Clients Deliver Testimony Before DC Council

The Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety held a Budget Hearing for the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG) on Wednesday, April 6. Three Disability Rights DC (DRDC) clients, John, Donald, and Elizabeth, submitted written testimony prior to the hearing to be included in the official record and delivered oral testimony during the live hearing.

In addition to expressing their support for the Reentry Action Network’s (RAN) budget request for increasing OVSJG’s funding, all three clients discussed the role that the Jail and Prison Advocacy Project (JPAP) at DRDC has played in facilitating their reentry into the community. Below are excerpts from each client’s oral testimony.

John

“From the get-go, DRDC has provided hands-on, physical support. My reentry advocates have visited me at my new apartment on multiple occasions… Maybe most important, my reentry advocate and peer navigator at DRDC, both formerly incarcerated individuals, offer emotional support and advice that is immensely helpful. Having gone through the reentry process themselves, we share a bond; they know exactly what I need…They truly want me to succeed. I’m not just a number on a piece of paper.”

Donald

“While completing my sentence at FMC Butner, I was contacted by DRDC to help get things set for my release… I had nowhere to live. I knew that I wanted this time to be different. I was fed up with my previous patterns. I wanted to stay out and wanted bigger and better things for myself. But I needed a support system to assist me with adapting my lifestyle to achieve this goal. DRDC supported me in this process… Without this critical support from DRDC, I would have gone back to my old way of life.”

Elizabeth

“Once I obtained a housing voucher, DRDC’s peer navigator, a formerly incarcerated individual himself, accompanied me on numerous visits to apartments across DC. After finally helping me to find the perfect fit, the staff at DRDC assisted me with moving in. I was literally starting from scratch with nothing to furnish my new place. DRDC took me on shopping trips so that I could buy all my apartment essentials, including cleaning supplies and bedding… DRDC’s support has allowed me to finally create a better life for myself.”

Staff Member Spotlight: Jane Brown, ED

Before becoming Executive Director of University Legal Services (ULS), the parent organization to DRDC, Jane Brown served as a Supervising Attorney, overseeing the housing counseling staff and representing tenants in Landlord and Tenant Court. As a Supervising Attorney, Jane also assisted low-income individuals in DC with purchasing a home, which she has long considered to be the first step into the middle class. Jane fondly recalls that her first client lived for 20 years in the home that client was able to purchase in 1989 via DC’s Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP).

When Jane first stepped up to lead the organization in July 1993, ULS only had 17 employees. After assessing ULS’s financial situation, Jane was forced to lay off 5 of those employees. Following this difficult decision, she immediately hired an accountant and brainstormed how to grow and expand ULS.

One day, Jane happened to read in the newspaper that a local organization had lost the District of Columbia’s Protection and Advocacy grant. She quickly researched the requirements needed to obtain this grant and applied on behalf of ULS. After having an interview with Mayor Marion Barry, Jane soon received word that ULS had been designated as the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agency for the District of Columbia. With this news, Jane went on a hiring frenzy and had soon doubled the organization’s staff.

For Jane, her biggest accomplishment as Executive Director has been stabilizing and growing ULS both fiscally and programmatically. Under her leadership, ULS has grown from supporting just two programs to now supporting 14, including establishing the Jail and Prison Advocacy Project in 2007. Asked about her favorite part of the job, Jane described the joy she derives from interacting with staff and having a front-row seat in observing how much they contribute to the lives of the organization’s clients. She is proud of how DRDC has successfully protected civil rights and freed individuals from abuse and neglect on many occasions. Jane also believes that the organization has shed light on cases of rights violations and discrimination that would not have otherwise been addressed.

When reflecting on the work of JPAP specifically, Jane expressed admiration for the team’s ability to intimately understand and skillfully navigate the criminal justice system and supervisory agencies. Every day, she witnesses the team carefully consider the needs and goals of each one of JPAP’s clients and tailor their work to help meet them. With JPAP employing this client-focused model, she has already heard of the team’s many success stories and is excited to see the JPAP team continue to successfully facilitate clients’ reentry. 

Department of Behavioral Health Budget Hearing

The Committee on Health held a Budget Hearing for the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) on Monday, March 21. Tammy Seltzer, Director of the Jail and Prison Advocacy Project (JPAP), submitted written testimony prior to the hearing to be included in the official record and also delivered oral testimony during the live hearing.

In her testimony, Tammy emphasized the need for collective responsibility in decreasing the likelihood of someone becoming involved in the criminal legal system. She urged the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), and every city agency for that matter, to have measurable goals and specific funding dedicated towards this initiative. Tammy explained to Councilmembers that, with the right investments, DBH is perfectly positioned to break the cycle between childhood abuse and neglect — defined broadly to include experiences such as trauma and systemic racism and involvement in the criminal legal system.

To make matters worse, Olinda Moyd, the retired Director of PDS' Parole Division, and Michelle Bonner, the former Director of the DC Corrections Information Council, are no longer advising the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice (DMPSJ) Christopher Geldart on the creation of a DC-based entity to assume local authority from the USPC. DM Geldart entered into a $900,000 contract with CNA, a project management company that appears to have no experience with parole, and terminated the city's relationship with the two trusted and knowledgeable advisors. 

This setback comes six years after Tammy and Olinda formed the first coalition in years to address parole reform. It also comes in the wake of numerous proposals to replace the USPC put forth by the advisory council that Tammy and Robert Davis, one of JPAP's Reentry Advocates, serve on. JPAP will continue to educate city officials about the particular importance of parole reform to DC residents with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities. 

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