Joel Castón

Joel Castón is an American politician and convicted murderer who is a member of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) in Washington, D.C., and is the first incarcerated person to win an election in the city.[1]

Joel Castón
Advisory Neighborhood Commission
Assumed office
June 29, 2021

Early life and incarceration

Castón was raised in Ward 8 of Washington, D.C.[1] His parents separated when he was a child due to his dad's alcoholism.[1] At age 12, Castón began dealing drugs with his cousins.[1][2] When he was fifteen, his house was destroyed in a fire and his family was left homeless.[1] In November 1994, Castón was charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Rafiq Washington which occurred on August 14, 1994.[1][3] In 1996, he was sentenced to 35 years to life.[1] Castón was incarcerated a federal prisons until he was transferred to the D.C. Jail in 2016.[4]

While incarcerated, Castón earned a GED and took courses hosted by Georgetown University. Castón also led a jail newspaper and wrote papers on criminal justice reform.[1] He was a Christian worship music leader, a financial literacy officer, and started a mentorship program called the Young Men Emerging Program.[5]

Kim Kardashian filed a motion for Castón's release.[1] He was granted parole in April 2021, and released from prison in November 2021.[1][6]

Political career

In November, 2020, Castón sought to run for a vacant Advisory Neighborhood Commission seat in Ward 7, but was disqualified due to his voter registration showing his old address in Ward 8.[1] On June 15, 2021, while still residing in the D.C. Jail, Castón was elected to fill the ANC seat in Ward 7, winning about a third of the vote.[1][4][7] The Advisory Neighborhood Commission seat was created in 2013, but Castón is the first person to hold the seat and the first incarcerated person elected to public office in Washington, D.C.[4][7][1] In the election, Castón beat four other incarcerated candidates.[4][8]

Castón was sworn into office on June 29, 2021.[9] While incarcerated, Castón was given a laptop or tablet, an email account, and a workspace within the D.C. Jail to work on his ANC duties.[1]

Personal life

Castón has one daughter.[1] Castón is a Christian.[5] He speaks Spanish, French, Arabic, and Mandarin.[5]

References
  1. Lai, Stephanie (July 5, 2021). "D.C. reforms gave inmates a vote. Now an elected official is working from jail". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  2. Dwyer, Devin; Cruz, Abby; Herndon, Sarah (August 1, 2021). "Elected from jail, DC official advances voting rights and racial justice". ABC News. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  3. Thomas-Lester, Avis (December 5, 1994). "DELTA UNIT PROGRESS REPORT". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  4. Austermuhle, Martin (June 16, 2021). "'I May Be Incarcerated, But My Voice Still Matters.': Resident At D.C. Jail Wins Local Election". DCist. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  5. Lai, Stephanie (June 17, 2021). "26 years after being convicted of murder, a D.C. jail inmate is elected to public office". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  6. Gathright, Jenny (November 23, 2021). "Ward 7 ANC Commissioner Joel Castón Is Free After 26 Years Of Incarceration". dcist.com.
  7. "Prison Scholar Joel Caston Elected to Local Government". Georgetown University. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  8. "'My Voice Still Matters.': Resident At D.C. Jail Wins Local Election". NPR. June 17, 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  9. Doerfler, Grace (July 16, 2021). "How Jesuit-educated Joel Castón became the first person to win an election from jail". americamagazine.org.
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