NRCAT's U.S. Prisons Program Advisory Council is comprised of eleven distinguished members who inform, amplify, and aid in NRCAT’s transforming work to end torture without exception. Each Advisory Council member represents a distinctive voice in the fight to end the torture of solitary confinement in the U.S. criminal legal system while also being a leading voice in the movement to end mass incarceration more broadly. We invite you to learn more about the Advisory Council members:

Laura Berry was sentenced to life in prison for a crime she committed at the age of 17. She served 32.5 years and during her incarceration, was raped and gave birth to a child. She was released in December 2017.

Since her release, Laura has created a support group for other former juvenile lifers returning to society in the state of Arkansas and is a member of The Fair Sentencing of Youth. She is also an ICAN member and Regional Connector and serves as the Co-Chair for End Solitary with DecARceratear.org.

Laura travels throughout the state of Arkansas speaking to re-entry groups at various prisons and participates in conferences all over the U.S. on prison reform. She works actively with legislators to implement positive policy changes in the prison system and served as a consultant for Google, YouTube and Black Dot films to create a virtual reality experience of life for children in adult prisons which was launched in NYC on February 13th.

Ceyenne Doroshow (pronounced Kai-Ann) is a compassionate powerhouse performer, activist, organizer, community-based researcher and public figure in the trans and sex worker rights’ movements. As the Founder and Executive Director of G.L.I.T.S., she works to provide holistic care to LGBTQ sex workers while serving on the following boards: SWOP-USA, Caribbean Equality Project, SOAR Institute and NYTAG.

As an international public speaker, she has presented to The Desiree Alliance, Creating Change, SisterSong, Harm Reduction Coalition and the International AIDS Conferences. She was a featured emcee for Toronto Pride and MOMA/PS1’s Sex Workers’ Festival of Resistance, lifting her voice as a trans woman of color. Ceyenne has been heavily featured in the media, has performed on television in Showtime’s OZ, and has appeared in the documentaries Red Umbrella Diaries and Miss Major.

Known for her skills in the kitchen, Ceyenne co-authored the Caribbean cookbook Cooking in Heels while incarcerated on prostitution charges. She is currently working on her second book, titled Falling into the Fire.

Lily Gonzalez was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. Upon her release, she made her way to Homeboy Industries where she participated in their “Pathways to College” program. Following this, Lily became the first “Homegirl” to obtain a bachelor’s degree. As an undergrad, she co-established Revolutionary Scholars, a student group that aimed to support formerly incarcerated and systems impacted students navigate the university and in addition ensure that people do not return to a carceral space and are limited opportunities due to their previous involvement with the criminal legal system. During this time, Lily learned about Project Rebound and became passionate about establishing a chapter at CSUN.

Lily was previously a community organizer for A New Way of Life and All of Us or None, an organization established by Susan Burton to support previously incarcerated women returning to the community. All of Us or None is a grassroots organization started by Dr. Burton and Dorsey Nunn that is grounded in an abolitionist vision and supports formerly incarcerated and currently incarcerated people. Today she continues to be involved with these organizations, and many others, committed to providing resources and uplifting formerly incarcerated people. Lily is currently earning an M.A. in Chicana/o Studies and is the Program Coordinator for Project Rebound.

Nafeesah Goldsmith is the Senior Criminal Legal Fellow for Salvation and Social Justice, and Co-Chair for New Jersey Prison Justice Watch (NJPJW). Nafeesah is a former Criminal Justice graduate student from Monmouth University and holds a BA in Sociology. She is also an alumna of Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, including the Douglass Residential College for Women. Nafeesah completed an Associate of Arts Degree in Sociology from Passaic County Community College while residing at Millicent Fenwick House, a halfway house for women in Paterson, New Jersey.

At the age of 21, her life changed. While serving a 15-year prison sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, she began her college career through the Clinton College Bound/NJ-STEP. She soon became a proud member of Mountainview Community where she was afforded the opportunity to attend Rutgers University (New Brunswick). Today, Nafeesah dedicates her time to travel and speaking engagements on various topics including incarceration, re-entry, the school to prison pipeline, and the effects of incarceration on families and communities. Her primary focus is on building sustainable, prison-free futures. She is determined to create change and works to connect to the youth and global community by sharing her story of triumph. Nafeesah’s message of working through hope continues to inspire and captivate audiences.

Robert “Saleem” Holbrook is the Executive Director of the Abolitionist Law Center, a law project dedicated to ending race and class-based discrimination in the criminal justice system and all forms of state violence. He is a co-founder of the Human Rights Coalition, an organization with chapters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh that is composed of family members of prisoners, and which advocates on behalf of the civil and human rights of prisoners.

He sits on the advisory boards of the Amistad Law Project and Youth Arts and Empowerment Project, and is a member of 1Hood, a movement of socially conscious hip hop artists and community activists, for which he started a prison chapter called 1Hood United to help mentor youth in Pennsylvania’s state prisons. He has a degree in paralegal studies and has written extensively on issues related to prison abuse, social injustice and juveniles charged and sentenced as adults. He was released from prison in 2018 after spending over two decades incarcerated for an offense he was convicted of.

Lauren Johnson is a policy and advocacy strategist at the ACLU of Texas, where she focuses on criminal legal reform as part of the Smart Justice team. Her experience as someone who is formerly incarcerated informs her advocacy on issues ranging from Fair Chance Hiring to reducing sentencing guidelines for low-level drug crimes and improving prison conditions, especially for women. Before joining the ACLU staff in 2017, Lauren worked as an activist and volunteer to pass the first Fair Chance Hiring ordinance in the Southern U.S. that applies to private employers. She also worked to remove the lifetime ban that prevented people with felony convictions from ever receiving food assistance.

Lauren was a Just Leadership fellow in 2016 and a 2017 Leadership Austin Essentials alum. She is a founding member of the Texas Coalition for Incarcerated Women, a founding member of the Reentry Advocacy Project, inaugural fellow for the Travis County Reentry Planning Council, and a board member and participant in Conspire Theatre, which works with currently and previously incarcerated women to tell their stories. Her work has been recognized by Grassroots Leadership, the Texas Observer, and the Texas Council on Family Relations. She is based in Austin.

Marcus Lilly was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2004. While in prison, he became a gang member and spent many months in solitary confinement. With time, maturity, and assistance from Project Emancipation Now, he was able to harness education as a powerful tool that led to leaving gang life behind him. Through his self-growth, learning and personal development he decided to become a mentor to troubled youth and a public speaker. Marcus is a group facilitator and a Project Emancipation Now mediator, as well as a college student.

Marcus co-authored the powerful book Education for Liberation, and his writing has been featured by The Marshall Project. His speaking engagements have included Georgetown University, University of Baltimore, the DC Jail, and the Baltimore Juvenile Detention Center. He is also a University of Baltimore student, Outreach Worker, Mentor, Mediator, Public Speaker, and Transformation Advocate. His purpose is to use his past experiences, knowledge of the streets, and book smarts to educate and empower the high-risk youth of Baltimore.

Steven Mangual is Justice Advocate Coordinator with Latino Justice PRLDEF, Southeast Office. Latino Justice PRLDEF is a unique Latinx-led national civil rights organization and Legal defense Fund with an almost 50-year history. Steven is a long-time advocate and activist in the fields of health, social and criminal justice both from behind the walls and in his community. He started his career in 1997 as a Facilitator, Peer-Educator and Organizer from within the New York State Department of Corrections while serving a 14-year sentence (including seven months in solitary confinement).

While incarcerated, he joined the leadership of prison organizations including the Non-Traditional Approach to Criminal & Social Justice’s “Conciencia Study Group,” Latino Organizations, Lifer’s and Long-termers Organizations, the Prisoner for AIDS Counseling and Education (PACE). Upon his release in 2006, Steve started working as a Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Case Manager and Hepatitis C Educator collaborating with the NYS and NYC Departments of Health, while attending and graduating from Bronx Community College and then Lehman College. Steven returned to NYS DOCCS with Volunteer Services providing training to incarcerated peer educators in the PACE program, conducted HIV rapid testing and counseling, and provided comprehensive transitional reentry planning in a “continuity of care” model. Steven volunteered for almost fourteen years as the Latino Affairs Producer/Co-host for “On The Count: The Prison and Criminal Justice Report,” a 60-minute talk, news, and interview program featuring criminal and social justice subjects on radio station WBAI 99.5 FM.

Most recently, Steven worked with Common Justice organization running an Alternative to Incarceration Program for youth under a Restorative Justice (RJ) model which included facilitating RJ circles in his native The Bronx, NY.  He served as Assistant Director of Intervention where he helped cultivate professional relationships with the Bronx District Attorney’s Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) Department, with community-based organizations providing services to youth, and graduated at least a dozen young men of color who would otherwise have ended up serving long prison sentences. As Justice Advocate Coordinator for Latino Justice PRLDEF, some of the work includes formulating and executing criminal justice advocacy initiatives, engaging in community campaigns with a state-wide lens, representing and amplifying the unique needs of those currently in cages as well as our formerly incarcerated Latinx people, who for the most part are made invisible in the criminal justice reform narrative.

Jack Morris was born in 1959 and spent 40 years in prison, and more than 30 years in solitary confinement. While confined, Jack educated himself, obtaining both a high school diploma and a GED, as well as college credits towards an Associate Arts Degree. He studied, litigated, and taught criminal and civil law to others. He mentored youth, facilitated self-help groups, and advocated for social change. Jack authored two books while incarcerated and is an accomplished artist. Released in 2017, he contributes to society as a Lead Community Health Worker/Care Coordinator and Housing Navigator with St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, addressing the Social Determinates of Health (SDoH) and assisting justice-impacted community members. Jack is a member of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), the Re-entry Health Advisory Collaboration (RHAC), the Initiated Justice organization and Alternatives to Incarceration movement, he is a subject matter expert on Re-entry. Jack is a manager, supervisor and public speaker assisting returning community members navigate Federal State County and City social services while addressing the needs of marginalized and economically depressed communities.

Pastor Isaac Scott is an award-winning multimedia visual artist, journalist, and human rights activist. He is a Fellow at the Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia Law School, as well as Founder and Executive Director for The Confined Arts at the Center for Justice at Columbia University, where he spearheads the promotion of justice reform through the transformative power of the arts. Isaac is a Columnist for the Columbia Spectator and his research at Columbia investigates social and institutional methods of dehumanization in the justice system and popular media to decrease punitive triggers in the US criminal justice system. Since returning to society in 2013, he has combined fine art, graphic design, and film & media to counter the existing negative narratives of people in prison, of those formerly incarcerated, and directly impacted.

Pastor Scott’s passion for equal human rights runs deep and comes as a result of being directly affected by the criminal justice system and its disenfranchising nature. Through The Confined Arts, Pastor Scott has applied a strategic arts engagement methodology to criminal justice advocacy by organizing art exhibitions, poetry performances, and storytelling projects to interrogate and bring about awareness around the intersecting pathways to incarceration. As a result of the impactful work of The Confined Arts, Pastor Scott received foundation support and several Change Agent Awards from the School of General Studies at Columbia University, where he currently studies Visual Arts and full participation in representation as a Justice in Education Scholar.

In 2019, Pastor Isaac launched Quarterly Films, a culturally sensitive and socially concerned independent artist-led film and media group of Isaac's Quarterly LLC. As a Certified Producer and Director, Pastor Scott is committed to producing video and media content that represents the true, lived narratives of stigmatized people. Pastor Isaac understands the healing power of the arts to transform both the artist and the audience and has dedicated his life to using his creativity, in every way possible, to continue educating, building lasting relationships, and promoting change.

Pamela Winn is an activist in Atlanta, Georgia, and single mother of two sons. She studied biology at Spelman College and earned three post-secondary degrees in nursing. She also served a 78-month federal sentence for a white-collar crime. Rather than diminishing her spirit, Pamela allowed the experience to empower her.

Pamela Winn is the founder of RestoreHER US. America (RestoreHER), a leading reentry advocacy leadership organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of directly impacted women to end mass incarceration for women of color and pregnant women. RestoreHER is a core movement partner of Southern Black Girls and Women. Pamela spearheaded the campaign #DIGNITY For Incarcerated Women GA, passing HB345 “unanimously,” ending the shackling and solitary confinement of incarcerated women in Georgia. Pamela is also a cofounder of the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (FICGN) with more than 1,000 members across the nation. FICGN advocates for higher education of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people.

Pamela Winn is a national leader in anti-shackling legislation and has been featured in Essence Magazine. Pamela serves on the Women’s Advisory Team with Human Impact Partners. In collaboration with Change.org, Pamela leads a petition that has approximately 200K signatures with an endorsement from Senator Cory Booker advocating the Dignity for Incarcerated Women and her video with ATTN: Media & #Cut50 currently has over 5M views. Pamela Winn consulted on the “Pregnant Women in Custody Act,” national legislation introduced by Representative Karen Bass. Pamela Winn has provided testimony for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Briefing: Women in Prison: Seeking Justice Behind Bars. She was instrumental in the historic passing of HR5682, the First Step Act. Pamela Winn is a 2017 Leading with Conviction Fellow of JustLeadership USA, 2018 Erin J. Vuley Fellow of Feminist Women’s Health Center, 2019 Community Change Women’s Leadership Fellow, and 2019 Soros Justice Fellow with Open Society Foundation.

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The Advisory Council informs all the work of NRCAT's U.S. Prisons Program including our National Network of Solitary Survivors. This National Network engages leaders who are directly impacted by the criminal legal system from diverse geographic regions nationwide, supporting them as they move into key leadership roles in advocacy campaigns to end solitary confinement, advance efforts to educate the public on the perpetual impact of isolation, and engage in work to shift away from a punishment paradigm and toward restoration and healing. The National Network is dedicated to serving as a landing point for survivors of solitary looking to engage in peer support and collegiality, to undergo advocacy and media trainings, and to share challenges and hopes. The National Network also serves as hub for solitary survivors to plug into vibrant campaigns working to end solitary through public education and legislative engagement.