'In Their Words': Inmates at Yaphank jail tell their stories in memoir writing class

When prompted to write about a scent in a memoir writing class at the Yaphank Correctional Facility, Mateo Muñoz, now 20, thought about freedom. And he thought about home.

The first line of Muñoz's response two years ago reads: "A scent that I would like to write about is the smell of freedom. You might think that freedom doesn't smell like anything. But ... I've noticed this particular smell I get everytime I go to the yard [at the jail]. To me the scent always reminds me of being home."

Muñoz, of Brentwood, is on probation after serving 8 months for first-degree gang assault as a youthful offender a few years ago. He was back at the Suffolk County jail on Tuesday for the unveiling of "In Their Words" memoir exhibit, which is on display through the holiday season in the jail's visiting center lobby, officials said.

The memoir writing class was among programs for inmates in the Sheriff's Addiction Treatment Program, taught by journalist and volunteer Andrew Visconti. He had a decadeslong career as the New York-based U.S. correspondent for la Repubblica, a publication based in his native Milan.

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. praised Visconti's work, saying the journalist's "weekly commitment over the past two years have helped so many men and women find their voice and begin to make sense of their experience."

He added, "While the jail is not a treatment center, I feel we that have a responsibility to provide support, structure and opportunity. ... They deserve the chance to heal, reflect and rebuild."

In an interview at the exhibit, Muñoz recalled he was 11 days away from getting out of the jail two years ago when he pondered Visconti's writing prompt about scent. "And I really didn't know what to write. But since I play basketball ... I realized that it smells a certain way. I don't know, I'd smell it at my aunt's house. Whenever I would be playing in my aunt's yard, I got that same smell. ... I didn't know what to call it. I just thought if I'm smelling it, I'm home."

Visconti, 69, now of East Hampton, said at a news conference: "Memoir writing is hard work. Sometimes ... especially in the beginning, it is greeted with resistance. And people have a hard time trusting the program, maybe trusting each other. So it takes time. We let participants take their time. Whenever you're ready, your story will go deeper, will become more meaningful, and will mean more to you."

Visconti, who has taught memoir writing at the East Hampton Library and now does it privately, has been teaching the class at the jail since 2023. He said during the program: "I hope that they continue writing once they leave the time that they’re incarcerated because I strongly believe in the power of writing. ... So their stories, stories often of addiction or of family problems, of separation, they become real once they put it in writing. And it allows them to reflect and better understand themselves."

Christiana Jackson, 28, of Mastic Beach, attended the exhibit's opening with her mother, Verna Miles. Jackson said she was released from the jail last month, after serving 8 months for a DWI conviction.

After her initial resistance to the writing program, Jackson told Newsday: "I loved it. In Andrew's class, he makes you stand in the middle of class and read out loud. ... Plenty of times, I cried in his class. Or I was happy. His class really helped a lot."

The experience, she said, "allowed me to open up more and speak about things that I never spoke about before. It made me feel heard." She added, "It was a great experience, and I took it outside with me and I still write to this day."

Jaclyn McCarthy, vice president of program excellence at Hicksville-based CN Guidance & Counseling Services, where programs include mental health and substance use treatment, said while she wasn't familiar with the jail's memoir writing program, "It sounds really, really nice. The ability for someone to reflect on their life, on situations that have not gone well for them. Sometimes it’s the darkest moment of your life [and] to be able to process that, find the hope, find the next steps, to find a way you can turn that around, that is a really powerful opportunity for someone."

Serena Martin, executive director of New Hour For Women and Children Long Island, based in Brentwood, which provides services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their families, said she was aware of the writing program and saw value in it. She said, "So many — nine out of 10 — women behind bars are survivors of abuse. Anything that helps women find their voice is very meaningful. So we support that."