Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series

Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series on Alcatraz Island

Troy Williams/Restorative Media

The Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series is a program on Alcatraz Island that lifts up and highlights the voices of people who have spent time inside of jails and prisons. The National Park Service believes in parks as platforms for dialogue, and Alcatraz Island, being one of the only NPS sites that interprets mass incarceration, works directly with people who have been affected in order to give them a platform to showcase their stories.

 

 

Courtesy Abercrombie

May 2026 Speakers

5/9 Eric Abercrombie, Sound Designer, Uncuffed

Eric “Maserati-E” Abercrombie was born in Oakland, California. While incarcerated, he learned sound design and film. Now, as a returned citizen, he works to show the world that people are not defined by their past circumstances. Join E on Alcatraz to learn about his journey of transformation, the lessons he learned while he was incarcerated, and the work he is doing now.

After returning home, E was a co-host of The Last Mile Radio on SiriusXM and is currently the Sound Designer for the podcast Uncuffed, which is produced in Solano State Prison and San Quentin State Prison. He is also a facilitator of the 10P Program, teaching emotional literacy and emotional intelligence in Solano State Prison.

 

Courtesy DeRouen

5/23 Willard DeRouen Jr, Project Outreach Manager

Willard will explore the deeply personal and often overlooked impact of incarceration on families, particularly the separation of parents and children. Drawing from lived experience as a formerly incarcerated father, this talk highlights the pain of family separation, rebuilding trust with children, navigating stigma after release, and the journey toward healing and accountability. It will also examine how systems can create barriers to reunification and stability for families affected by incarceration.

 

Courtesy Leonard Boone

June 2026 Speakers

Leonard Boone, Peer Mentor, Rising Scholars

Recently paroled after completing a 24-year sentence, Leonard began his transformation with a desire to understand when his life has taken such a drastic turn. By taking classes on emotional intelligence, criminal thinking and behavior, substance abuse disorder treatment, and beyond, he realized that he had developed many negative core beliefs and character defects. Once these were identified, he replaced them with coping skills that have allowed him to be a positive member of society.

Leonard is currently a college student pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Communications, working as a student mentor in the Rising Scholars Program, and is creating a social club for formerly incarcerated students. He has dedicated his life to being a positive example and showing what someone can accomplish with sincerity and diligence.

 

Courtesy Cenea

6/13 Mariah Cenea, Student Fellow, CROP Organization

After spending 21 years incarcerated, Mariah returned home determined to turn experience into purpose. Re-entering society came with many challenges, especially navigating adulthood for the first time and learning basic skills, like navigating the internet, finances, and obtaining vital records. Through the organization CROP, she found a safe space to grow, develop leadership skills, and build the mindset needed to move forward.

In her current work, Mariah is passionate about helping people who are returning from incarceration access stable housing, education, and real opportunities. She uses a trauma-informed and gender responsive perspective, shaped by her lived experience as a transgender woman navigating reentry. Her goal is to use her voice, story, and leadership to advocate for second chances and stronger communities.