Emotional Perspectives from Carceral Spaces and Beyond

Ronnice Giscombe is a father to an amazing daughter who he loves very much. After completing the Walls to Bridges program, writing for the Journal of Prisoners on Prisons gave him another opportunity to continue to be creative and work with great people. As a person who has always enjoyed writing and being creative, he wants to be able to share his story, especially for his daughter.

Wes Guzylak’s spirit name is Thunderman, only recently given to him by the elder at Warkworth Institution. He is 37 years old, serving life – 14 years and 9 months. He just completed a Walls to Bridges program course and when presented with the ‘emotions in carceral spaces’ theme for the Journal of Prisoners on Prisons felt it was relevant, but also a good opportunity to share and gain knowledge from others. Publications on these topics should be put out into the world for this reason – to further knowledge and understanding.

Ogo Esenwah is an international Lawyer with over four years of experience of law practice in Nigeria. She is registered with the Law Society of Ontario and is currently training to become a licensed lawyer in Canada. She is also a recent alumna of Durham College, where she took the Walls to Bridges course and other mediation courses. Ogo enjoys swimming, wine tasting, spending time with family, and sunbathing. She loves to learn and is very enthusiastic about personal development. She is fluent in English, French, Pidgin (native), Ibo (native), and Yoruba (native).

Varina Gurdyal recently completed Durham College’s Conflict Resolution and Mediation graduate certificate program and also has a B.A. in Criminology from Wilfrid Laurier University. With a passion for restorative justice and alternative dispute resolution, she hopes to find future work that involves restorative justice practices to help people grow in a welcoming and creative space much like W2B classrooms. Participating in the Walls to Bridges program only furthered this interest as she got to listen and learn from the inside students about their hopes for the future and the goals they have set for themselves. She truly believes she has learned more from listening to peers in W2B circle discussions than she has in any other class and is forever grateful to be a part of such a special group of individuals.

Nadia Judunath is a Student Paralegal who recently graduated from Centennial College in the Courts and Tribunal Paralegal program and graduated from Durham College Conflict Resolution and Mediation certificate program, where she took the Walls to Bridges course. Nadia has a West Indian background and is fluent in English. She has various personal interests including the arts, music, event management and a love for the outdoors. Nadia is actively involved within her community and, when she is not spending time with her young family, she volunteers her time toward various educational causes within the Toronto District School Board, advocating as a Ward 22 representative and a co-chair of her children’s elementary school parent council.