Who we are.
The Prisoners' Brain Trust (PBT) embodies people directly impacted by the prison industrial complex's many harms. Each member brings their full carceral and personal experiences into our work to dissect how policies impact and intersect our lives and communities.
Our Program Directors.
PBT has 6 programs that are led by inside-team members. Carceral harms intersect multiple communities, so we are close to many issues. Guided by our central values, our programs deepen our understanding of abolition.
This team is responsible for branding and imaging the organization and creating artwork to inspire community education and civic engagement.
Political Artivism
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Bryan Panarella is a published essayist, poet, book reviewer and the Program Director of the Political Artivism Team for Prisoners’ Brain Trust. Through his leadership he is able to organize events by bringing poets and artist together into a nonjudgmental environment. Bryan's vision is to have the public acknowledge the talents, and not the flaws of himself and his peers. With his ability to push passed his limits, and his supportive attitude towards other's growth he is able to not only uplift himself but also uplift those around him. Though he is serving a 15 years to life sentence for Felony Murder, due to his involvement in a robbery, he does not allow his prior bad decisions to limit his ability to make better decisions today.
Community Education and Reentry
This team is vital to our community's commitment to rehabilitation, inclusivity, and second chances. This team also puts out our monthly newsletter The Bulb.
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Santos Lopez is an incarcerated individual who is nearing the end of a 22 years-life prison sentence. He has dedicated his time to education, earning an Associate's Degree in the Arts, and is currently working on his senior project to earn a Bachelor's Degree from Bard college. Rather than waiting for his release to perform his civic duties, Mr. Lopez is an active member today, writing conversational pieces that afford readers different perspectives into the effects of policies, community, and mass incarceration. He is an active member of PBT, a creative writing instructor, and tutor, all made possible through his role as a husband, son, brother, friend, and community member.
The team’s central mission revolves around creating and advocating for policies prioritizing the return and rehabilitation of community members while striving to abolish prisons as we know them today.
De-carceral Policy
Eric Loussanint
The team embodies a compassionate and inclusive vision for our community on Turtle Island. Their vital mission revolves around creating and implementing progressive programs and policies to ensure a warm and inclusive welcome for newcomers to our land.
No More Borders
Aladdin Sanchez
This team is at the forefront of our community's commitment to preserving our planet and fostering a more sustainable future.
Environmental Sustainability
Provard (Jay) Jones
This team combats the incarceration of young individuals and community members, emphasizing the importance of diversion from the criminal justice system whenever possible.
Youth Development & Alternatives to Incarceration
Chris Levy
Board Members.
Paris E. Whitfield
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Eric Paris Whitfield is president and cofounder of Prisoners' Brain Trust, a Narrative Lab essayist/journalist, Study and Struggle book reviewer, and 2023 graduate from Bard College. His senior thesis was entitled Feminist Theory, NYC Black LGBTQ+ Youth and the Complexities of Intersectionality: Finding Autonomy amid Heteronormalcy and Racism. Currently, he is working on obtaining a Master’s Degree in Public Humanities at Bard College.
Alisha Kohn
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Alisha Kohn is the Co-Founder and Vice President of the Prisoners’ Brain Trust, a collective led by currently and formerly incarcerated people organizing to end carceral harm in New York State. A formerly incarcerated trans woman, Alisha spent ten years in a men’s prison and draws on that experience to guide advocacy rooted in justice, dignity, and liberation. She co-leads campaigns such as the Faces of the Felony Murder Law, the annual Attica Community Remembrance Day, and efforts to restore voting rights and parole fairness. Alisha began her organizing through Queers for Justice at the Newburgh LGBTQ+ Center and continues to build power alongside directly impacted people inside and outside the walls. She works closely with inside leaders, student interns, and community partners to amplify incarcerated voices and shift policy. Her work centers the belief that those most harmed by the system must be the ones to lead its transformation.
Emmanuella Pierre
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Emmanuella Pierre completed her Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 2001. She is currently working at a not-for-profit, self-regulatory organization. She began advocating for criminal justice reform when her late husband Emmanuel Pierre was sentenced to 25 years to life for a crime he did not commit. She has worked with numerous advocacy groups such as RAPP, CCA. Parole Prep and is an active member in AFJ. She is currently seating as a board member for PBT, an organization that her late husband helped to establish. She admires the fact that PBT has the possibility to change lives if the bills they work for are passed. She also hopes to establish a bill that can change the policies of medical care for all incarcerated individuals.
Her belief is no one should have to die behind the wall.
Nathaly Jimenez-Panarella
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As a dedicated board member of PBT and the organization’s social media manager, she brings both professional commitment and personal passion to our advocacy work. Her journey into criminal justice reform began with her husband, who is also a member of PBT, who is currently incarcerated. His experience opened her eyes to the deep injustices within the system, sparking a relentless drive into learning to advocate and amplify the voices of those directly impacted. She is devoted to using her voice and platform to fight for change—not just for her husband, but for all families affected by mass incarceration.