This page will forever be a work in progress and dedicated to action, specifically, things you can do to make a difference to a system or an individual’s life that is impacted by incarceration. WITS encourages action, being a part of change, promoting empathy and combating oppression, as well as fostering responsibility. It starts with each of us. Systems built on a framework of oppression, that don’t meet the standards of fairness, compassion and empathy that we expect, can not be impacted or changed through frustration. We can each choose to take action steps towards positive change for those that live within prison or work there, as well as our communities.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR AN INNOCENT WITS WRITER. Terry Robinson, also known as Chanton, is a writer who has lived on DR for well over two decades. He is also innocent. He wasn’t present at the crime, he wasn’t aware it was going to take place, and he had no knowledge regarding what happened after it took place. Terry Robinson has no connection to the crime.
WITS has been involved in advocating for Terry for several years and has extensive knowledge and access to the details of the case. Unfortunately, those details can’t be shared at this time because of current legal constraints, but there is good reason to be hopeful that will not always be the case. We look forward to Terry coming home, but in the meantime, please follow a Facebook page dedicated to him here. Any messages or comments of support left there will be shared directly with him. Hope and support goes a long way on Death Row. Please consider following his page and showing your support. He also has shared some of his journal entries over the years with WITS, which can be found here.
SUBSCRIBE AND SHARE Valerie Cartonio’s podcast, Prison POD. Valerie has had decades of experience working with people who live in prison and uses that experience while combining Sociology and Peace Studies to build understanding of self, while providing tools for creating positive change from within. Her podcast also encourages and supports positive interaction with others, making a space for communication and also allowing family members and friends of those who live in prison to hear their loved one’s voices.
By simply subscribing to her podcast, HERE, you help to support Prison POD. It costs nothing, and will help to keep Valerie’s podcast available to those who need the positive interaction it provides.
FOLLOW AND SHARE the story of Charles Mamou, Jr., who lives on death row in Texas. After years of research, WITS located documentation that physical evidence was collected at the crime scene. That information was never shared with Mamou.
There are other issues, such as records of phone calls made by prosecution witnesses that were not shared with the defense. The list of problems within this case is lengthy and currently being compiled into a book. Mr. Mamou is out of appeals and awaiting an execution date. Please follow his page on Facebook, share his story, and sign and share his petition. This petition is simply asking that the case be investigated, and a sincere effort be made to find the guilty party.
IF YOU LIVE IN THE RICHMOND, VIRGINIA AREA, OAR is a nonprofit organization that provides services to individuals preparing for release or recently released from jail or prison. Their work is invaluable. Regardless of where anyone stands on crime and punishment, successfully leaving prison is what we should all be hoping for.
OAR is always looking for volunteers. If you are interested in what their current needs are, click here.
BRIDGE THE GAP. You can help WITS writers simply by acknowledging them. You can do that by reading one essay or more on this site – and leaving a comment. It is that simple. I am asked by writers all the time – for feedback. Any comments made directly on the posts on this site – are sent directly to the writer. Please – take a moment and leave a comment. As much as WITS hears how vital what we do is – the writers need to hear it. And it is free. The comments that are forwarded to them are the ones left directly on this site, underneath their individual pieces. If you want to take it a step further, write to them directly. Their contact information is below their writing and if you want to confirm the address is still current, feel free to reach out to me if you don’t know how.
PURCHASE A BOOK FOR A WRITER YOU KNOW WHO RESIDES IN PRISON. Beneath Our Numbers: A Collaborative Memoir From Inside Mass Incarceration was written by 23 WITS writers. Most prison systems do not allow individuals who live there access to the internet, so although WITS is created in most part by writers from prison – they are not able to see the site, or see the type of material shared here. Although we regularly send WITS writers copies of submissions from other writers, Beneath Our Numbers would aid a writer in getting a feel for the type of writing we accept. WITS does not pay any salaries, every penny that comes to WITS from sales of the book go directly back to things like sponsoring book clubs, writing contests and what we hope is the first of many scholarships, among other things, on behalf of those who live in prison.
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