Who We Are
More Than Our Crimes seeks to give a voice to the thousands of Americans, many people of color, who are incarcerated in federal prison. Our goal: to promote rehabilitation and reduce recidivism after release.
We work by sharing the stories of both incarcerated individuals and those recently released. Inside prison, we distribute newsletters written to inform members on relevant developments in the broader world, gather issues and concerns that need to be addressed, and educate them on how to effectively engage with government agencies and representatives (including a special focus on DC residents, who are empowered to vote). Outside prison, we use storytelling to advocate for reform and second chances (testifying to government officials, speaking to community groups, etc.).
More Than Our Crimes was founded in 2020 by Robert Barton and Pam Bailey, who forged an unusual collaboration after meeting through a penpal letter exchange.
Robert Barton
Co-founder and Executive Director
Robert grew up in southeast DC and was incarcerated at the age of 16. He was sentenced to 30 years to life, but used that time to read voraciously; earn an associate degree in business administration; and—when he returned to the D.C. jail for nearly two years in a petition for early release —become both a mentor for the Young Men Emerging initiative and a participant in the Georgetown Prison Scholars program,for which he earned a 4.0 grade point average. He was released in February 2025. Today, Robert directs More Than Our Crimes full time.
Pam Bailey
Co-founder and Managing Director
Pam grew up in Chicago, where she began her career as a daily newspaper crime reporter. Today, she is a freelance journalist; founder of and writing coach for We Are Not Numbers, a youth program in the Gaza Strip; and—now—activist for reform of the justice system in the United States. Pam partners with Rob, focusing on managing the in-prison work of More Than Our Crimes.
Askia Afrika-Ber
Staff Writer
Askia (aka Darnel Herndon) is a DC native who is currently incarcerated. He explains his “chosen” name this way: “I took Askia from the illustrious West African Songhai Emperor Muhammad Toure. Toure took the title of Askia, which means “general.” (The brother was a leader and teacher of men. In the streets, my homies expected me to organize our moves, knowing I’d always bring them back alive and unharmed. Now, I am now trying to use those same skills and energy for righteous purposes.) The surname Afrika is a nod to John Africa, founder of MOVE. (For the unfamiliar: MOVE is a Black organization whose members believe that “everything alive moves. If it didn’t, it would be stagnant.” When members greet each other, they say, “on the MOVE.”) Askia is committed to the liberation and independent development of all oppressed people.
Crystal Carpenter
Board Member
Crystal has worked since 2019 as chief program and strategy officer for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, where she educates and trains diverse stakeholders on issues related to the harsh realities faced by incarcerated individuals and families. Her brother is formerly incarcerated, and before he was released, Crystal played a key role in the introduction and adoption of DC’s Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA). In addition to her passion for social justice issues, Crystal has a deep background in data analytics, project management, business intelligence, survey design and programming.
James Carpenter
Board Member
Aliyah Graves-Brown
Board Member
Aliyah is an associate at Wilkinson Stekloff and trained as a mediator by the Harvard Mediation Program. Before law school, Aliyah worked as the program manager for Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative. She attended Harvard Law School, where she served as a student attorney at Harvard Defenders and the Criminal Justice Institute, representing indigent adults charged with misdemeanor and felony charges in Boston criminal courts.
Tawana Logan
Board Member
Tawana brings over 20 years of experience in grants administration and management across the nonprofit, federal and local government sectors. Most recently, she served as the deputy director for justice grants at the District of Columbia’s Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG). In this role, she oversaw the administration of federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, including the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Her work supported reentry and juvenile justice programs throughout the District. In addition, Tawana is the president and founder of 4Ward Focus Consulting, a firm dedicated to strengthening nonprofit organizations through capacity building, grants administration, resource development and strategic partnerships.
Kristin McGough
Board Member
Kristin is pro bono counsel for civil rights at Winston & Strawn, and has more than 15 years of experience in civil rights, criminal legal system reform and criminal defense work. Before joining Winston & Strawn, Kristin was supervising counsel for the prisoners’ rights team at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. There, she leveraged structural litigation with related public policy advocacy to enforce the civil rights and civil liberties of individuals incarcerated. Prior to joining the Committee, Kristin spent nearly a decade running her own legal practice, focused almost exclusively on representing indigent criminal defendants in the District of Columbia.
Penelope Spain
Board Chair
Penelope is the co-founder and CEO of Open City Advocates, where she fights for young people impacted by DC’s juvenile legal system. She co-founded the organization in response to the stark reality that every youth incarcerated in DC is Black or Latino—a reflection of deep-rooted racial injustice. Through holistic mentoring and legal advocacy, Penelope works to ensure that these young people are seen, heard and defended long after the courtroom doors close. Her legal work helped secure a landmark ruling from the DC Court of Appeals affirming the right of youth in custody to have legal representation throughout their incarceration and supervision. Penelope brings not only professional expertise but personal truth to this work—as the sister of a loved one serving a long sentence in California, and as a mother raising two civically-engaged children.