Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome back to Stories Behindthe Walls.
(00:02):
I'm your host Annabel.
For those who don't know thispodcast, it's actually a break
off project of our nonprofitorganization.
Voices for Justice.
Voices for Justice was startedback in 2008 after my cousin was
murdered in Clearwater, Florida,and the justice system failed
our family completely.
We didn't get answers, we didn'tget accountability.
(00:23):
We just simply didn't getjustice.
That moment changed everythingfor us.
For over 15 years now, we'vebeen fighting not just for
ourselves, but for otherfamilies who've been ignored,
silent, or failed by the system.
We demand justice.
We demand accountability becauseno one is above the law.
(00:43):
That's what this podcast isabout.
This is our way to keep shininga light on what happens behind
the walls, and to make sure thatno one's story gets buried.
Now let's talk about the reasonfor tonight's episode.
If you listen to our lastepisode, you know I shared about
a formal complaint we filed onbehalf of an inmate at the
Howard R Young CorrectionalFacility in Delaware.
(01:06):
This wasn't some minor issue.
This was about basic humanrights, about safety and dignity
that every single persondeserves, regardless of why they
are incarcerated.
When this individual reached outto us, I knew immediately we
couldn't ignore it.
(01:26):
That's what Stories behind theWall exists for.
That's what Voices for Justiceexist for.
We step in when others won't.
So let's talk about the process.
I'm not going to sugarcoatanything.
And anyone to respond was anuphill battle.
It took six days of constantpushing.
(01:47):
I sent email after email, wecalled office after office.
We reached out to multiplecontacts.
It honestly felt like screaminginto a voice.
It wasn't until all the way upto the governor's office when
things finally started gettingmoving, and that right there is
(02:07):
the problem.
It should not take having to goto the governor's office to get
a response from any type ofjustice system because most
people don't have the time,energy, or resources to keep
pushing that hard.
The system counts on that.
They make it as difficult aspossible, so people will give
(02:30):
up, but that's not who we are.
Our voices for justice giving upis not an option.
We fight.
It takes longer than it should,even when they make us jump
through hoops because thesestories matter because people
matter.
But here's the part I'm proud toshare tonight.
All that pushing paid off.
(02:51):
We finally started gettingresponses from the Delaware
Department of Correction.
They acknowledged our complaint.
They told us they were reviewingit seriously, and they followed
up with us multiple times.
But most importantly, the realmeasure of success for us was
hearing back from the inmatehimself.
They confirmed to us that thesituation was addressed.
(03:12):
That's why we do this.
That's why Voices for Justiceexists.
That's why Story Behind the Wallis here.
It's not about headlines orcredit.
It's about making sure even oneperson gets heard and help when
they're being ignored.
Now, look, if you know me, youknow I'm not shy about calling
out the system when it fails.
(03:33):
That's the entire reason forthis podcast.
But I also believe in fairnessand accountability goes both
ways.
Folks, if you're gonna holdpeople's feet to the fire when
they ignore complaints.
I'm also going to give themcredit when they do the right
thing.
So I wanna take a moment to saythank you to the Delaware
Department of Correction and toall the staff involved in
(03:54):
addressing this complaint.
I want to sincerely thank youfor reviewing and acting on an
informal complaint.
We submitted on behalf of anincarcerated individual at the
Howard R Young CorrectionalFacility, while it took
persistence and escalation toget the first response.
Once you were engaged, youtreated the matter with
seriousness.
It deserved your team follow up,and actions didn't go unnoticed.
(04:18):
Most importantly, the inmateconfirmed that the issue was
resolved As stories behind thewalls and through our work with
Voices for Justice, our missionis to hold the system
accountable and ensure thoseinside have a voice.
Thank you for listening this.
And we're showing that changecan happen when people speak up
(04:40):
and officials respond withintegrity.
I hope this is a sign ofcontinued commitment to
transparency and accountability.
That is my message for them,because credit matters just as
much as criticism.
If we really wanna see change.
I wanna pause and really talkabout why this matters.
This might seem like a smallthing to some people, but to
(05:03):
that inmate.
It wasn't small at all.
It was the difference betweenfeeling powerless and knowing
someone was fighting for them.
It was proof that even in asystem designed to ignore you,
you can be heard if someonerefuses to shut up about it.
(05:25):
And that's exactly what VoicesFor Justice has been doing for
over 15 years.
We don't give up.
We don't back down.
We started this fight because ofour own family was denied
justice, but we kept goingbecause we knew we were not the
only ones.
There are too many families whohave been failed, too many
(05:46):
people inside prison walls whohave no one to listen to them,
that who we do this for.
So before I close tonight, Iwant to talk directly to you.
If you or someone you know isinside and going through
something like this, if you'rehitting walls trying to get
help, do not give up.
(06:07):
This is again, why storiesbehind the wall exists.
This is why Voices for Justiceexists If you need someone to
help you, if you need someone tohelp you file a formal complaint
on your behalf, reach out to us.
If you don't know where to turn,if you're feeling lost, if you
just need someone to listen,send us an email and we will do
(06:30):
everything we can to help youbecause you deserve to be heard.
No one, no one is above the law,and as long as I have this mic,
as long as Voices for Justice ishere, we'll keep holding them
accountable and making surethese stories get told.
Again, I'm Annabel.
(06:51):
Thank you for listening to us.
Stay loud, stay real, and if youneed us, we're here.
You can find us on Spotify atStories Behind the Wall.
You can also find us onInstagram, and we are here on
TikTok.
Reach out and we'll be more thanhappy to help you.
Thank you and have a greatnight.
Welcome back to Stories Behindthe Walls.
(00:02):
I'm your host Annabel.
For those who don't know thispodcast, it's actually a break
off project of our nonprofitorganization.
Voices for Justice.
Voices for Justice was startedback in 2008 after my cousin was
murdered in Clearwater, Florida,and the justice system failed
our family completely.
We didn't get answers, we didn'tget accountability.
(00:23):
We just simply didn't getjustice.
That moment changed everythingfor us.
For over 15 years now, we'vebeen fighting not just for
ourselves, but for otherfamilies who've been ignored,
silent, or failed by the system.
We demand justice.
We demand accountability becauseno one is above the law.
(00:43):
That's what this podcast isabout.
This is our way to keep shininga light on what happens behind
the walls, and to make sure thatno one's story gets buried.
Now let's talk about the reasonfor tonight's episode.
If you listen to our lastepisode, you know I shared about
a formal complaint we filed onbehalf of an inmate at the
Howard R Young CorrectionalFacility in Delaware.
(01:06):
This wasn't some minor issue.
This was about basic humanrights, about safety and dignity
that every single persondeserves, regardless of why they
are incarcerated.
When this individual reached outto us, I knew immediately we
couldn't ignore it.
(01:26):
That's what Stories behind theWall exists for.
That's what Voices for Justiceexist for.
We step in when others won't.
So let's talk about the process.
I'm not going to sugarcoatanything.
And anyone to respond was anuphill battle.
It took six days of constantpushing.
(01:47):
I sent email after email, wecalled office after office.
We reached out to multiplecontacts.
It honestly felt like screaminginto a voice.
It wasn't until all the way upto the governor's office when
things finally started gettingmoving, and that right there is
(02:07):
the problem.
It should not take having to goto the governor's office to get
a response from any type ofjustice system because most
people don't have the time,energy, or resources to keep
pushing that hard.
The system counts on that.
They make it as difficult aspossible, so people will give
(02:30):
up, but that's not who we are.
Our voices for justice giving upis not an option.
We fight.
It takes longer than it should,even when they make us jump
through hoops because thesestories matter because people
matter.
But here's the part I'm proud toshare tonight.
All that pushing paid off.
(02:51):
We finally started gettingresponses from the Delaware
Department of Correction.
They acknowledged our complaint.
They told us they were reviewingit seriously, and they followed
up with us multiple times.
But most importantly, the realmeasure of success for us was
hearing back from the inmatehimself.
They confirmed to us that thesituation was addressed.
(03:12):
That's why we do this.
That's why Voices for Justiceexists.
That's why Story Behind the Wallis here.
It's not about headlines orcredit.
It's about making sure even oneperson gets heard and help when
they're being ignored.
Now, look, if you know me, youknow I'm not shy about calling
out the system when it fails.
(03:33):
That's the entire reason forthis podcast.
But I also believe in fairnessand accountability goes both
ways.
Folks, if you're gonna holdpeople's feet to the fire when
they ignore complaints.
I'm also going to give themcredit when they do the right
thing.
So I wanna take a moment to saythank you to the Delaware
Department of Correction and toall the staff involved in
(03:54):
addressing this complaint.
I want to sincerely thank youfor reviewing and acting on an
informal complaint.
We submitted on behalf of anincarcerated individual at the
Howard R Young CorrectionalFacility, while it took
persistence and escalation toget the first response.
Once you were engaged, youtreated the matter with
seriousness.
It deserved your team follow up,and actions didn't go unnoticed.
(04:18):
Most importantly, the inmateconfirmed that the issue was
resolved As stories behind thewalls and through our work with
Voices for Justice, our missionis to hold the system
accountable and ensure thoseinside have a voice.
Thank you for listening this.
And we're showing that changecan happen when people speak up
(04:40):
and officials respond withintegrity.
I hope this is a sign ofcontinued commitment to
transparency and accountability.
That is my message for them,because credit matters just as
much as criticism.
If we really wanna see change.
I wanna pause and really talkabout why this matters.
This might seem like a smallthing to some people, but to
(05:03):
that inmate.
It wasn't small at all.
It was the difference betweenfeeling powerless and knowing
someone was fighting for them.
It was proof that even in asystem designed to ignore you,
you can be heard if someonerefuses to shut up about it.
(05:25):
And that's exactly what VoicesFor Justice has been doing for
over 15 years.
We don't give up.
We don't back down.
We started this fight because ofour own family was denied
justice, but we kept goingbecause we knew we were not the
only ones.
There are too many families whohave been failed, too many
(05:46):
people inside prison walls whohave no one to listen to them,
that who we do this for.
So before I close tonight, Iwant to talk directly to you.
If you or someone you know isinside and going through
something like this, if you'rehitting walls trying to get
help, do not give up.
(06:07):
This is again, why storiesbehind the wall exists.
This is why Voices for Justiceexists If you need someone to
help you, if you need someone tohelp you file a formal complaint
on your behalf, reach out to us.
If you don't know where to turn,if you're feeling lost, if you
just need someone to listen,send us an email and we will do
(06:30):
everything we can to help youbecause you deserve to be heard.
No one, no one is above the law,and as long as I have this mic,
as long as Voices for Justice ishere, we'll keep holding them
accountable and making surethese stories get told.
Again, I'm Annabel.
(06:51):
Thank you for listening to us.
Stay loud, stay real, and if youneed us, we're here.
You can find us on Spotify atStories Behind the Wall.
You can also find us onInstagram, and we are here on
TikTok.
Reach out and we'll be more thanhappy to help you.
Thank you and have a greatnight.
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