About Us

"The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons."

- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The House of the Dead (1862)

The Prisoners’ Lives Matter Pennsylvania campaign was created by Rodney Derrickson, a formerly incarcerated individual, in 2020 to advocate for a “Prisoners’ Bill of Rights” while incarcerated and for the humane treatment of all incarcerated people!

learn more about Rodney here

How We Operate

The mission and purpose of this campaign is to advocate for humane treatment, transformative rehabilitation, educational opportunities and second chances for all prisoners. This mission can be accomplished by:

1
Informing the public
Help policymakers and people outside of the system understand and learn about the injustice and abuse happening inside of prisons and the subsequent need for prison reform.
2
Giving prisoners their humanity back
Prisoners are people! They are mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, grandmothers, nieces, brothers, uncles, sons, grandfathers, nephews and citizens of this country.
3
Demanding real rehabilitation
Prisons should be places for people who committed offenses against society to find opportunities for redemption, repentance, restoration, treatment and education in order to one day return to society as productive citizens.
4
Banning abusive practices
The use of chokehold, tear gas, OC spray, and excessive force to control prisoners must be eliminated to ensure the humane treatment of all those incarcerated. We must implement the use of body cameras at all state prisons/county jails for cell extractions, excessive force incidents and Restricted Housing Units to ensure transparency and staff accountability.
5
Reexamining prison policies
Prison polices must be reexamined in order to create conflict de-escalation techniques, mental health crisis intervention, diversity in all state/county prison leadership positions, trauma informed care and PTSD training for both prisoners and staff. Going forward, all state prison/county jail policies must seek to provide adequate medical treatment, mental health care, education access, rehabilitation, vocational and self-help groups, family reunification and visitation access and re-entry programming opportunities for all prisoners to ensure compliance with all state and federal laws.
6
Supporting other states
PLM will seek to sponsor and help other states create PLM campaigns using our strategies and visions. Each state interested must be registered with us. Please reach out to our team at [email protected] to learn more!

Meet the Team

Advisory Board Members (other formerly incarcerated people, community leaders, college students, professors, prison/criminal justice reform advocates and stakeholders who can provide support and input on actions and efforts)

Rodney

Founder and Executive Director

As a native of Chester, PA and the founder of this campaign, I want to utilize my 30 years of my unique lived-prison experiences to be an effective voice at the decision making table with the voices of the marginalized prison communities that helps inform the public, policy makers and Pennsylvania legislators of the importance of why the lives of prisoners should matter! I will utilize my specialized knowledge and insight as an incarcerated person, Certified Peer Support Specialist, Paralegal, Wellness Recovery facilitator, Community Leader, Writer and Criminal Justice Reform Advocate to help create laws and policies that humanize prisoners and properly prepare them for transformative rehabilitation and a success release after prison. To learn more about me, visit: bringrodneyhome.com

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Maria

Law Student Volunteer

Maria is a Pittsburgh native and a law student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She became involved with the PLM PA Campaign while volunteering with Pitt’s Incarcerated Persons Legal Support Project. She hopes to utilize her legal education to advocate for criminal justice reform.
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Josiah

Law Student Volunteer

Josiah is a L.A. native and law student at Harvard Law School. He currently holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Georgetown University. He aspires to lead a successful career as a civil rights attorney and have a significant impact in public policy.

 
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Kelly

Student Volunteer

Kelly is a Chicago suburbanite and currently holds a Bachelor’s degree in Government from Georgetown University. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health, and want to continue in her passion for prison justice reform.

About Us

We are a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization whose mission is to educate the public and raise awareness of the importance of the human treatment, transformative rehabilitation, educational opportunities and second chances for all prisoners incarcerated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

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