Statements

Mission

We advocate for re-entry and equitable opportunities for persons returning from prison.

We assist incarcerated & formerly incarcerated individuals to develop re-entry plans that meet their unique challenges, circumstances, and visions toward paths of self-sufficiency.

We humanize and celebrate the success of formerly incarcerated Americans. We advocate at parole hearings and build community relationships that provide resources that aide in re-entry. We offer limited post conviction community support through our Watchers Project.

We organize to eradicate felonism, end parole board abuse, and advocate for criminal legal reform.

Background

Unheard Voices Outreach is the vision of it's founder who discovered "HIS WHY" and inspiration from the pain, misery, and suffering of individuals confined in prison, including his very own biological brother's and their tragedies combined. He believed that he could help to change fear-based stereotypes of how society viewed prisoners and formerly incarcerated citizens by becoming a Voice for transformative justice. It became apparent to him that labels such as criminal, convict, and felon as the identities and narratives of individuals who had caused harm removed their humanity and silenced their voices. He clearly realized that they had to be accountable for behaviors that harmed their communities and demonstrate that they had value to contribute to society from their transformations and desires to make amends. UVO works is to advocate for criminal legal reform in partnership with the incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and their affected communities. JUSTICE includes MERCY and second chances. Social Justice involves equity and empowering disenfranchised persons. UVO's vision is to build bridges of freedom, reconciliation and to empower formerly incarcerated persons to become self-determined human beings who contribute their value to their community by becoming their best expressions of their humanity.

Impact

In 2017, UVO created a board, a vision, and a mission. In 2018, programs such as Smart Phone Smarts, Smart Credit, and an invitation to join our Caring Community began to bud. In 2019, our work went into fifth gear with frontline advocacy, freedom campaign organizing, innovation, and our relentless work to end felonism.

• We advocated for the release of six individuals and spoke directly to the Tennessee Board of Parole. Five individuals received favorable results. Our most notable case is that of Cyrus Wilson, who spent 26 years in prison after only witnesses recanted.

• We partnered with Vanderbilt Prison Project and presented to the Ingram Scholars.

• We partnered with Vanderbilt computer science students to create a mobile app to further UVO's mission by making its resources available to an even wider audience. It will serve as a centralized tool for users to access resources and to initiate contact with re-entry consultants and volunteer transitional partners. The app will launch in the second quarter of 2020.

• We sought information from both the Tennessee Department of Corrections and Board of Parole through Bass, Berry, and Sims Law Firm to create a recommendation to Governor Lee's Task Force committee on Probation and Parole.

• We signed on as an interested party to a class action lawsuit against Tennessee Department of Corrections and Board of Parole regarding sentencing and parole.

• We have received more than 100 letters from individuals denied parole for "seriousness of the offense," and responded to those letters about our efforts.

• We created UVO WATCHERS project to bring the larger community of Tennessee into parole hearings and courtroom post-conviction cases.

• We have begun filming for a documentary that will tell the stories of prisoners in their own voices, post incarceration struggles, successes, and highlight the importance of prison volunteers and community.

Needs

We need a full time director and staff person to assist with program execution.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Crime & Legal - Related  - Rehabilitation Services for Offenders
Secondary Category:	Crime & Legal - Related  - Inmate Support
Tertiary Category:	-

Areas Served

TN - Davidson