EA Hosts “Beyond the System: Redefining the Narrative of the Incarceration Experience”

by | Mar 4, 2025 | Priorities

Los Angeles, CA – On Tuesday, February 18th, 2025, the External Affairs Committee of Undergraduate Student Government hosted “Beyond the System: Redefining the Narrative of the Incarceration Experience.” This event was a panel discussion between four formerly incarcerated individuals and rehabilitation nonprofit leaders, aiming to build relationships with the local community and encouraging the audience to reshape their perceptions of incarcerated individuals. 

Speakers included:

  • David Moore: David Moore is a 43-year-old undergraduate student who studies Sociology and Addiction Sciences at USC. With an unwavering commitment to social justice and equity, Moore brings a unique perspective to the USC campus as a formerly incarcerated, first-generation, and transfer student. He identifies as someone with intersecting identities, including six years in recovery from substance use disorder, and leverages his lived experiences to advocate for systemic change in both academic and community spaces. Moore serves as the Managing Director of the Underground Trojans, a USC student organization dedicated to supporting and empowering students impacted by the criminal justice system through direct and indirect interactions which extends to family and community. In addition, he serves as Community Engagement Director at Principles Inc., dba Impact Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centers in Pasadena, where he focuses on fostering innovative reentry services, building community partnerships, and addressing the root causes of substance use disorder. A proud product of the CORE Program at Pasadena City College—a program that supports formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students—Moore has firsthand experience with the transformative power of education. He is deeply passionate about creating pathways from community colleges to four-year institutions like USC, especially for individuals from underserved communities. His work centers on amplifying the voices and value of those with lived experiences, helping them navigate higher education as a means of breaking cycles of incarceration and reducing recidivism. 
  • Skipp Townsend: Skipp Townsend is the founder and CEO of 2nd Call, a violence reduction and reentry organization serving the greater Los Angeles area. He previously served as an executive board member of the Southern California Ceasefire Committee and as a board member of the community advisory board of the Department of Public Safety for USC. Townsend is one of nine individuals chosen to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office Advisory Council for Victim Services Bureau. Prior to 2nd Call and his work in the community, Townsend was identified as an active gang member in the CAL Gangs database used by law enforcement to identify local gang affiliates. After overcoming barriers from his former lifestyle, Townsend received various forms of formalized training, including through Russell Friedman’s Grief Recovery, Lou Tice and Pacific Institute’s Imagine 21, California State University LA- Pat Brown Institute, University of Southern California School of Public Policy, the California Cognitive Behavioral Institutes Mathis & Associates Training Program, and the USC Non-Profit and Resilient Leaders and Capacity Building Programs. He recently graduated from the University of Chicago’s CVI Leadership Academy from the Harris School of Public Policy (Crime Lab). As a community activist, Townsend currently facilitates intervention training for Los Angeles city certified intervention workers and law enforcement officials. Townsend also regularly facilitates trauma-informed life skills courses throughout various communities in the greater Los Angeles area, along with facilitating courses through various California prisons. Because of his personal history, experience and training, Townsend has been requested to facilitate trainings nationally.
  • Danny Camarena: Danny Camarena is the Alumni Program Case Manager at InsideOUT Writers. Hailing from Compton, CA, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Studies from Pitzer College and an Associate of Arts in Social Behavioral Science from Norco College. Camarena is a certified CalMHSA Peer Support Specialist and a recipient of the Napier Fellowship for his dedication to social justice and social change. He also serves on the Justice Education Center Steering Committee at the Claremont Colleges, advocating for improved higher education opportunities for individuals in carceral settings. Previously, Camarena was a Non-Credit Instructor at Temple University and an intern for Designing Creative Futures. 
  • Raymundo Zacarias: After having served 5 years in prison for armed robbery, Raymundo Zacarias went to rehab, changed his life through education and recovery, and received his Master’s in Social Work from USC. He has worked with justice impacted/gang youth and reentry adults for the past 20 years. He was a part-time Lecturer at the USC, teaching about adolescent gang intervention work for 4 ½ years, while sitting as Community Co-Chair for Measure J guiding the Reentry recommendations to be funded by Los Angeles County. Zacarias was recently appointed to the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work’s Community Advisory Board. Currently, he is the Project Manager of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Trauma Prevention Partnership out of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health/Office of Violence Prevention. 

Topics discussed at this event included personal testimony about the incarceration experience, inequities in the criminal justice system, and opportunities for student involvement and activism. In addition, attendees heard about the realities of recidivism and the importance of education.

“It is an honor to participate in an event where my story and past mistakes hold value and highlight the transformational capacities of formerly-incarcerated students. Sharing my experience serves as a tool for healing just as much as it serves as an informational inlet to others,” shared David Moore. “I am now uplifted by a story that used to defeat me. It is the greatest feeling in the world to be received in a prestigious academic environment; especially that of my home – USC. It is absolutely vital that conversations of this nature take place. Just as important as it is to teach about the disparities within our criminal justice system and carceral state, is hearing the narrative of those directly and adversely impacted by it. The true concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion or even justice and equality will not fully materialize until all voices are heard.”

Resources and Opportunities
If you are interested in being contacted for ongoing volunteer opportunities involving formerly incarcerated and systems-impacted individuals, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfYTcxfryCBPtOILYbJu9q-rMzw6BLZNEIRwWPFeIHcBnqjpA/viewform. 

Additional opportunities and information from the speakers may be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wUlzF2dSuKG8FOt2GQPJrQEIZYER64YhAfbERSQZy4o/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.9431dc1lyxqd

 

USC Programs & Resources

Underground Trojans 

Prison Education Project (PEP)