“Before I came to Free Minds, I knew how to read, but until I read and talked about the books you brought me, I didn’t know how much I could love it. Now, I may be locked down for 24 hours a day, but if I have books, I can take my mind to another place, and see new ways of living.”
–Kuron, age 19
About Us
Our Mission
Our Vision
Our History
Whom We Serve
Who We Are
Our Mission
Our mission is to introduce young inmates to the transformative power of books and creative writing. By mentoring them and connecting them to supportive services throughout their incarceration into reentry, Free Minds inspires these youths to see their potential and achieve new educational and career goals.
Our Vision
That every young inmate receives the necessary tools, inspiration and community support to pursue education and follow a positive new path in life.
Our History
The idea for Free Minds began with an unsolicited letter from a stranger. In 1996, Co-Founder Kelli Taylor was working as a journalist when she received a letter from Glen McGinnis, a young inmate on Texas’ death row. At that time, Glen had been incarcerated for more than five years for a crime committed when he was 17 years old. In response to this contact, Kelli produced a television documentary about Glen and other juveniles on death row in America. After the program aired, she continued to correspond with Glen over the next four years and ultimately participated in his remarkable journey of personal and educational growth. Books sent to him in prison provided the perfect common ground where two individuals from very different backgrounds could meet and their lives could be positively transformed. While Glen’s formal education ended at the age of 11, reading and writing opened up a whole new world of knowledge and possibility to him during his incarceration. Glen’s execution in 2000 was a catalyst for action. In 2002, Kelli and colleague Tara Libert founded the Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop and committed themselves to introducing at-risk teens at the DC Jail to the life-changing power of reading and writing.
Free Minds began as a bi-weekly program for young inmates held in the DC Jail. As members were released or transferred to federal prison after turning 18, Kelli and Executive Director, Tara Libert, recognized that maintaining contact throughout incarceration and beyond was vital to helping these youths positively redirect their lives. Over the years, Free Minds has expanded its services to include a twice-weekly Book Club Program; a Continuing Support Program which provides new books, written correspondence to members after transfer to federal prison, and pen-pals; and a Reentry Support Program which connects released members to the people, programs and services in the community that will help them to achieve their new educational and career goals.
Whom We Serve
Free Minds serves the more than 50 new male juveniles, who are charged and incarcerated as adults at the DC Jail each year. Ninety five percent are African American and five percent are Latino. The majority comes from the city’s most crime-stricken neighborhoods where nearly half of the children live below the poverty rate. At 16 and 17 years old, they read on average, at a fifth grade level and most have already dropped out of, or disengaged from school. More than half of the youth served by Free Minds also have parents or other close family members who have been incarcerated, and a majority already has children themselves. Juveniles who are incarcerated as adults are at extremely high risk for future violent criminal activity {1}. At the same time, access to educational programs while incarcerated has proven to reduce recidivism {2}. By reaching these youths at this critical juncture, and exciting them about learning, Free Minds motivates these young men to pursue positive new directions for their futures. Since its inception, Free Minds has reached nearly 400 youths through our Book Club, Continuing Support and Reentry Programs.
Who We Are
Tara Libert, Co-founder and Executive Director
Before co-founding Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop in 2002, Tara worked as a radio and television news and documentary producer for twelve years. After producing many features on the US criminal justice system, showcasing such topics such as the death penalty, prison overcrowding and juvenile justice reform she was drawn to direct service. Tara began volunteering with Georgetown University’s Family Literacy Program, tutoring incarcerated parents at the District of Columbia jail. She is trained as a tutor with the Literacy Volunteers of America and a mediator with The Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County, MD. Tara is also a facilitator for the Community Conferencing Center, a conflict transformation and community justice organization that works with youth to resolve conflicts and to prevent crime. Tara is an advisory board member of The Beat Within, an organization that conducts writing workshops for youth in juvenile detention facilities.
Juliana Ratner, Program Director
Juliana first worked for Free Minds in the capacity of event coordinator for the 6th annual Hear Us Out! Poetry Reading, where she significantly increased audience size through outreach to the DC arts community. She later joined Free Minds full time as a Program Coordinator, and now serves as Program Director. Juliana has worked for both domestic and international non-profits doing work as varied as sexual assault crisis counseling, ESL tutoring, and database development. A graduate of Warren Wilson College, she holds a BA in Anthropology and a minor in Spanish. Juliana has continued to pursue languages as one of her many interests and is fluent in both Spanish and Tibetan, and currently taking classes in French and Arabic. Juliana is a certified administrator of Social Solutions: Efforts to Outcomes, Free Minds’ evaluation software program, and has completed Navigating Youth Culture training at DC’s Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation. As Program Director, Juliana manages all three phases of the Free Minds program, providing direct support for Free Minds members at the DC Jail, in federal prisons throughout the country and home in the community. She also manages the office, the College Intern program, and volunteer staff, as well as social media and outreach efforts.
Mark Timberlake, Part-time Outreach and Reentry Specialist
For more than six years, Mark has devoted himself to empowering young people in the District of Columbia. In role as part time Outreach and Re-entry Specialist for Free Minds, Mark draws on his own powerful story of successful homecoming to motivate recently returned Free Minds members towards a positive life path. Mark connects Free Minds youth to employment and life skills training, job opportunities, and educational resources while providing an invaluable role as mentor helping them navigate successfully through the challenges of life after incarceration. Mark also works at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services as a Youth Development Specialist and Correctional Officer. Before becoming a part of DYRS and Free Minds, Mark worked as a Family Support Worker and Community Resource Specialist at the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative, Inc. Mark has been nominated for numerous awards including Outstanding DC Government Employee of the Year, and was named Father of the Year in 2007 by the Alliance of Concerned Men.
Kelli Taylor, Co-founder, Former Executive Director and Free Minds Volunteer
Before co-founding and serving as Executive Director of Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, Kelli worked as a televsion news and documentary producer. From 1998 – 2002, she served as a trained volunteer for Offender Aid and Restoration, mentoring and sharing literature with young inmates at the Arlington County Jail. She is an experienced book club facilitator for the Great Book Foundation’s Junior Great Books program in Arlington County schools, which uses a proven curriculum to help students develop essential literacy skills. As of 2010, Kelli volunteers with Free Minds, maintaining contact through letters with our Continuing Support members.
Our Board
Chairperson
Kelli Taylor
Co-founder and former Executive Director, Free Minds
David Beacom
Publisher and Associate Director, National Science Teachers Association
Andrew Ferguson
Professor of Law, University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clark School of Law
Jessica Sandoval
Director of National Field Operations, Campaign for Youth Justice
Stephanie Slewka
Independent Television Producer, Director & Writer
Tara Libert
Co-founder and Executive Director, Free Minds