EP: 8 - 6 Months From the Gate
A Correctional View
When the new year hits, people carry energized spirits about new goals they have set for completion. A popular quote yelled by many is, " NEW YEAR, NEW ME". Everyone is excited to introduce the version of themselves they have transformed into or the person they wish to become. This year I woke up on January 1st, mad that I was still breathing. New year, New ME didn't want to be alive anymore. After hosting multiple events, creating a podcast, becoming very fit & active in the gym, and starting my non-profit to help us, one would think I would be hitting a catwalk proud of multiple...
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EP: 7 - Collateral Consequences
A Correctional View
Many people hold the perception that once an individual completes their sentence in prison or on probation, they are no longer punished by the state. False. Even if that individual never messes up another day in their life, as long as that felony appears on their background, they will have to answer to someone regarding that mistake. For those who have entered prison, the re-entry into society is a daunting task. Depending on your crime, society may feel they can never forgive you, jobs may deem that you're not fit for their environment, & friends may distance themselves from you for...
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EP: 6 - Taking Accountability
A Correctional View
It is very hard for anyone to take any level of accountability when embarking on their journey through the court system and even prison. Defendants will always scream the system is unjust when not receiving their desired result. Lawyers and prosecutors will simply remind their clients, this is just the way it goes and judges probably won't remember the name,by the end of the same day, of a person they sentenced to prison for 25 years. Is there one person that takes overall accountability or does each person step forward admitting what they're responsible for? Can each person entering...
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EP: 5 - Mental Side Effects in Prison
A Correctional View
As my journey in prison continues, other elements begin unveiling themselves - one of the major issues being my state of mind. I can only speak on the psychological assistance provided in Arizona, and their formula to assist anyone battling depression, anxiety, or fear was to throw a generic form of medicine on them. This doesn't work well for a lot of women and it definitely didn't help me at all. " It takes a strong person, mentally, to survive in prison" - something a lot of people in prison say
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EP: 4 - Why Am I Still Here?
A Correctional View
After the discovery of what we deemed to be new evidence unveiling my innocence, the judge denied my motion and I was still in prison. There is a level of accountability that is necessary surviving prison and you must accept mistakes that led you there for mental peace; however, the struggle for peace nears impossible standards when you have to carry a punishment for a crime you did not commit. Every day I had to ask myself, why am I still here?
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EP: 3 - Proving Dominique's Innocence in Arizona
A Correctional View
A lot of guilty parties scream, "It wasn't me". Because of this, the world has become numb assuming all cries of innocence are lies. I told you in previous episodes, I always felt my previous lawyer, Elizabeth Mullins, assumed I was lying when I told her that I didn't remember anything from the night of my car accident. The lawyer my parents retained after my incarceration, Steve Benedetto, joins us on this episode and he'll tell you he was waiting for an alternate truth from my mouth as well. He found it, but it wasn't behind a lie I was holding but in files that Cantor Law Firm never...
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EP: 2 - I Signed the Plea
A Correctional View
Understanding the mindset of Dominique after she signed a plea is just as insightful as understanding why she tried to pull that plea only days later. There should be a box you're able to check when signing a plea stating you're not actually admitting guilt, you just don't like the odds if you take your case trial. There isn't, and before Dominique is able to unveil findings to begin Post Conviction Relief on her case, she arrives at prison.
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EP: 1 - I Don't Remember Anything
A Correctional View
In every criminal case, the defendant typically carries a story for their defense. Most defendants are able to create a narrative painting their innocence or explaining exactly why they were forced to commit the act they are now charged with. But what happens when the defendant wakes up and doesn't even know why they're in jail?
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A Correctional View Trailer
A Correctional View
Walking into a courtroom uneducated on the systematic structure dealing with the incarceration of African Americans is not a defense. Experiencing this event while holding the assumption that a paid attorney will defend you against this system will later teach you never to walk in assumptions again. Dominique Goodmond served a 5 year sentence in the state of Arizona charged for a car accident she did not cause. After three years of fighting for her innocence, she is no longer incarcerated but now serving her four year probation tail. How do we get to the bottom of this problem to stop placing...
info_outlineAfter the discovery of what we deemed to be new evidence unveiling my innocence, the judge denied my motion and I was still in prison. There is a level of accountability that is necessary surviving prison and you must accept mistakes that led you there for mental peace; however, the struggle for peace nears impossible standards when you have to carry a punishment for a crime you did not commit. Every day I had to ask myself, why am I still here?