(BOP) - Dr. Topeka K. Sam founded a non-profit organization, to help marginalized women and girls, co-founded a fintech company, to ensure that Justice-Impacted people and families have access to financial education, free FDIC Insured checking accounts and healthcare, became a real estate developer of affordable housing for people with convictions, a sought out public speaker, completed several fellowships, and won Google's first Social Impact Award. But before accomplishing so much, she went to prison. After hearing her speak and working with her on various initiatives, DOJ employees Kristie Breshears and Alix McLearen invited her to see the changes at the prison where she served her federal sentence, FCI Danbury.
On June 20, 2023, Warden Stover, and staff from FCI Danbury welcomed Dr. Sam to tour the Female Integrated Treatment (FIT) program at the Federal Satellite-Low. The innovative FIT program launched several years ago, and operates the entire facility as a modified therapeutic community with trauma, mental health, and substance use treatment alongside vocational opportunities.
Dr. Sam provided an impromptu address to the women and staff, detailing her history, the process of "humbling herself," and how she eventually convinced a federal judge to release her early from prison and supervised release then received a full and unconditional Presidential pardoned from the President Donald J Trump "for her dedication to helping women turn from a path of despair toward a path of redemption."
She also encouraged the women to take advantage of the FIT program, stating "I still do RSAs every day." RSAs are therapeutic techniques, and the women in the audience cheered wildly at the reference to their own work. Dr. Sam also provided guidance to individual questions about how she got started and how to use time in prison to heal and plan for reentry.