One of the students in WYSO’s class at Dayton Correctional Institution, Alisha Federici, got out just after class ended. She returned to her family in Waverly, Ohio, in Pike County. She’d been incarcerated for a little over a year after years of problems with drugs. Three weeks after her release and not long after her 26th birthday, Alisha died of an overdose. In an interview with another incarcerated woman, Shannon Evans, Alisha had talked about her past trying to go to rehab.
We aired this story with the permission of Alisha Rose Federici’s mother and father, who said they hoped it would help raise awareness about the heroin epidemic. WYSO thanks Tony Federici and Susan Rose for their generosity with Alisha’s story.
Women’s Voices from Dayton Correctional Institution is a series of stories based on WYSO’s Community Voices class at the prison on the west side. WYSO selected 10 incarcerated women through a competitive application process, and taught them interviewing, storytelling and recording skills. The series is produced and mixed by managing editor Lewis Wallace and Community Voices producer Renee Wilde, with volunteer support from Community Voices graduate Dr. Venita Kelley and editorial input from general manager Neenah Ellis. Our incarcerated students were Shannon Evans, Alisha Federici, LaShae Landry, Diana Linz, Tyra Patterson, Or'Zaria Slaton, Nikkia Sullivan, Lana Williams, Melody Williams and Aimee Wissman.
