Antiracist Development Institute co-sponsors screening of parole system documentary and panel

CARLISLE AND UNIVERSITY PARK—April is National Reentry Awareness Month, and the Antiracist Development Institute at Penn State Dickinson Law began the month by co-sponsoring a screening of the HBO documentary Nature of the Crime, which examines the U.S. parole system and its complex bureaucracy. A panel discussion exploring the realities of the U.S. parole system followed the screening.

The Restorative Justice Initiative (RJI) and Penn State World Campus also co-sponsored the event, which was held in Carlisle and University Park and also included a Zoom option. The panel included Kurt Danysh from Tomorrow’s Neighbors, a reentry organization in Carlisle; Rodney Derrickson of Prisoners' Lives Matter, a Pennsylvania nonprofit involved with transformative justice efforts; Efraín Marimón, director of the RJI and associate teaching professor of education at Penn State; and Irvin Moore of the Restorative Justice Initiative.

An American Sign Language interpreter translated for the panel.

“It was an honor to participate. The discussion following the film viewing was something I won’t forget,” said Derrickson. “As someone newly released and directly impacted by the barriers to reentry, speaking on that panel wasn’t just about sharing information; it was about sharing my truth. I spoke from lived experience, about the uncertainty, the obstacles, and the strength it takes to rebuild after incarceration. The space Penn State Dickinson Law created allowed for real, honest conversation. It wasn’t just informative, it was human!

Katie Miller ’26, the legal research assistant at RJI for the past two years, helped coordinate the event and led the panel discussion.

“This discussion was important to me because of the way that the criminal justice system dehumanizes people, especially people of marginalized identities,” said Miller. “The mainstream narratives in society revolve around punishing ‘evil people,’ locking them up and throwing away the key, and forget that incarcerated people are human beings often facing systemic issues related to poverty, education, substance use, and violence. I believe in second chances and that our society should be a community that supports and lifts each other up, allowing us to be the best version of ourselves.”

A nuanced look at a flawed system

The film followed two incarcerated men convicted of murder as they navigated the bureaucracy of the parole system and its psychological toll. Directors Ricki Stern and Jesse Sweet filmed interviews with the parole board as the men cycled through hope and despair while trying to win release after decades behind bars, beginning when both were teens.

Marimón spoke about his experiences as a professor in a prison education program, and Danysh, Derrickson, and Moore shared insights from their personal experiences with the parole system and incarceration.

“I agreed to participate because I believe it’s important to share real, lived experiences and open up conversations that challenge common misconceptions about parole and reentry,” said Danysh. “I believe it's important to recognize the complexities, challenges, and triumphs associated with parole supervision in Pennsylvania. I believe it is equally important to recognize that Pennsylvania has made great strides in improving its parole system in the Commonwealth. We, as persons with lived experience, are excited to continue working with the system to improve it.”

Danysh, Derrickson, and Moore emphasized that parole hearings can give incarcerated people false hope, with people who have demonstrated real change often denied release.

“Why did I agree to even be on a panel that discloses my past history with crime and Punishment?” said Moore. “Well, I did so because I refuse to run from, duck and hide, and pretend that the ill effects of the U. S. criminal justice system do not lie heavily on the backs of not only the incarcerated and the reentered men, women, and children of this country, but also upon everyone who lives in this country. Everyone that has a family member, friend, neighbor, or community member that one way or another pays the price for having been in jail or for having a criminal record. There are millions of us! I wanted folks to understand what it means to try to live like that and to try to beat the odds of recidivism and discrimination. It is my story to tell, and I intend to tell it.

Miller said the human element of the panel helped drive home the need for reform and the importance of organizations like RJI, which supports system-impacted, currently, and formerly incarcerated individuals.

“I already knew that there was a high rate of wrongful convictions, especially among people of color. But an audience member asked Rodney about what it was like to know that he was wrongfully convicted while having to plead to the parole board that he had learned his lesson and deserved to be released,” said Miller. “Rodney and the rest of the panelists talked about being true to themselves while also being considerate of the people around them, which I found interesting given that the people around them weren't always so considerate of their experiences.”