Scope and Contents This oral history interview was conducted with Lashonia Thompson-El by Kristin Adair in Washington, DC. Lashonia Thompson-El was born in 1973 in Washington, DC. In the interview, Lashonia speaks about growing up in Southeast Washington, in a family that had migrated from North Carolina. As a teenager, she got involved in a life of crime. At the age of 19, she was arrested and later sentenced to 20 to 60 years in prison for a double homicide. She was granted parole in December 2011, after...

Scope and Contents This oral history interview was conducted with Lashonia Thompson-El by Kristin Adair in Washington, DC. Lashonia Thompson-El was born in 1973 in Washington, DC. In the interview, Lashonia speaks about growing up in Southeast Washington, in a family that had migrated from North Carolina. As a teenager, she got involved in a life of crime. At the age of 19, she was arrested and later sentenced to 20 to 60 years in prison for a double homicide. She was granted parole in December 2011, after...

Scope and Contents This oral history interview was conducted with Petrina Williams by Kristin Adair in Washington, D.C. Petrina Williams was born in 1967 in Washington, D.C. She attended Spelman College and later moved to Washington, D.C., in 1998. She talks about moving to D.C. to live with her aunt and developing a drug addiction. She talks about having two children during that time, and she was pregnant with her third child when she was convicted of a non-violent narcotics-related crime. She gave birth to...

Scope and Contents This oral history interview was conducted with Saundra Sanders by Kristin Adair in Washington, D.C. Saundra Sanders was born in 1962 in Washington, D.C. She talks about being raised at 19th and Maryland Ave NE. She gave birth to her only child, a son, just after her graduation from Dunbar Senior High School in 1980. She discusses how she became involved in drug use and criminal activity. In 1984, she was incarcerated for the first time, serving six years. She talks about how she came to...

Scope and Contents This oral history interview was conducted with Tanisha Murden by Kristin Adair in Washington, D.C. Tanisha Murden was born in 1989 in Washington, D.C. She talks about being raised in an unstable household in Southeast D.C. Her relationships strained with both of her parents, she ran away, got involved in the streets, and was in and out of group homes, juvenile facilities, psychiatric institutions, and foster care for much of her childhood. She describes at the age of 18, getting arrested for...