Former Crime Reporter Finds Purpose Teaching Inmates to Tell Their Stories

A former local crime reporter has discovered her true calling by empowering inmates to articulate the narratives behind the crimes they committed.

Debra Des Vignes,who previously worked as an on-air news reporter in various markets covering crime,found herself only “scratching the surface” of the full stories of those she reported on,according to a recent CNN feature on her work.

“We only had what law enforcement told us.I always wondered, but it was such a fast-paced habitat,” Des Vignes shared with CNN. “It’s not that I didn’t care, but we didn’t have time to learn more about his or her background.”

Her journey into this impactful work began in 2017 when she started volunteering in prisons, teaching a victim impact class designed to help offenders understand the consequences of their actions from the victim’s perspective.

“I think society has that image of TV and movies and what that represents,and how a criminal is supposed to act or behave with a chip on their shoulder or angry,” Des Vignes observed. “I found the exact opposite.”

During these classes, she encouraged inmates to write letters to their victims. It was in this setting that she witnessed the men opening up in unprecedented ways.

“There was a lot of raw talent in that room,” she recalled.

This profound experience inspired Des Vignes to establish her own nonprofit dedicated to fostering writing among incarcerated individuals. Thus, the Indiana Prison Writers Workshop was born in 2018.

Initially launched in a single Indiana prison, Des Vignes’ 12-week creative writing program has since expanded its reach to eight correctional institutions across Indiana