In March 2019, Halim was resentenced under DC’s IncarcerationReduction Amendment Act. He was released after serving 22 years in adult prisons beginning at age 16. Halim has been awarded the HalcyonArts Lab and Echoing Green fellowship awards. He has written and published 11 books of poetry and nonfiction, and is a professional artist. Halim lives with his wife and their young daughter. His purpose is to travel and share his message of love with the world through spoken word and visual arts.

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Craig served 22 years in prison from the age of 17. After release, he became the Free Minds Congressman John Lewis Fellow, and now works full-time on staff, providing peer support for other formerly incarceratedFree Minds members and assisting them with successfully navigating reentry. He was an instrumental advocate for the passage of DC’s SecondLook Amendment Act, which offers reconsideration to individuals who were given extreme sentences as young adults. Craig plans to pursue a career as a youth mental health practitioner.

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Rafael served nearly 11 years in prison starting at the age of 16 before being granted compassionate release due to health complications during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is enjoying time with his family, studying the stock market, and working for his mother’s event planning company. He plans to continue his college studies to obtain a bachelor’s degree in business information technology.

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After being sentenced in the adult system at the age of 17, Jordan is now a sophomore in college, studying business entrepreneurship. He also serves as a Poet Ambassador for Free Minds’ violence prevention initiative, On the Same Page, sharing his story with youth across the city. He has testified numerous times in front of the DC Council to advocate for amore equitable and humane legal system. Jordan plans to start his own business after he graduates—possibly a clothing and sneakers shop—as well as continue to advocate for DC youth.

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Eyone was incarcerated as an adult at the age of 17 and served 17 years in prison before being released in 2010. He is the author of 12 books. He works as a transformative mentor and violence prevention specialist with Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. He is a prisoners’ rights and juvenile justice advocate, and a writing coach for Free Minds.

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Cheleta is a published poet. She works full-time as a mail handler with the US Postal Service. As one of the founding members of The WIRE(Women Involved in Reentry Efforts), Cheleta’s passion is to provide social support and life skills training to women in prison who are dealing with anger issues as a result of trauma. She speaks on justice issues at conferences across the country.

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At the age of 17, Nick was sentenced to adult prison. He now works full-time as a community relations liaison. He is a devoted father to his young son. A published poet, Nick has also written Watch Lil’ Moe Go-Go, a children’s picture book celebrating the beauty and inclusivity of DC’s official music.

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Luis, who was deported after serving 10 years beginning at age 16, now lives in a large Mexican city where he works full-time as a call center agent for an internet company. He also provides translation services for Free Minds’ Spanish-speaking book club. He is saving up to enroll in flight school. His dream is to become an international commercial pilot, flying routes across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He especially wants to visit Dubai.

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Antwon is incarcerated in a high-security US Penitentiary. His poems have been published in The Paragon Journal and Tacenda Literary Magazine.His scheduled release date is in 2093.

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Jonas was released under DC’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act after 17 years behind bars beginning at age 16. He is a production assistant for a social impact production company and media consulting firm. He recently published his own collection of poetry, Mastering the Pain.

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Hosea was sentenced as an adult at the age of 17. He works as a clerk for the US Postal Service and owns three small businesses: an online travel agency, a body-sculpting service, and an e-commerce fashion company. He has also developed and published a mobile game app. Hosea is the father of two young daughters and says everything he does is for them.

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Tim spent nearly 36 years in prison before being released in November 2020. He loves working in the kitchen and hopes to land a job in a restaurant. Until then, he works full time as a laborer in a brickyard. He loves the little things about freedom—like going for a drive and watching the beautiful scenery go by.

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Levy was released in January 2020 after serving 36 years in prison. He works as a supervisor with a janitorial maintenance services company that hires and trains returning citizens to enter the workforce. His dream is to get married and have a family. Levy loves providing outreach to youth in the community. He sees it as a way to spread hope.

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Kelvin was released in October 2019 after serving 35 years in prison. He is a glazier apprentice working on installing windows in large commercial buildings. He is enjoying traveling around the country and his newest hobby, bowling. Most of all, he loves spending time with his two daughters. His goal is to open his own concrete floor polishing business.

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Cliff served more than 34 years in prison. He came home in March 2019. He enjoys spending time with his family, and works as a parking valet. He regularly speaks to middle school, high school, and college students across the city as a Free Minds Poet Ambassador. Cliff plans to open a Boys & Girls Club one day with a big gymnasium and a recording studio to lift up DC youth.

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Chris served almost 26 years in prison. He is a supervisor for a parking lot company. He is passionate about working in and for the community, serving youth, seniors, people who are homeless, and formerly incarcerated people.

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Charles came home in June of 2020 after 36 years behind bars. He works full-time as a maintenance technician and still manages to run several miles every day in his Capitol Hill neighborhood. He also volunteers on weekends passing out food to people experiencing homelessness—something his grandmother taught him to do at a young age. Charles looks forward to one day owning his own home.

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