NRCAT's U.S. Prisons Program Advisory Council is comprised of 11 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 is a Black Trans activist, community leader, and founder of GLITS Inc. (Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society). A lifelong advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, Ceyenne has dedicated her work to addressing the systemic barriers faced by Black, Trans, and queer communities—particularly those impacted by incarceration, housing insecurity, and discrimination. Drawing from her own lived experiences, she created GLITS in 2015 to provide direct support in areas such as emergency housing, reentry services, asylum assistance, and leadership development. Through her vision and care, Ceyenne has become a trusted voice and force for healing, safety, and empowerment within and beyond her community.

Lily Gonzalez(she/her) is a Program Associate at The Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation. She is a scholar and activist with a profound commitment to challenging criminalization and incarceration through community mobilization. An alumna of Homeboy Industries, Lily’s journey through the educational system reflects her tenacity and dedication to systemic change. She participated in Pathways to College before returning to California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chicana/o Studies in 2017 and her Master’s degree in the same field in 2023. At CSUN, Lily was a student organizer. She co-founded Revolutionary Scholars and Revolutionary Scholars Project, the precursor to CSUN’s Project Rebound, which she helped establish and manage.

Her organizing efforts significantly contributed to the program’s statewide expansion, enhancing support for formerly incarcerated students across California. In her community work, Lily has been a dedicated organizer with various entities, including A New Way of Life and All of Us or None, where she played a key role in several policy efforts, including the successful campaign to pass the Ban the Box legislation in Los Angeles County. Lily serves on the Huntington Library Family Advisory Council and is a NRCAT U.S. Prisons Program Advisory Council member. She is also a 2024 Rockwood Leadership Institute Higher Education in Prison Fellow.

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 the Justice Director at Dream Corp Justice. 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 Dream.org justice team she spent almost seven years with the ACLU of Texas as a policy advocacy strategist. Prior to that, 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 Leadership Austin Essentials alum in 2017. 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 Conspire Theatre board member and participant, which worked 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 Texas.

Steven Abdul-Jaami Mangual is a justice advocate, organizer, trainer, and restorative justice practitioner with more than 25 years of experience working at the intersection of incarceration, human rights, public policy, community organizing, and transformative justice. His advocacy is grounded in lived experience, having spent 14 years incarcerated in New York State, where he began his organizing and peer education work from within the prison system. During that time, including periods of extreme isolation, he became deeply involved in leadership development, health education, prisoner rights advocacy, and community-building efforts among incarcerated people.

Following his release in 2006, Steven continued this work as a Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Case Manager and Hepatitis C Educator, collaborating with the NYS and NYC Departments of Health. He later returned to work with incarcerated communities through New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Volunteer Services, where he provided training to incarcerated peer educators, supported HIV counseling, and assisted with comprehensive transition planning. For nearly 14 years, Steven was at WBAI 99.5 FM, where he was the Latino Affairs Producer and Co-Host of the Pacifica Radio program “On The Count: The Prison and Criminal Justice Report." Additionally, Steven has worked extensively in restorative justice and community-based alternatives to incarceration. At Common Justice, where he served as Assistant Director of Intervention, he supported young people of color in avoiding long-term incarceration through accountability, healing, and community-centered interventions. 

Upon relocating to Florida in 2020, Steven served as Justice Advocate Coordinator with LatinoJustice PRLDEF’s Southeast Office, a Latinx-led national civil rights organization and legal defense fund. He is the Founder of the Florida Coalition on Solitary, a statewide coalition working to end the use of solitary confinement and advance human rights-centered approaches to safety and accountability. He also serves as a Board Member of the Florida Restorative Justice Association. As an organizer and trainer, Steven combines lived experience, movement history, policy advocacy, storytelling, and leadership development. He creates and facilitates trainings on storytelling for organizing and policy advocacy, legislative engagement, restorative practices, and the human impact of solitary confinement.

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.

Marci Marie Simmons is a storyteller, advocate, and community organizer dedicated to amplifying the voices of justice-impacted individuals. Her work is personal, shaped by ten years of lived experience in the Texas prison system and a commitment to ensuring those most affected by the system are heard and valued. She sheds light on incarceration and fights for meaningful change through film, journalism, and social media. As the Director of Community Engagement at Lioness Justice Impacted Women’s Alliance, Marci Marie has worked on prison censorship, conditions of confinement, reentry barriers, and LGBTQ+ rights in the criminal legal system. Her work has been featured in major outlets like The New York Times and NPR, and she has spoken at numerous press conferences and advocacy events.

She is currently working on a short film exploring pregnancy and incarceration, using storytelling to push for policy change. With nearly 300,000 TikTok followers, she also uses digital platforms to educate, connect, and mobilize communities. She is especially passionate about ending the torture of solitary confinement, advocating for policies that recognize its devastating impact on mental health and human dignity. At the core of her work is a belief in the power of storytelling to shift perspectives and spark action. She is committed to lifting up the voices of those directly impacted and fighting for a more just system.

Ronald “Celestial” Stratton is a seasoned educator, mentor, and respected leader. Known for his deep wisdom and grounded presence, Celestial has played a key role in shaping grassroots organizing both behind and beyond the prison walls. During his incarceration, he became a trusted facilitator and guide, helping others navigate the challenges of confinement through self-education, mutual accountability, and collective leadership. Since returning home, he has dedicated himself to advancing justice and building community resilience. Celestial has supported numerous public actions—including with NRCAT and during HALT’s 18 Hours of Action—where his facilitation and steady moral clarity have inspired others to step forward in the struggle for dignity and human rights. As a member of the National Network of Solitary Survivors Advisory Council, Celestial brings lived expertise, decades of facilitation experience, and an unwavering commitment to systemic change. He continues to serve as a powerful voice for dignity, healing, and accountability, ensuring that the leadership of directly impacted people remains at the center of the movement to end solitary confinement and transform the justice system.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, a 2019 Soros Justice Fellow with Open Society Foundation, and a recipient of the 2023 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.

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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.