December 27, 2022
TO.
C/o Tyler Walton, Esq.
Jailhele Lawyers Initiative
Bernstein Institute for Human Rights, Niv Law 139 Mac Dougal Street, B23 New york, NY 10012
Fr: Kenya Hill [redacted]
[redacted]Correctional Facility [redacted]


Hello,
I just recently received correspondence from you about the Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative ( JLI), the work that you do, and I am very interested in becoming an active part of your membership.
One word that I have seen repeated in your
correspondence is empowerment. In Florida prison
and legal system, the last thing we may feel is
empowered but empowerment to succeed, achieve,
and transcend the stigmas attached to us is the fuel to seeing the goal of reform and transformation to take place.
I have been employed on the law library on and
off for about 15 years. I've been incarcerated or a
total of 18 years. Though I am currently not in the law library I still do work on cases. And one thing I do know is that Florida certainly pursues punitive actions over rehabilitative ones and the legislature does not fully agree on the changes that need to be made to our criminal punishment code - while, they realize that a need does exist and that the
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general conditions of prison have gone down hill, so
changes are being made at a snail's pace. And this is made harder because voices from the inside are not being considered.
That's why I am truly excited for this opportunity to be a part of a movement that empowers our voices on multiple levels.
My every desire is to advocate for women in Florida State Prisons; to work with lawmakers to draft bills that directly impact women in a way that empower and equip women to overcome their present situations.
prevent situations by putting the power of purpose
and productivity into their hands. Primarily, proposing practical vocation programs to women like a Nursing
Program, Fashion Design, general Construction,
welding etc. Ensuring adequate Medical care and treatment, and ensure that reputable dual diagnose programs are offered with rigorous oversight. I have
written [redacted], who is the current
Justice chairman of the Florida Senate on Many
occasion and also to other senators and these Reps
expressing our needs, acquainting them with my voice So that after I'm released and start my non profit I can fight and be heard more audibly.
Currently I am writing a proposal to [redacted]
CF, for-the start of a Nursing program here . But what Is truly want to ramp up is our need for adequate Medical care here and resource we can use to show us how to level the playing field in our court system concerning post conviction proceedings.
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I am truly inspired by JLI's updates, newsletter and the bio's and words of fellow members and JLIs team.
I would definitely love to have a penpal correspondence with law students and jailhouse lawyers to get some insight and further my knowledge with the law.
Thank you so much again for contacting me
I look forward to learning and contributing, as we pursue common purposes and vision.
Sincerely
Kenya Hill

KENYA HILL
To: [redacted]
RE: Hi [redacted],Thank you so much for w...
24 Feb 23
________________


Hi [redacted], Thank you so much for writing me. It is exciting to hear from you and JLI and it is a pleasure to meet you. I respect the work that you and JLI do. I'm excited about being able to connect with you and would like to correspond further with you. I want to thank you, JLI, NYU School of Law and every person who is giving the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated a platform to evoke change in the criminal justice system and change the dialogue and perception of how punishment and rehabilitation is viewed in the United States. And I do not mind any letters that I write being shared. It is a privilege and an honor to join other upraised voices committed to the empowerment of the incarcerated individual along with the strategic preparation of those individuals to re-enter society healed, made whole while making others whole, equipped and positioned to prosper in any realm or sphere of influence we may find ourselves. Being incarcerated in the U.S. is not a trivial experience, and even more so, being housed in a Florida State prison as a woman is extra challenging. Our judicial system can be biased at best, (I've filed countless direct appeals, post conviction motions, Federal Habeas Corpus, COA's and Certiorari's challenging this fact and many other viable arguments in some form or fashion) these sentences are disparate and the prisons dilapidated. Florida sees us as a payday as well as a problem but what is being lost in translation is the fact that the "problem" holds the solution. Florida's legislative branches are currently in its spring session and March is usually when they hear bills on criminal justice reform. HB (House Bill) 115, filed by House Representative Dianne Hart, entitled Criminal Rehabilitation, is proposing Florida prisoners serve 65% of our sentences (instead of 85%) for vocational and program participation. A similar bill, SB206 has been filed by Senator Daryl Rouson in the Florida Senate. I believe we are on the cusp of finally seeing that proposed bill become a law in Florida, which would impact almost every prisoner except those with life without parole and certain sex offenses. Upon my release, I do plan to start a non-profit which advocates for Florida's incarcerated female population. As an incarcerated woman who has spent 18 years inside, I am acutely aware of the needs women have here. And I am committed to taking advantage of every platform available to me to help women, in the grand scheme of things, everywhere. I'm also excited for the opportunity to glean and learn things from you, others with passion and people with purpose so that together we can effect change in our individual parts of the world as well as collectively. Not only is there power in numbers, there is power when people come together in concerted purpose to make a positive, impactful difference in our surroundings, whether inside the prison walls, in study halls, in legislative halls, courtroom halls, wherever the stench of injustice may be, we will be. Thank you again, also to you and your students, and I look forward to further conversations with you. In Sincerity of Heart, Kenya

INBOX
________________


KENYA HILL
To: [redacted]
RE: Hi [redacted]! It is always great to...
27 May 23
________________


Hi [redacted]! It is always great to hear from you. I am also puzzled as well about why your previous emails would be rejected. They don't have a rhyme to their reason sometimes. I'm glad to have received this e-mail and thank you for the pic of the fern (beautiful and pretty cool) as well as the notes and minutes from the feminist circle meetings. Wow! It was amazing! The quote by Gloria Anzaldua, "Voyager, there are no bridges, ones builds them as one walks." So profound because a great deal of the work we do is new, different, and setting precedence. I always tell people that I build bridges, I don't burn them. I either value the opportunities that I'm given and/or create the opportunities and give them value. When I think about bridges I think of "connection" as bridges usually connect one piece of land to another, making accessibility possible whereas it may have been possible before but difficult, now the building of the bridge changes the quality of that possibility and can provide an exciting and new transition. I like it that the women in the feminist circle are demonstrating that they have the power to control the narrative. We have the power as women in prison to change the narrative as well, we just have to be willing to build those bridges as we go along and not be afraid to seize the opportunities presented to us. What we are all doing together in concert has more of an effect than what we can truly ever realize. Its so exciting. And its great to hear the excitement of other women everywhere. Yes, I would love your help in this envisioning process with this program I am preparing to present to the Florida Department of Corrections. Though I have presented a summary a couple of months ago, I'm talking to more people, gleaning more information, pretty much asking God for divine appointments, positioning myself where influential people are and engaging. My prayer is to extend this Cognitive Building program throughout the woman's entire incarceration, starting when someone is first received into FDC and a tiered progression at the start of each quarter of a woman's sentence. Changing the way one thinks is a critical part of how a person will do that time, see themselves while they are doing their time, take advantage of opportunities to learn, gain knowledge, heal from their past hurts, process brokenness, look at patterns and habitual negative thought processes, critical thinking and problem solving, how they related to others, their families, society versus how they relate now and ultimately how they can reacclimate and build better lives as a result. Its really a desire of my heart. I do have a question I would like to pose and receive feedback on: "Can the aspects of critical thinking be used as a means of introspection to assist an individual in coming to a conclusion as to why they have done or do certain things? How? Why?" I would love any research you and your students have on healing. Any feedback from other JLI women and men or anyone, your students, you, people near, people abroad who have insight into the importance of cognitive skills, cognitive behavior therapy, cognitive building techniques, and critical thinking from a cognitive, mental health standpoint. Thank you so much. I pray you have a great holiday weekend. Blessing, Kenya

KENYA HILL
To: [redacted]
06:48 PM
________________


Hi [redacted], Great to hear from you. Its not strange that you didn't get my mail. Only because I was speaking about a serious subject that this facility definitely didn't want anyone to know about. I was certainly waiting on your response and I posed a question to JLI but I'll have to discuss that at another time through a different avenue or else this e-mail will probably not make it to you either.


I'm very excited about all the progress that is being made on the Flashlights platform. I think it is so great. I would just also like to say how much I really love that quote, "One small crack does not mean you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn't fall apart." Linda Poindexter. I truly love this because it accurately represents every woman who has ever experienced something detrimental or life altering and is still standing after all is said and done. And I also love this because of the thought that cracks can be repaired and what are some of the ways they get repaired? By appreciating and respecting our humanity and the different stages of our lives we are in.


There is this quote someone said to me the other day by an anonymous writer, "Don't judge my story by the chapter you walked in on." It's so true because no one really knows the growth process a woman had to take to get where she is. I love the questions, too. They are some challenging questions. What are tools and practices that you've utilized to maintain your humanity? Well, I personally seek to gain and glean knowledge because any human being that is in a state of growth needs to have knowledge of God, knowledge of themselves and to be acutely aware that with knowledge comes the responsibility to use that knowledge to benefit and impact our society and our communities, appreciating the humanity of us all, seeing a need and using the resources outside and within to empower and honor each other. And the most sincerest knowledge is the true source which is love. Love is the power and without it, it is hard to hold the humanity of others when we find it impossible to do so. Love makes it possible. In an environment like this, it is difficult. There are people from all walks of life, different beliefs, backgrounds, from different paths, different mind sets and levels and sometimes it feels like humanity is really a place of jackals. Sometimes the powers that be make the act of humanity difficult. But you have to make a choice to uphold a standard because if you don't who will? We have to make a choice to value humanity even more so in the face of those who fail to value us. Again these are some great questions and invoke much reflection. I know this Feminist Circle is going to be great. I can't wait to here more about this. Thank you for always thinking of me. Have a wonderful weekend! Blessings to you, Kenya