We're Still Here
We’re Still Here is a series of stories from people sentenced to Death By Incarceration. Over 5,000 people in Pennsylvania have been robbed of hope for a positive future due to Life Without Parole. This is what they want you to know about them.
Qu'eed Batts: The Transformative Justice Practitioner
At the age of 14, I was charged as an adult and sentenced to mandatory Death By Incarceration. I appealed the sentence and my case was picked up by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, where they ruled that it was unconstitutional to sentence children to mandatory DBI. I'm serving a virtual life sentence now and devote myself to transformative justice practices inside.
Brenda Watkins: The Producer
I was born in 1960 in Hoffman, North Carolina. Addiction got the best of me as a teenager working long hours at a factory in Philadelphia. Now my dream is to work with women outside these walls to give young women a chance at a better life.
Tran Loc: The Refugee
At the age of 19, my sister and I arrived in North Philadelphia from Vietnam with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Two years later, I was arrested and sentenced to die in prison.
Richie Marra: The Entrepreneur
As far as prisons go, I'm one of the lucky ones. Out of 39,000 people in Pennsylvania state prisons, I'm one of the 64 individuals living on the Scandinavian Unit at SCI Chester — a specialized unit modeled on the prison system in Nordic countries.
Phillip Ocampo: The Family Man
I’ve used my time incarcerated to grow in love—for God, for my family, for the guys I'm doing time with, and the young kids who come through in need of a role model. I believe we have the power to heal one another through relationships.
Tom Schilk: The Artist
I was born and raised in Kensington. My art has been exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation, the Theater of The Living Arts, and various universities. For the time being, I live and work at SCI-Phoenix.