform for men and women that's home.”

And so, Success After Lockdown was born. Their podcast highlights the stories of formerly incarcerated people who are making a difference in their communities. “People make mistakes and people can transition,” Anthony says. “People can make changes in their life and have a huge impact.”

Meet Jennifer Love

Jennifer Love’s first passion was her career as a drag performer. “Performance was my gateway to self-discovery,” she says. But in the early 2000s, her thriving career ended abruptly when she went to prison.

As a trans woman, Jennifer endured brutality from other people incarcerated with her, but her abuse was met with cold indifference from authorities. She credits her family for giving her the strength to survive. And because of the care she received from her family, she wants to give back.

Jennifer has since dedicated her life to helping other formerly incarcerated trans people rejoin their communities after release. “I’ve learned the importance of accountability,” she says. “Now I know that it’s important for me to share my traumas, especially the traumas I’ve overcome.”

Meet Dameon

“The night I committed my crime, I was so high and drunk, I blacked out,” Dameon told Vera. Now, 19 years into his sobriety, he reflects on how he felt at the time that he’d undermined his college education and promising career in football.

So, while he was incarcerated, Dameon resolved to focus on his studies and grow. His hard work paid off. After his release, Dameon graduated from Rutgers University and ultimately became a licensed social worker.

In 2020, after coordinating marches protesting George Floyd’s murder, he and local law enforcement developed such a strong rapport that Dameon now works for the Bridgewater Police Department in New Jersey as its community police alliance coordinator, supporting youth and other community members. Dameon says his faith is what gives him strength through it all. “My faith, my trust in Jesus Christ, is what makes this all possible. . . . Without him, none of this happens.”

Meet Michael

After 30 years in prison, Michael knew that he was ready to rebuild his life. “If you don’t prepare yourself for reentry, you prepare yourself to fail,” he says. Indeed, his planning and determination to prosper were key factors in helping him rebuild his community as successfully as he has since returning home.

Michael now works at Exodus Transitional Community in New York City, an organization that supports and advocates for formerly incarcerated people. As lead facilitator for its Alternatives to Incarceration program, Michael partners with case managers and court advocates to persuade judges to enroll first-time offenders in Exodus’s intervention program in lieu of handing down a prison sentence. He is deeply proud of his work. At Exodus, he says, “we are saving lives and restoring hope.”