Dontie has been writing to us via Project Solidarity, the Pen Pal project, for over a year now. Since we first posted here about Dontie's struggles, he as been featured in a NOW THIS video which has millions of views, yet his issue remains unresolved. Unfortunately, his issue is multiplied by the hundreds of thousands of people who are suffering decades of incarceration due to being sentenced as adults when they were teenagers. Since Dontie's sentencing, New York State has raised the age where a person can be sentenced as an adult from 16 to 18 years old. There is much research indicating this age is still too young. Yet it is a step. While there is now more hope for a young person in
Karen Thomas is Prison Writes writing workshop English teacher and co-facilitator, as well as fundraising and outreach coordinator. During her almost 35 year incarceration, Karen sought every opportunity to advocate for and support other women. She taught GED and ESL, was a college tutor, and assisted women with legal work and resume writing. Karen translated the REACH curriculum into Spanish, and provided training in transmittable disease prevention, as well as AIDS counseling and education. Click HERE to read her article recently posted on SheKnows blog.
