Christal Arroyo Roman
My name is Christal Arroyo Roman I am directly impacted by the Justice system and currently the FREE Campaign Organizer of the Milwaukee Chapter of Wisconsin. As a justice involved woman 10 years ago when I was released from Prison on a wrongful conviction, I served 9 years confinement with a 10-year extended supervision a total of 19 years.
I know firsthand based on my own experience of what I myself went through while released. There are so many different challenges you will face reentering back into the community you reside. The flow of everyday life is a struggle alone when you have served a significant amount of time in a correctional facility. The regular world we once knew prior to incarceration becomes a culture shock everyday life and the basic life skills are now foreign you have to pretty much relearn everything because life is very different on the outside of those prison walls.
I experienced many different hardships when I was released, employment, housing, and the felony background stigmas were all huge factors in a lot of my struggles. It was not easy at all to transition back into a society that just wants to see you through a lens that views justice involved persons with implicit bias. I am passionate about advocating to change this negative narrative toward directly impacted people and that is why I choose to do this work. The FREE Campaign offers directly and indirectly impacted women a safe space to empower, encourage and support the women in major areas of concern like family reunification keeping the families together as opposed to separating the families and creating that safe space to offer support where the mother and child can reunite in a meaningful way, affordable housing base building and educating the community around issues of fair housing for people with criminal history, civic education, employment and wellness all while transitioning back into the community safely and most importantly successfully are topics FREE is currently working on.
FREE is a support system of women that relate directly or indirectly with the justice system. There is no bias but rather a solid understanding “the life of a Felon” so to speak. FREE has helped me to find my voice as a leader in my own community with impacted leaders to drive legislative policy changes such as fair housing policies for people with criminal backgrounds, voter engagement, testimony at state budget hearings, lobbying at Madison Action Day in the state capital ect.
In addition, the FREE Campaign has partnerships with various organizations throughout the state of Wisconsin such as: EXPO-(Ex Incarcerated People Organizing), WISDOM, MICHA, ACLU of WI to name just a few.
FREE is an agency that will work hard to restore women’s dignity, stability and empower her not only to heal but reunite with her family in a safe healthy space for everyone involved.
Email: christal@expowisconsin.org
Nancy Lamon
My name in Nancy Lamon, I am a clinical social worker, from Beloit Wisconsin. Growing up in the inner city, I experienced many of the pitfalls that are associated with inner city youth. I chose not to live within social norms, which lead to multiple incarcerations, addiction, unproductive relationships and a string of dead-end jobs. During my last incarceration, I finally gained understanding of what it means to live life according to life’s terms. I decided to pursue education, as a means of securing employment that would allow me to support myself and my children.
I earned a bachelor’s degree, in Human Services from Upper Iowa University and then went on to complete a Master of Social Work degree, at Auroura University.
I foolishly thought that I could seamlessly transition, into this field (the helping profession) and be treated equally and fairly, I soon learned that racial disparities extend well beyond the penal system. After spending about 5 years attempting to find my place within the agencies that I worked for, I finally stepped out on faith and opened my own private practice. My motivation, for entering social work was simple, I wanted to work with women and children who are challenged with some of the barriers that I once faced.
Today, I am sole proprietor of Highways and Hedges Therapeutic Services, LLC, were I provided in home and community-based psychotherapy. Additionally, I have begun volunteering for an agency that provide housing and other resources to women returning from incarceration. I have been blessed to live my life as an example, to others. My overall message is simple, If I conquered my dreams, you could conquer yours.
Nancy Lamon, MSW, LCSW
Highways and Hedges Therapeutic Services, LLC
Tamra Oman
Thank you Gain2Give for the opportunity to send some love out to all who are reading this and creating space to connect on a positive tip- Lord knows we all need more of that. My name is Tamra Oman, I am currently the Statewide Program Director for the FREE Campaign- the Women’s division of EXPO (Ex Incarcerated People Organizing) out of Wisconsin. There are many of us who are formerly incarcerated working tirelessly to raise the voices, experiences, and stories of those impacted by the justice (or not so just) system. We are educating the community, systems, and anyone we come in contact with that we are all so much more than the sum total of the decision (s) we have made, and our stories are full of more than just those moments. I have met some of the most talented, beautiful, creative human beings behind those bars.
I have been blessed to walk alongside thousands of folks behind and beyond the bars the last 17 years since my own release from prison. I have been an alcohol and drug counselor and spent time with folks coming out of federal & state prisons. In 2008 I was invited to go back to work in a prison as the first person hired in the state of Wisconsin to be open about my incarceration, my experiences, and what recovery from trauma, violence, mental health, and addiction looks like and can be. I have had the chance to train judges, lawyers, doctors, corrections personnel, law enforcement, community agencies, and people like us statewide and nationally that we are human beings that desire the same things all human beings want- we need to heal, develop alternative uses for our skills, and become who we dreamt of being before life happened. We do best when we reconcile what happened to us, and what we did to others to fully heal. WE are living examples that our pasts do not have to define our future. WE do, and what we chose to do, defines our future in and outside of those bars.
EXPO, specifically the FREE Campaign is advocating legislatively for increasing ERP (earned release program), increasing TAD (treatment and diversion) programming by 15 million per year, partnering with ACLU with the discussions around ending crimeless revocations, using ATR’s (alternative to revocations) instead of just sending people to jail/prison. One of our main truths is we cannot incarcerate ourselves out of the struggles in the community- we must work together to create the kind of world we all want for ourselves and our families. WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER! If we want a different world, we have to make it so and it starts with us.
One of my favorite Barack Obama quotes is this, “We cannot wait for some other person or some other time, we are the ones we have been waiting for, we are the change we seek.” I will leave you with a few ideas to ponder. If Only 2-3 % of the world’s population end up in prison- who are you spending your time with to become one of the 97% or 98%? Are they adding to your future or keeping you in the past? If you are there for a stretch, what can you do with that time to be who you want to be despite what others do or don’t do because YOU DESERVE IT? And finally, you are not forgotten! For us, we haven’t forgotten our beautiful sisters, brothers, and others on the inside We will keep working for the betterment of all- we hope you will join us! Much love to you all!
Ingrid Hicks
Hi, I’m Dr. Ingrid D. Hicks. I am the founder of Transformation Services Inc. My focus is to change lives, change communities and to change health care. Transformation Services Inc, is designed to help individuals obtain, renew, and improve their Substance Abuse Credentials.
As an ex-offender myself I always speak about the possibilities, and the provided services for this population since I was released.
My passion is this business and offering others the opportunity to address their own trauma, give back to the community by going into the wellness business for themselves, choosing the career path of substance abuse and mental health.
Dr. Ingrid D. Hicks
drhicks@transformationservices.info