Dear Pamela, Who is prison for? It's a question I have been asking since I was a kid growing up in Trenton, New Jersey.
As far back as I can remember, I spent my weekends visiting family members who were incarcerated—my stepdad, my brother, my nephews, my cousins.
In the 1980s and 90s, the prison population was rising rapidly in almost every U.S. state. In my community, it was normal for family life to revolve around incarceration—setting aside money every other week to place in their accounts; scheduling your day around when you might receive a collect phone call from a correctional facility; and on weekends carpooling with the neighbors or riding in the vans that take you to specific correctional facilities, to have conversations behind glass and chicken wire with your family member, friend, or neighbor.
When you have a family member or a loved one who is incarcerated, everybody is doing that time. Pamela, this firsthand experience is my "why." It shaped my viewpoint, and as a teenager and adult, led me to the open question of who should be incarcerated. This is what has called me to action with the Vera Institute of Justice. |
People like you are helping to build a better future where our communities are safe, our people are supported, and everyone is treated with fairness and dignity. I hope you'll join us.
In solidarity,
Troy |
— Troy Vincent, Sr.
Troy Vincent, Sr. played 15 seasons in the NFL and is a preeminent humanitarian off the field as evidenced by being the only athlete in history to have received the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award; the NFL Players Association Byron Whizzer White Award; Sporting News #1 Good Guy; the NFL Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award; and the Jefferson Award, considered the Nobel Prize for extraordinary community service. He is nationally recognized as an advocate in the campaign for racial justice and criminal legal reform. |
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