On January 20, New Jersey quietly made history.
Just before leaving office, Governor Phil Murphy signed two bills into law that fundamentally change how the state treats survivors of domestic violence who have been criminalized for surviving abuse. At the center of that shift is the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, landmark legislation that acknowledges a long-ignored truth: trauma and coercive control matter in the criminal legal system.
The law allows courts to consider a survivor’s history of domestic violence during sentencing or resentencing and provides a pathway for incarcerated survivors to seek relief when abuse played a significant role in their conviction. Its companion Expungement Bill further supports survivors by removing legal barriers tied to past convictions, helping them rebuild their lives with dignity and opportunity.
What makes this moment extraordinary is not only the law itself—but who helped make it happen.
Survivor Voices at the Center of Reform
The Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act did not emerge from abstract policy debates. It was shaped by the voices of justice-impacted women who lived the consequences of a system that punished survival rather than recognizing context.
Those voices were amplified through Set Her Free, a documentary that spotlights the trauma-to-prison pipeline and the lived experiences of women who survived domestic and sexual violence, only to be incarcerated without compassion or understanding.
The film features Dr. Jamila T. Davis, Donna Hylton, Nafeesah Goldsmith, Cassandra Severe, Dawn Jackson, Denise Staples, and Myrna Diaz—women who refused to remain confined to the screen. They carried their stories into legislative spaces, community forums, and direct conversations with policymakers across New Jersey.
Rather than positioning storytelling as awareness alone, these women used it as strategy.
Turning Lived Experience Into Law
Executive Producer Dr. Jamila T. Davis intentionally built Set Her Free as an advocacy tool. Drawing on her lived experience, professional network, and personal resources, she ensured the film reached lawmakers and decision-makers positioned to act.
Directed by J Love Calderon, Set Her Free was executive produced by Dr. Jamila T. Davis and Dr. Topeka K. Sam, justice-impacted leaders whose lived experience shaped the film’s advocacy-driven approach. The documentary later earned a Gold Award at the 2025 Knoxville Christian Film Festival, underscoring the resonance and power of survivor-led storytelling.
“This historic moment reminds me that nothing is impossible through the power of advocacy,” said Dr. Jamila T. Davis. “Even those who are often told they don’t have a voice can create one. Our story shows the world that change is possible—and it offers a blueprint for how to make it happen.”
That blueprint included direct engagement with legislators, survivor testimony that humanized policy language, and a clear call for accountability from leadership.
The bills were sponsored by Senator Angela McKnight, whose leadership helped translate survivor experiences into statutory reform. Survivors themselves personally urged the governor to sign the bills before the January 20 deadline, emphasizing that delay would mean continued incarceration for women whose trauma had never been considered.
The governor signed both bills into law.
Beyond Legislation: Clemency as Justice in Real Time
The advocacy surrounding Set Her Free extended beyond the legislative process.
The women also publicly and privately advocated for clemency for Natasha White, a survivor whose incarceration exemplified the criminalization of domestic violence survivors. Their collective voices, grounded in lived experience and amplified through the film, drew attention to the human cost of inaction.
Natasha White was granted clemency.
For those involved, the moment confirmed that survivor-led advocacy can produce outcomes that are both systemic and deeply personal.
A New Model for Justice Reform
The passage of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act represents more than a policy shift. It signals a new model for how reform can happen.
Justice-impacted women were not consulted as an afterthought. They were central to the process. Their stories were not reduced to sympathy—they were treated as evidence.
From prison to policy, these women demonstrated that those most harmed by the system are often the most equipped to change it.
And in New Jersey, they proved that when survivors lead, justice can finally catch up.
