Angel Alejandro

/in /by

Angel Alejandro joined the CFSY in February of 2020 and serves as Senior Development Manager for Grants on the Development team. In this role, Angel works closely with the Development team to help educate diverse stakeholders on issues related to extreme sentencing.

Angel was incarcerated at the age of 18 for a crime he committed when he was 15, and he was not released from prison until the age of 39. He spent his time incarcerated educating himself and came home with two degrees and several certifications, including one in Business Entrepreneurship.  During his studies, Angel served as a tutor for other students as well as a facilitator in the mentoring programs “Alternative to Violence (AVP)” and “Victim Impact” to help people who have committed harm understand how their choices affect others. He is also a member of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN), an initiative of the CFSY which amplifies the voices and leadership of formerly incarcerated youth.

Outside of work, Angel relishes his role as an uncle to his ever-expanding family and rediscovering his hometown of NYC. He also loves to work on strategy as an avid chess player.

Eric Alexander

/in /by

Eric joined the CFSY team in 2017. He speaks to groups throughout the country in support of our public education and advocacy efforts. He is also a founding member of ICAN (Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network) and works with formerly incarcerated youth to help engage them deeply and strategically in the movement for the fair sentencing and treatment of all children.

At 17 years of age, Eric was arrested and subsequently charged with especially aggravated robbery and first-degree murder. Aware that the court was seeking a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, he pled guilty in order to receive two 25 year sentences (with a chance for parole) to be served concurrently in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. He was later paroled in 2004.

After his release, he began to volunteer in Alternative Schools for students with behavioral issues. He joined AmeriCorps Community Health Corps and assisted in establishing full-service medical clinics inside of local high-schools that provided health care to poor and underserved students and families. Eric became an independent vendor for the public school system. He facilitated trainings for school staff and campus security that offered strategies in identifying gang members and providing intervention for them and their families. He partnered with the Juvenile Detention Center and local organizations to provide services for students with trauma-related issues. The goal of this coalition of providers was to keep youth out of the juvenile justice system.  As a Program Director for the YMCA of Middle TN, Eric operated a 3-point program that addressed the socio-emotional development in students with behavioral and academic performance issues.

In his downtime, Eric enjoys spending time with family and cycling. He finds time for a ‘flea market flip’ every now and then.

Amna Ali

/in /by

Amna graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in 2021. As an Atlanta native, she formed her personal and political convictions through Black feminist frameworks, Palestine organizing, and Reproductive Justice work.

She joined the CFSY team in November 2023, drawn to the organization’s collective belief that incarcerated & formerly incarcerated peoples provide a necessary perspective, and are deserving of dignity and freedom. In her role as the Executive & Operations Assistant, she provides a variety of strategic and logistical support to the CFSY team. She knows that internal organization builds the foundation for capacity and success.

In her downtime, you can find Amna logging her latest watch on Letterboxd, cooking with friends, and hanging out with her cat.

Tamala Allen

/in /by

Tamala joined the CFSY in March 2020. Prior to joining the CFSY, Tamala was a manager for a large corporation in the Chicago area. She also volunteered for Restore Justice, where she helped organize advocacy training sessions and assisted in lobbying efforts to build awareness of extreme sentencing options in Illinois. In addition, Tamala volunteered with the Illinois Prison Project, where she helped incarcerated people experiencing mental health challenges and incarcerated veterans who had served over twenty years in prison. 

Tamala is married to a formerly incarcerated youth, a union she credits with sparking much of her involvement in criminal legal reform advocacy efforts. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, riding bikes, gardening, watching movies, and spending time with family and friends. 

Jose Burgos

/in /by

Jose Burgos joined the CFSY team in October 2023. Before joining CFSY, Jose was a Reentry specialist assisting those coming home after decades of incarceration with Project Reentry at Michigan’s State Appellate Defenders Office (SADO). As a former life-sentenced child and long-standing member of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN), Jose has been an avid champion of youth justice reform in the State of Michigan.

Jose was sentenced to life without parole for an act committed at 16 years old. Having dropped out of school in the 7th grade, Jose began educating himself while incarcerated, which led him to earn his G.E.D. and a certificate in Custodial Maintenance Technology. Jose played an instrumental role in creating two youth mentoring programs, which are still up and running today. He trained service dogs, created a book club, mentored other prisoners, and got involved in as many programs as possible. After 27 years of incarceration with no hope of freedom, Jose’s sentence was reduced, earning him his release.

In 2020, Jose was appointed by Governor Whitmer to the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice and became a non-attorney member of the State Bar of Michigan Prisons & Corrections Section. His expertise in youth justice reform has already been instrumental in changing the landscape for life-sentenced children in the state of Michigan.

When Jose isn’t on the phone with a formerly life-sentenced child or picking someone up from prison on their release date, you can find him enjoying the company of his loving grandmother who raised him, stood by his side during those 27 years and sat in the courtroom the day his life without parole sentence was reduced to a term of years.

Crystal Carpenter

/in /by

Crystal Carpenter joined the CFSY in April 2019. She bridges the work of several departments working to understand the experiences of individuals post-release, while developing a range of supports and resources to help them thrive. Crystal brings to this role a passion for criminal justice reform that she unearthed more than twenty years ago.

In this role, Crystal works with directly impacted individuals, their families, and communities to ensure multi-directional sharing of data, information, and experiences. Her proximity to the issue provides a unique perspective as she works to educate and train diverse stakeholders on issues related to the harsh realities faced by formerly incarcerated individuals and families. When not at work, Crystal enjoys reading, and watching movies with her family, and cheering her hometown Washington Redskins or UNC Tarheels (alma mater) on!

Alicia Contreras

/in /by

Alicia Contreras graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Legal Studies in May of 2021 and joined the CFSY in August 2021. As an undergraduate, she received an opportunity to intern for Speaker Pelosi in her San Francisco office, where she worked with Speaker Pelosi’s staff on constituent casework involving Section 8 housing and immigration services. Alicia also served as an Alternative Breaks leader, a program where students spend their spring break volunteering and servicing historically underserved communities throughout California.

At the beginning of 2020, she participated in the University of California Washington Center (UCDC) program, and was a legislative intern for Senator Sanders on Capitol Hill, and spent time on legislative research projects regarding the Senator’s proposed Medicare for All legislation.  In her senior year, she worked on a semester-long research project on the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, examining the Center’s work in restorative justice alternatives and the impact it has had on the Oakland community. Alicia’s late father’s history of incarceration meant witnessing firsthand the challenges that formerly incarcerated folks face when reentering into society and the long-lasting impacts of the carceral system on them and their families. His subsequent career as a drug and alcohol counselor and passion for community activism inspire her work to this day.

Outside of work, Alicia can be found exploring D.C. on electric scooters and thrift shopping.

Donnell Drinks

/in /by

Donnell Drinks joined the CFSY in March 2021 and serves as the Leadership Development & Engagement Coordinator.

Donnell was arrested at the age of 17 and was subsequently sentenced to the death penalty, which was later reduced to a life sentence. He served over 27 years and was released in July 2018. During his incarceration, he spent his time educating himself by obtaining his GED, accumulating multiple college credits, becoming a Certified Peer Specialist, and obtaining his certification in Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD). He was extensively involved in charitable work through various inmate organizations and served as President of multiple organizations. The organizations included Lifers Inc., the NAACP, the Latin American Cultural Exchange Organization (LACEO), and Journey for Change, which have all afforded him diverse experiences and skills. Since his release, he has employed these skills in his Philadelphia community as a mentor and re-entry specialist for Gaining Respect Over Our Worst Nights (GROWN) and as an anti-violence advocate. Donnell is a member of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN) an initiative of the CFSY which amplifies the voices and leadership of formerly incarcerated youth.

Outside of work, Donnell enjoys creative writing, sketching, and photography.

Eddie Ellis

/in /by

Eddie Ellis joined the CFSY team in early 2018. He works with ICAN members across the country, connecting them to each other and with local resources. He also works with other directly impacted communities, including the family members of juvenile lifers.

Eddie, a native Washingtonian, was arrested and charged with murder at the age of 16 — he was later found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He served 15 years and finished the rest of his time on parole.

Eddie came home in 2006 and since that time he has worked on a variety of issues, including reentry, solitary confinement, and on behalf of people with disabilities who are in the system and coming home. He has served on the board of directors of a national legal organization, and helped with client center training for lawyers, probation officers and social workers. He is an advocate for those in the system, a mentor, and a motivational speaker. His lived experience as a formerly incarcerated person provides invaluable insight and depth into his work that allows him to connect with and engage the community he serves.

Karmah Elmusa

/in /by
Karmah sits on the CFSY’s Executive Leadership Team as Managing Director, Talent & Operations. In her role, she offers internal management support and oversees staff learning & development, and guides the organization’s external affairs and communications work. She joined the CFSY team in April 2017 as Communications Director and held that position for over five years. 
 
Karmah is a native of Washington, DC and earlier in her career worked as a journalist at The NewsHour on PBS, The Washington Post Express, Mother Jones, and California Lawyer Magazine. Immediately prior to joining the CFSY she was a Communications Manager at the Institute for Middle East Understanding, where she advocated for increased coverage of Palestinian human rights in American media.
Karmah holds a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University and a Master’s degree from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. She relishes time with family and friends, and loves to read fiction, run to good music, and cook.