From Prison to Policy: Meet 3 Black Women Who Used Their Trauma as Power Against Mass Incarceration

Donna Hylton was once a gifted student, even earning a prestigious scholarship in New York. But at age 20, her life took a turn when she and six others were convicted of murder. Her promising future was cut short, and, as she describes it, her experience as a young Black girl in America meant her story was largely overlooked.

“People will not even acknowledge that I was a kid. I was young,” she told us in an exclusive interview. “Just because I was a young Black girl, like my whole childhood, my everything was just not even valued, accepted or nothing.”

A jury convicted Hylton in the 1985 kidnapping, torture and murder of New York businessman Thomas Vigliarolo. She was sentenced to 25 years to life. At the time, both prosecutors and the public viewed her as a monster. Hylton internalized that image, struggling to grapple with her role in the crime and her own victimization.

“It’s hard to separate how you’re a victim in something and also a victimizer,” she said, taking responsibility for being a bystander while also pointing to the systemic failures that shaped her circumstances.

Hylton emphasized that many Black girls face situations beyond their control. “We find ourselves in situations we can’t do anything about. We get caught up, and we can’t get out,” she explained. “Whether we’re incarcerated or not.”

Her experience reflects broader patterns. According to the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, one in four Black girls will be sexually abused before age 18. At the same time, studies show Black girls are often “adultified”- perceived as more independent and less in need of protection than their white peers, which can lead to neglect and harsher treatment.

It’s a curse that contributes to the mass incarceration cycle in the Black community, with Black girls making up 32 percent of all girls in juvenile facilities, and Black women also being disproportionately represented in adult prisons. Years after Hylton’s sentencing, similar patterns persisted, as seen in the case of Dr. Jamila T. Davis.

Davis, a self-made millionaire, was sentenced at age 25 to 12 and a half years in federal prison for bank fraud. “I thought I was at my funeral,” she recalled. Once incarcerated, she recognized stark disparities in how women were treated and sentenced.

“We were being warehoused,” Davis said. “We were being severely punished for our mistakes. There was no rehabilitation– no real programs or help.”

Like Hylton and Sam, Davis’ past trauma wasn’t addressed until it was too late. “Here was a problem that was deeper than what people could see.
It was trauma… Pain led to two things: my purpose, but it also led to my demise,” Davis continued.

It’s at the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury that she met singer Lauryn Hill, who inspired her to dive into film during her three-month sentence. Davis was also introduced to Dr. Topeka K. Sam, serving three years for drug charges. The two women became friends and would later collaborate on historic efforts.

After their release, Hylton, Davis, and Sam dedicated themselves to reforming the criminal justice system. Hylton, released in 2012, contributed to early drafts of New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act while still incarcerated. The law allows courts to consider a defendant’s history of abuse–such as domestic violence, human trafficking or childhood trauma–during sentencing.

Other states, including Georgia and Oklahoma, have adopted similar laws. New Jersey recently joined them, with advocacy efforts led in part by Davis and Sam. The push gained momentum when Governor Phil Murphy established a clemency program prioritizing second chances in 2024. Before leaving office, he signed New Jersey’s version of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, marking a significant victory for advocates and survivors.

Reflecting on her past, Davis said early intervention could have changed her path. “If someone had talked to young Jamila about what her life could be like if she made different choices, I wouldn’t have made some of those mistakes,” she said.

Today, Davis, Hylton and Sam focus on reaching young people and advocating for systemic change. “Nobody wants to be locked up, but people aren’t given resources,” Davis said. “If we provide information, knowledge, and support, that’s how we create real change in our communities.”