Where is lisette lee incarcerated

Lisette was a co-presenter at the National Higher Education in Prison conference where she shared the transformative power of collaborative partnerships, and she also presented at the Marymount Manhattan College Sustaining Connections Conference to discuss the way connections were maintained with students with the use of video conferencing equipment after COVID forced all programs inside the correctional facilities to cease in-person delivery.

Advocating for social justice is also important to Lisette. Additionally, Lisette wrote an article published by the Marshall Project on the importance of using humanizing language when discussing people with legal system involvement. Lisette was the recipient of the Victor Hassine Memorial Scholarship from the John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity, awarded for her commitment to advocating and raising awareness of the challenges that justice-impacted individuals face.

She lives by this quote from Nelson Mandela: "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. About the Center People Resources. She was last seen alive on July 25, , in Wethersfield.

Her remains were found in the same wooded area of New Britain where the other victims were buried. His arrest was the result of an investigation by the Greater New Britain Serial Murder Task Force, which was established to investigate the cases. On June 21, , Hartford police responded to 97 Enfield Street on report of a shot spotter activation and calls reporting injured parties.

Officers found three victims had been shot. Ashley Spence, age 21, was transported to Saint Francis where she was pronounced dead. Cameron Mounds, age 19, was found in the driveway of 98 Enfield Street where he was pronounced deceased.

Subsequent investigation determined that an argument ensued between Letman and the victims just prior to the shooting. The charges are merely accusations and Letman is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. On May 10, , Hartford police responded to 47 Center Street for a report of a person shot. Officers found the year-old victim down on the street with bullet wounds to the head and shoulder.

He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Subsequent investigation determined that Baez was shot during a fight he was involved in near the house where Raynor lived. The charge is merely an accusation and Raynor is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Raynor is currently serving a year prison sentence for his conviction in an unrelated case.

On November 20, , Simsbury police responded to a report of a female pedestrian lying in the roadway on Iron Horse Boulevard shortly after 8 p. When the first officer responded, several people were standing over a woman lying on her left side covered in blood next to the footpath near the Rotary Park playground. Officers performed CPR on the unresponsive victim who was then transported to St.

Francis Hospital in Hartford where she was pronounced dead shortly before 9 p. The victim was subsequently identified as Ms. The mother of two, she competed in triathlons and frequently ran at night in Simsbury.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Leverett went to the Simsbury Police Department in September and admitted to the crime, which he allegedly committed at age The charge is merely an accusation and he is presumed innocent until found guilty.

According to evidence presented at his trial, he was seen on video walking into a package store on Albany Avenue in Hartford and then moments later stabbing the victim of the sidewalk at the intersection of Albany Avenue and Baltimore Street. Lindsey, the father of 10 children, died following the stabbing on December 9, He was convicted by a Hartford Superior Court jury in February of one count of Murder for the death of the year-old victim, who was fatally wounded while sitting inside of a parked car in the area of Main Street in Hartford on June 11, Ortiz is now serving a year prison sentence.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Atkinson was 16 years old when Bateman was shot to death in a crime related to street gang activity in Norwalk. Atkinson was 22 years old and living in Bridgeport at the time of his arrest.

The charge is merely an accusation and Atkinson is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Boone was 23 years old at the time of the homicide, which was related to street gang activity in Norwalk. The charges are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Boone was 30 years old at the time of his arrest. He most recently was living in Waterbury.

Federal juries convicted four men and a fifth man pled guilty in the January murder of Charles Teasley. JESUS ASHANTI , also known as "Black," age 42, formerly of Hartford, pled guilty in July to one count of kidnapping resulting in death, one count of using a firearm during a kidnapping and causing a death, and one count of using a firearm during a robbery and causing a death.

Teasley was found dead on January 12, , in a car parked on Colebrook Street in Hartford. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his head and face, and his hands were zip-tied behind his back. According to court records, Cook, Mickens, Hunter and Ashanti had kidnapped Teasley and forced him into his own vehicle. They then forced to make a telephone call directing his girlfriend to bring a safe he had hidden at his home.

The four defendants then drove Teasley to a residential section of Hartford and murdered him, the indictment alleged. The homicides of Gresham and Ortiz were featured on the five of clubs card in the third edition of the cold case playing cards produced in conjunction with the Department of Correction and sold to inmates in the Connecticut corrections system.

According to the arrest warrants, subsequent investigation determined that shell casings found at the scene of the homicides were fired from a gun used in another homicide for which charges are pending. The gun has not been recovered, according to the warrant. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Hite, age 34, had been shot multiple times when police found him lying in the middle of Acton Street shortly before a.

Subsequent investigation determined that shell casings found at the scene of the homicide were fired from the same gun used to commit two other homicides in Hartford in Patterson pled guilty in September to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree with a Firearm. He is serving a year sentence, which will run concurrent with the year sentenced he is already serving for two other homicides.

White pled guilty under the Alford doctrine to one count of Murder for the slaying of Shiraleen Crawford and one count of Murder for the slaying of Sonia Rivera.

At the time of his guilty pleas in June , White was already serving a year prison sentence for his conviction for Murder in the death of Sawarie Krichindath, who was found slain in her Hartford apartment on March 16, He was previously convicted in of Manslaughter in the First Degree in the beating death of Betty Robertson, also in Hartford.

According to the arrest warrant affidavits, White is a registered sex offender with a "pattern of violence again st women, often including violent sexual encounters. Shiraleen Crawford, age 30, was found dead in her apartment on Martin Street in Hartford on August 14, An autopsy determined she died from blunt trauma to the head and also suffered stab wounds to the head, chest and neck.

Sonia Rivera, age 48, was found unresponsive in an alley off Washington Street in Hartford on September 27, The victim of trauma to her head and face, she died in the hospital on October 3, White was sentenced to 50 years in prison on each of the Murder charges for his latest convictions.

The sentences will run concurrent to each other but consecutive to his previous sentence for a total of years to serve in prison. JOSE E. Ramos was found guilty in February of one count of Murder following a jury trial in Norwich Superior Court. He was sentenced in April to serve 60 years in prison. In imposing the maximum sentence for Murder, the judge noted the defendant's complete lack of remorse and his dishonesty, and characterized the state's case as "overwhelming. Ramos was arrested in Queens, N.

A year-old resident of Norwich, Mr. As he left the cafe at about p. The Hardwick case was featured on the Ace of Spades card.

At approximately p. The victim, subsequently identified as Keith Washington of Windsor, was transported to the hospital where he died on July 17, Stanley, an active member of a Hartford street gang, is charged with engaging in a Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering, namely the murder of Keith Washington.

Stanley was found guilty by a jury following a trial in the United States District Court on December 19, He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 14, , when he faces a mandatory term of life in prison.

Torres was arrested as the result of an investigation initiated after investigators received a tip through the cold case playing cards. Torres was sentenced in July to serve 37 years in prison for his conviction in the death of Derrick Comrie and for Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Murder charges for the slaying of Luis "Berto" Benitez. Jules and Raynor were linked to a large-scale narcotics trafficking operation in the North End of Hartford, which was the focus of an investigatory grand jury.

Carter was found with gunshot wounds to the neck and chest in a vehicle near 10 Liberty Street in Hartford shortly before 11 p. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. Mulcahy, Jr. Jules was arrested March 30, , in Staten Island, N.

He pled guilty in September to Manslaughter in the First Degree with a Firearm and is scheduled to be sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by 10 years of Special Parole.

The year-old victim was found with multiple gunshot wounds lying in a driveway on Enfield Street in Hartford on June 18, Subsequent investigation determined that Mr.

Gray was targeted by a rival group and was standing on the street when he was fired upon from a passing vehicle. Raynor was 29 years old when he was convicted in March of Murder by a Hartford Superior Court jury. He was sentenced to life in prison, which is defined as 60 years under Connecticut law. Raynor was arrested in June as a result of an investigation initiated as a result of a tip received through the cold case playing card project, which sells prison inmates decks of playing cards with information about unsolved homicides and missing persons cases.

An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma and the manner of death was certified as homicide. During the course of the investigation, the case was featured on the Cold Case Playing Cards distributed in the Connecticut corrections system. He was sentenced on May 11, , to serve 60 years in prison. He was sentenced in November to a term of life imprisonment.

At approximately a. Parker in the driver's seat of a vehicle in the driveway at 15 Thomaston Street. The year-old victim was unconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds that subsequently proved fatal. Frank and Roye were arrested on federal complaints brought in February as a result of a long-term investigation into narcotics trafficking by the WestHell and Team Grease street gangs and gang-related violent activity.

Use your conclusions from data to form your local policy priorities by tailoring evidence-based reforms to your own community needs. The following policy solutions are not exhaustive, but they will provide you with a sense of your options and help you determine your next steps.

As this toolkit illustrates, many individuals, organizations, and government agencies are advocating for jail decarceration in cities and counties across the United States. Although the details of every local community are unique, many of the tools, obstacles, and possible solutions are more similar than you might think. No matter your specific role in the community, you have the power to push for change that will make a powerful difference—even small efforts will create momentum, and that momentum will push toward transformative change that will leave your community safer, healthier, and more equitable for all.

This work is supported by Arnold Ventures , a philanthropy dedicated to tackling some of the most pressing problems in the United States. Associated Press. Campbell, Christopher M. Labrecque, Michael Weinerman, and Ken Sanchagrin. Cohen, Sheila. New York: Vera Institute of Justice, Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. Kurlychek, Megan C. Martin, Karin D. Mathews, John, and Felipe Curiel. National Conference of State Legislatures. Norton, Jack, and Jacob Kang-Brown.

Pollitz Worden, Alissa, Kirstin A. Morgan, Reveka V. Shteynberg, and Andrew L. Schept, Judah. Routledge, Shannon, Sarah, Beth M. The Marshall Project. The Sycamore Institute. Vera Institute of Justice. Scroll Down. Why is jail decarceration playing out so differently in different places?

Center racial justice and gender equity. Tools: Read Presumption of Guilt , a resource from the Equal Justice Initiative EJI examining the ways that racial disparities in our criminal legal system are a legacy of racial injustice. Review the map of confederate iconography still standing in the United States today compiled by EJI and the map of active hate groups compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center to better understand the legacy of racial injustice in your community.

Center communities that have been directly impacted by the local criminal legal system. Tools: If you seek to center the voices of people who have been impacted by the criminal legal system—in public campaigns or community events or elsewhere—ensure that you work collaboratively to identify and provide necessary supports, including proper compensation, media and communications training, and help with coordination and logistics related to events.

Use intentional and humanizing language when referring to people impacted by the criminal legal system. What role have past policies and approaches played in driving jail incarceration in your community? Confront the history of racial terror in your community. Consult newspaper archives to critically examine the way local and national incidents of racial terror have been covered by your local media over time.

Review national databases such as the map of confirmed racial terror lynchings from to compiled by EJI. Understand that this violence has not ended and draw connections to present-day racialized violence. Study the history of Native Americans and confront the impact of colonialism and Native American genocide in your region. Consider how violence and trauma over several generations, often abetted by law enforcement, contributes to the disproportionate incarceration of Native Americans today.

Center local needs and community strengths. Tools: Reach out to local social service providers for example, organizations that offer mental health care, housing support, substance use treatment, etc. Interview public defenders or defense attorneys in your community and learn more about the ways they fight for justice from within the system.

Review minutes from recent county council meetings to better understand local decision-making processes related to criminal justice in the community. For instance, whose voices are represented in these discussions? How are potential solutions developed? List the key questions. Community organizers. Community-based organizers and advocacy groups have the power to lead campaigns and build public pressure for change that is directed at local decision makers.

They can request data from system actors to build accountability and highlight opportunities for reform, demand better of their local elected representatives, and educate others in the community about injustices that are perpetrated by the local system.

They can also engage in regular court watching to monitor a particular problem or the implementation of a solution, attend public meetings focusing on criminal legal system issues, or bring in state or national reform organizations for input and publicity. They can also mobilize and organize community residents to support or oppose criminal legal system issues on the local ballot. Reporters and journalists have the power to shape public opinion about the local criminal legal system. They decide what stories to tell, how to investigate those stories, and what angle their stories will take.

They play a critical role in shining a light on local injustice, building pressure for local system actors to take certain policy actions, and holding local actors accountable for their decisions. Journalists also have the power to influence how the larger community views system-impacted people by pushing their newsrooms to use dignifying language , avoid using photos or language that play into the presumption of guilt for marginalized groups, and involve perspectives of people who have been impacted by the local system in local stories when possible.

Judicial officers have enormous power within local systems. They decide who gets released from or detained in jail pretrial, who must pay in order to secure their freedom and how much, and the restrictiveness of pretrial release or probation terms.

They also determine when to issue bench warrants , including when certain terms of pretrial release are not met, such as when someone fails to appear for court. In some cases, judges make determinations of guilt, and almost always, judges determine the sentence someone receives after they are convicted.

Chief judges may also issue standing orders related to court or case administration that other judges must follow, including on issues such as making bail determinations and issuing warrants. Law enforcement. State law determines the scope of local law enforcement authority to issue citations in lieu of arrest, but, although state law often allows broad use of citations, law enforcement authorities might formally adopt only a subset of those uses as departmental policy, typically with many exceptions.

Local legislators and city and county executives. For example, local county councils can enact or repeal ordinances that criminalize life-sustaining behaviors associated with poverty, such as ordinances banning sitting or sleeping outside, loitering, or soliciting or receiving help. Probation officers. Probation agencies determine what is required for people to comply with probation terms, when to report to the court that someone has violated their probation terms, when to recommend someone for termination of probation, and what fees someone under supervision must pay to remain in compliance.

In many states, local courts contract with private companies to handle supervision. The payments to those companies are contingent on how many people are under supervision; given that companies can decide when to recommend early termination of supervision or when to report violations, this creates problematic incentives for keeping a person on probation.

They also make bail recommendations to the court, control most of the evidence in a case, offer plea bargains, and make sentencing recommendations to the court. Public defenders. County or state public defender offices are positioned to provide powerful frontline evidence of the many ways in which people who experience poverty, behavioral health challenges, or other forms of social and personal trauma are disadvantaged within local criminal legal systems.

Public defenders can advocate for referring people to diversion opportunities and sharing stories of clients who have been successful in diversion or who have experienced harms within the system.

Local researchers and academics can request and analyze data from agencies in nearby cities and counties, conduct interviews with system-impacted people, draw conclusions from research that support the need for changes to the local criminal legal system, and use that research to point to evidence-based policy solutions.

They can testify before local or state legislatures, issue reports and articles that community advocacy groups can use to support their campaigns, and provide data analysis and policy expertise to local system actors. Researchers often can develop a rapport with system actors that allows them to build the case for change from a neutral perspective. Sheriffs and jail administrators. They have the power to connect and build relationships with local service providers, advocate for local decarceration policies that will result in fewer people in jail, and speak out against expansion of local jail capacity.

Sheriffs also have the authority to enter into or end jail-bed rental agreements with other counties, state departments of corrections, and federal agencies.

Some jail administrators have implemented significant changes to conditions and culture inside the jail. They typically have rapport with local law enforcement officials and can help illustrate the harmful impact of punitive enforcement policies on the jail and larger community. State legislators. Legislators at the state level write the state criminal code and enact state-level policy on a wide range of criminal legal system issues.

They have the authority to take actions such as adopting statewide bail reform, reclassifying categories of state criminal charges, scaling back state sentencing laws, and ensuring that counties have the guidance and resources to effectively implement state-level changes.

System-impacted people. People who have experienced the local criminal legal system firsthand have the unique power to illuminate injustices within the system that others may not clearly see. They can provide critical perspectives and expertise in policy discussions, raise awareness of any unintended consequences that might arise from proposed reforms, and hold community advocacy organizations accountable for demanding necessary change. Identify others in the community who are already engaged in decarceration work.

Who are the key experts, leaders, or organizers working in the space? Share your motivations for learning more about the limitations of the local system and pushing for policy changes and ask how you can support their work.