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“Set Her Free: Exposing the Trauma to Prison Pipeline follows the lives of several women formerly and still incarcerated, including its executive producer, Dr. Jamila Davis, who are fighting for the passage of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act [DVSJA]. Davis, who answered questions from theGrio over email correspondence, explained that the film is ‘intentionally designed to sit at the intersection of storytelling and policy.’
“‘It’s not just awareness. It’s advocacy with a purpose,’ Davis said in an email. ‘I see Set Her Free as a model for how lived experience, data, and legislative reform can move together, not separately.’
Watch the trailer:
“Davis’ goal is that the action she and the Set Her Free team take in New Jersey can be replicated all over the country. According to a 2023 report from the Safety and Justice Challenge, 75% of women who were or are currently incarcerated have been victims of domestic violence.
“This film is personal for Davis. She served a 12.5-year sentence for bank fraud and was also a survivor of domestic abuse. The film connects how past abuse impacted the women’s lives and led them to commit crimes and receive long sentences.
“The other women featured are Dawn Jackson, Denise Staples, Myrna Diaz, Donna Hylton [Leading with Conviction™ 2015], Nafeesah Goldsmith, and Cass Severe. All of the women experienced sexual and domestic violence, and served or are serving a sentence at New Jersey’s Enda Mahan Correctional Facility. In the film, Severe is also working to help her friend, Natasha White, be released.
“State Sen. Angela V. McKnight (D) introduced the DVSJA bill in June, which would allow judges to reduce the sentences for survivors of domestic violence who can establish that their abuse was a significant contributing factor to their offense. The bill was already passed in New York in 2019. McKnight became involved with Davis and the film through a mutual friend, according to New Jersey Urban News. …
“On Monday, December 15, at 10 a.m., the New Jersey Senate will vote on the bill, and Davis will be in attendance alongside Jackson and Hylton. Jackson, whose case was publicized by Kim Kardashian, was released from prison in 2024 after fighting for clemency since 2018.
“Jackson was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 1999 for murdering her step-grandfather, who had sexually abused her since she was a young child. She wrote to Kardashian to share her story, explaining how information about the abuse she suffered was not allowed to be shared during her trial. A few months before Jackson was granted clemency, New Jersey’s governor Phil Murphy launched the Clemency Initiative to expedite the review of cases like hers.”
Thank you so much for supporting our mission here at JLUSA! Your donation helps to support our network of leaders working to dismantle oppressive systems and uplift people and families impacted by mass incarceration across the country.
All charitable donations made to JLUSA are fully tax deductible, as allowable by the IRS.
