Our Team

We are a small team of individuals determined to ensure the protection of the civil rights of those incarcerated.

PLS is based in downtown Boston and serves the entirety of Massachusetts. We work to provide advocacy for individuals to ensure that their legally guaranteed rights are not violated by the state.

elizabeth matos

Executive Director

Elizabeth Matos is the Executive Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts and was a staff attorney with the organization for over seven years. Elizabeth has been involved in litigation about solitary confinement practices regarding prisoners with mental illness, discrimination against deaf and hard of hearing prisoners, draconian classification practices, guard on prisoner assaults, and lowering exorbitant and monopolistic prison phone rates. She works closely with coalitions and alongside those most impacted, and advocates with the state legislature on the organization’s legislative priorities, including ending the predatory charging for prison phone calls, expanding access to visitation and voting rights, ending solitary confinement, establishing a prison building moratorium, and providing meaningful access to mental health services, among others. Prior to practicing prisoners’ rights law at PLS Elizabeth practiced housing, education, disability, and immigration law at South Coastal Counties Legal Services. Preceding her legal career, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Mozambique and served as the Immigrant Rights Coordinator for the MIRA (Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy) Coalition.

james pingeon

Litigation Director

James Pingeon has been the Litigation Director at PLS since 2001.  Previously, he was a senior attorney at the Center for Public Representation and an associate at a large Boston firm.  He has been representing those incarcerated for more than 30 years, focusing on systemic reform cases, including challenges to overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, solitary confinement of individuals with mental illness; incarceration of individuals civilly committed for substance use disorders, discrimination against deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, excessive telephone fees, and many others. 

Marisol Carrillo
Executive and Legal Support Assistant

Sarah Blair
Pro Bono Counsel

Aryanna Cooke
Paralegal, Race Equity in Corrections Initiative

Onesha Dixon
Paralegal

Kelsea Goodrow
Project Coordinator for Project RIZE

Michael Horrell
Senior Staff Attorney and Acting Healthcare & Disability Project Director

Mac Hudson
Community Liaison Coordinator, Racial Equity in Corrections Initiative

Kristyn J.E. Huey
Senior Staff Attorney and Brutality Project Director

Alphonse Kamanzi
Paralegal

Ada Lin
Bart J. Gordon Legal Fellow and Staff Attorney

Valerie Linhardt
Development Director

Danielle Magalhaes
Receptionist/Legal Assistant 

Edna Medina
Legal Assistant and Notary

David Milton
Senior Staff Attorney

Sarah Nawab
Women’s Incarceration Conditions and Reentry Project lead and Staff Attorney

Mario Paredes
Immigrant Detention Conditions Project lead and Staff Attorney

Lauren Petit
Senior Staff Attorney and Medical Parole Project Director

Kate Piper
Senior Paralegal

Maheeb Rabbani
Paralegal

Saphire Ruiz
Brutality Project Paralegal

Linda Rydzewski
Office Manager and Admin Supervisor

Becky Schapiro
Staff Attorney and Healthcare & Disability Project Director

Aaron Steinberg
Communications and Development Coordinator

Bonnie Tenneriello
Senior Staff Attorney and Solitary Confinement Project Director

Al Troisi
Senior Paralegal and Intake Advocacy Director

Jesse White
Policy Director

LaToya Whiteside
Racial Equity In Corrections Initiative Director, Senior Staff Attorney, and MLAC Racial Justice Fellow

board of directors

Patricia Garin
President

Robert Sable
Treasurer

José Bou

Douglas Brooks

Steven Brown

Celestino Colon

Elizabeth A. Davis

Tara Dunn

Tony Gaskins

Joan Johnston

Monik Jimenez

Alexandra Lin

Ellen Lubell

Mala Rafik

James Rollins

Joel Thompson

Zeno Williams

* deceased

Want to get involved?

Check our page below to see if we have current openings for employment or internships!


PRISONERS’ LEGAL SERVICES

50 Federal St., 4th Floor, Boston MA 02110