Avon Hart-Johnson
Avon Hart-Johnson, Ph.D. is the president of DC Project Connect, a nonprofit that helps inmates and their families stay connected. She teaches life skills at Washington DC’s only half-way house for women. She is an international conference speaker who describes the consequences of mass incarceration on families. Her ground-breaking research revealed how incarceration of a loved one may be affecting millions of prisoners’ families. Women grieved for imprisoned loved ones began to isolate themselves socially, as if they were on “house arrest” due to shame, stigma, and lack of social support. Dr. Hart-Johnson is the chairperson of the Advocacy in Action committee for the International Prisoner Family Conference organization, which focuses on important issues along the mass incarceration continuum. She is also an adjunct professor at University of Maryland, serves on the Board of Directors for Fairview, a Residential Reentry Center, and has served with other community organizations.
