Wista Jeanne Johnson

Raymond Santana, Jr., one of the “The Exonerated Five,” addressed an enthusiastic crowd at Las Vegas campus

The crowd at Nathan Horn Theatre on the campus of the College of Southern Nevada  greeted the somewhat portly, middle-aged man with loud applause, whistles, and a standing ovation.

The mostly black audience had gathered to hear Raymond Santana Jr. speak of his transformation from a maligned, mistreated, and wrongly convicted juvenile to a nationally- known and sought after public speaker.

Santana…

Black (Prison) History Month

Throughout Black History Month, we honor black heroes and sheroes–the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, U.S. Supreme Justice Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks–who have contributed to the American story.

That story includes many famous (and some considered infamous) African Americans who have endured America’s criminal justice system.

Historically, imprisonment has been the price…

Mothers of Parchman Prison inmates shout for justice at Team ROC rally

“I’m frustrated and I’m tired (but) I will not stop until Parchman is shut the fuck down!”

This impassioned promise by the mother of a Parchman inmate captures the anguish of mothers whose sons suffer deplorable conditions at the Mississippi State Penitentiary (known as Parchman Farm).

Although entertainment mogul, Jay-Z (founder of REFORM Alliance with rapper Meek Mill), and Yo Gotti spearheaded…

New year, new goal…

My podcast, One Mother’s Voice: In the Name of Justice , and this blog are part of my mission to explore and explain criminal justice news, trends, and issues for families of inmates.

Families and spouses oftentimes are the only lifelines for incarcerated men and women who often come from impoverished or troubled backgrounds

According to The Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, “Prisoners…

3 criminal justice trends you should care about

Reducing mass incarceration and reforming the nation’s criminal justice system are now mainstream news, yet most reporting focuses on the deleterious effects of racial and economic inequities on communities of color, incarcerated people, and individuals on parole or probation.

There is, however, cause for optimism as demonstrated in the following areas: racial disparities, state laws, and…

“I was totally ignorant about…the criminal justice system, the courts or prisons.”

When my late son,* Damon Anthony Moyler, was incarcerated in various New York State prisons for most of the 80s and 90s, I was totally ignorant about the workings of the criminal justice system, the courts, or prisons.

In retrospect, I should have questioned why most of the other visitors to Attica, Auburn, Elmira and Wende correctional facilities were black or Hispanic.

Likewise, I paid little…

Know your rights as the family of an incarcerated person

In 2013, the InterNational Prisoners Family Conference adopted the “Prison Family Bill of Rights.”

I wish such a document had existed during the 16 years that my son was in and out of New York State prisons. (It is relevant for me today because I have two family members currently in prison.)

During those long years, interactions with the New York City jail system and state prison system fostered…

In “Open Season” Ben Crump tackles racism in America’s justice system

Earlier this month, I caught civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump on Book TV speaking at the Boston Book Festival about his new book, Open Season that examines what its cover page describes as the “Legalized Genocide of Colored People.”

Surprisingly, his audience was overwhelmingly white, yet apparently captivated by Crump’s low-key, yet authoritative tone.

He had come to engage, not confront.

In…

NYC’s notorious Rikers Island: “I hated the place.”

On October 17, 2019, the New York City Council voted to shut down Rikers Island by 2026, after years of protest and outrage over the jail’s deplorable conditions and a history of violence against and by inmates.

Rikers Island.

I had visited Damon, the youngest of my four children, at the 413-acre jail complex many times after he began getting into serious trouble with the law at age 20.

I hated…

A forum on stopping the “school to prison pipeline”

October, 26, 2019, Las Vegas, NV

In a small community room at the Doolittle Community Center in West Las Vegas, more than 100 school advocates, community leaders, parents, and a students participated in a program, “How We Educate Students and Stop Arrests.”

Left to right: Khulia Pringle, Ender Hope Austin III, Lady AK,  Azia Brown, Monica McCoy, and Semaj White

They gathered to discuss the…

“National Day of Outrage” to honor Atatiana Jefferson, Monday, October 28

  The funeral of Atatiana “Tay” Jefferson, 28, was held last Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Hundreds of mourners celebrated the memory of a young woman described as a “hands-on aunt who took her nephews to arcades and playgrounds; a pet lover who could not say no to animals in need…and a pillar of family life.

On Saturday, October 12, 2019, white police officer Aaron Dean killed Jefferson while…

Joshua Brown: a sad ending

As if the senseless killing of 26-year old Botham Jean by convicted ex-police officer, Amber Guyger (found guilty of murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison), wasn’t tragic enough, the shooting death of Joshua Brown, 28, Jean’s neighbor and a key witness against Guyger, added a sinister element to this national news story.

There was speculation that he was targeted by police because of his tes…

Mercy in the courtroom

On September 6, 2018, 31-year old Amber Renee Guyger, a Dallas police officer, had just completed a 15-hour shift.

She mistakenly entered what she thought was her apartment and confronted Botham Jean, 26; Guyger testified that she believed he was an intruder and fatally shot him. 

He was unarmed, sitting on his couch.

These facts sparked my shocked reaction to Brandt Jean, the 18-year old brother…

“Valley of the Damned:” a misleading promo

I cringe whenever a TV series or a movie features prison inmates because I’m afraid that they will add to the public’s misconception that most prisoners are violent and dangerous, which can have serious implications for criminal justice reform efforts. 

The ID Channel’s six-episode series, “Valley of the Damned,” which focuses on the murders of Tom Clements, Jim Durgan, Diane Hood, Lea Porter, Pam…

Post Incarceration Syndrome: Eric’s story

This week in Part 2 of my five-week podcast series, “Incarceration: A Family Affair,” I discuss post incarceration syndrome as a reality for formerly incarcerated individuals and its tragic results for my grandson, Eric Bartell Moyler.

In 2014, I wrote a blog for my now-closed site, Outside the Walls: One Mother’s Voice, talking about his first three months as a parolee (see Links below).

“I can’t breathe,” says a Las Vegas man pinned down by officers

You would think that any police officer who has heard about the firing of NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo last month in the wake of the 2014 chokehold death of 43-year old Eric Garner would practice the utmost restraint when holding down a man who repeatedly says, “I can’t breathe.” These words (uttered by Garner) became the rallying cry for thousands who protested his death.

Yet, this week in…

“One Mother’s Voice” podcast returns this week

This week One Mother’s Voice: In the Name of Justice podcast (Spreaker.com) will return–after a year-long hiatus–with our 53rd episode.

OMV is dedicated to families with loved ones in jail or prison and those currently or formerly incarcerated.

As the mother of a formerly incarcerated son, who died in a New York State prison in 1999, I know how difficult it is to cope with a correctional…