Hiding in Plain Sight: The Neighbors You Never Hear From Tia Ryans

No one dreams to grow up to become incarcerated or formerly incarcerated. For over a decade I lived in what I call a time capsule. I was eventually released from one of NJ’s state prisons but to an area where I had never lived, at an age that people expected me to act in a manner that was foreign to me, and without the support needed for my survival. Hiding In Plain Sight: The Neighbors You Never Hear From is an audio series that will take you on the journey of reentry through the first-hand experiences of 6 people and where they are today.

Tia Ryans speaks with Cassandra Severe. Cassandra takes us on an emotional journey of surviving sexual abuse as a child, how her acts of rebellion led to her eventual incarceration, and the moment she had to explain to her son that her stay at “college” was actually time spent in jail. Cassandra Severe is a mother, student, survivor, activist, and change agent.

In episode 3 of Hiding in Plain Sight: the Neighbors You Never Hear From, Host Tia Ryans speaks with Hanif Parker, who explains the effects of an addiction that lead to his incarceration and the social ills in urban spaces that challenged his identity. Hanif is a certified drug and alcohol counselor and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Justice Studies from Rutgers University-Newark. His work in reentry includes spearheading a correlational study that highlights the adverse effects of parole-mandated reentry groups; that work is being used to pass legislation today.

In episode 4 of Hiding in Plain Sight: The Neighbors You Never Hear From, Host Tia Ryans speaks with Jason Conway, who explains with a proud veteran who gave a vivid description of the parallels between his time serving in the military and his sentence in New Jersey’s state prison. Jason is currently enrolled in the M.P.A. program at Rutgers University-Newark School of Policy and Public Administration. He supports his community by actively participating in several social justice and criminal justice reform organizations and spaces.

Hear Jason’s inspiring story at the link in our bio & www.newarkstories.com.

#NJForteHouse #AllofUsorNONE #NewarkStories #OurStoriesBelongToUs
#CollateralConsequences #Reentry #Newark #Rutgersnewark #rutgersalumni #njstep

In episode 5 of Hiding in Plain Sight: The Neighbors You Never Hear From, Host Tia Ryans speaks with Summer Sprofera, who disclosed just how difficult her reentry journey was and still is because of the trauma of incarceration. She also delved into her experience of prior drug addiction and the lack of time she had to acclimate while taking care of a parent diagnosed with a terminal illness. Summer is a graduate of Rutgers University where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Planning and Design and currently works at Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ as the Director of Landscape Management.

In episode 6 of Hiding in Plain Sight: The Neighbors You Never Hear From, Host Tia Ryans speaks with Parish King, who spoke about his personal reentry troubles and physical health struggles that began with the lack of a proper diet during his confinement and medical care. The conversation included civic engagement, family loss, and therefore a loss of reentry support. He is currently attending Rutgers University-Newark where he will be a 2021 graduate with a degree in Psychology. Parish is also a proud student of the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons (NJ-STEP) initiative.