Prison Hallucinations Losing Yourself Behind Bars

Five Mualimm-ak is a nationally recognized human rights advocate, prison reform leader, and the founder of the Jails Action Coalition (JAC) — a grassroots organization that fights for dignity, transparency, and justice inside New York City's jails, including the notorious Rikers Island.

🧑🏿‍⚖️ Who is Five Mualimm-ak?
Survivor of Solitary Confinement: Five spent nearly 5 years in prison, with more than 1,850 consecutive days in solitary confinement in New York state facilities. He was later found innocent and released.

Credible Messenger: He is a trauma-informed expert and lived-experience advocate who uses his own survival to push for systemic change.

Black Panther Party Cub: As the child of a former Black Panther, Five continues the legacy of liberation, organizing, and community empowerment.

🏛️ Founder of the Jails Action Coalition (JAC)
The Jails Action Coalition is a New York City-based alliance of:

Formerly incarcerated people

Family members of people in jail

Advocates

Medical and legal professionals

JAC’s Mission:

“To expose and end the abusive conditions in NYC jails, hold the Department of Correction accountable, and demand community-centered alternatives to incarceration.”

🔧 JAC Works On:
Ending solitary confinement

Fighting for medical and mental health care for detainees

Testifying at Board of Correction hearings

Campaigning to close Rikers Island

Demanding oversight and transparency from jail officials

🧠 Five’s Broader Work & Impact
Founder of Incarcerated Nation Network (INN): A collective of over 25 organizations led by formerly incarcerated people working to end mass incarceration.

Public Speaker and Educator: He’s spoken at:

The United Nations

Columbia, Yale, and NYU

National conferences on prison reform, trauma, and justice

Advisor and Consultant: Works with institutions and agencies to implement trauma-informed, decarceral policies.

Featured in Media:

PBS’s Rikers: An American Jail (with Bill Moyers & Bryan Stevenson)

NY Times, The Guardian, Vice, and more

🗽 Legacy and Vision
Five Mualimm-ak’s work through JAC and INN represents a powerful shift toward:

Centering the voices of people directly impacted by incarceration

Creating non-carceral, community-based solutions to harm

Transforming justice from punishment to healing