Sava Dorritie

Sava Dorritie is a contributor to CIC living in Queens, New York with her daughter, Ariel. Originally a resident of Westchester County, Sava struggled with substance use as a teenager and young adult. A drug-related charge in 2018 led to her being sentenced to five years in state prison in 2022. At that time, she was nine months pregnant with her daughter and held over four continuous years of sobriety. She gave birth while incarcerated and kept her daughter with her in the Nursery Program at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. She fought to participate in the NYSDOCCS Work Release program, under the Family Tie Furlough standards to keep her daughter in her custody and prevent her from going into foster care after the one year allowed in the prison nursery. Sava hopes to use her lived experience as a formerly incarcerated individual and mother to work towards positive changes for other women and children involved with the criminal justice system.