Brandon Dennis

Brandon grew up in a single-parent household with two sisters and one brother. Without a father figure or positive role model, he gravitated towards other male role models in the neighborhood who introduced him to selling drugs. He soon learned the harsh realities of the drug trade when he was jumped and stabbed on his way home from high school. Struggling to cope with the trauma from his attack, Brandon began homeschooling. However, this resulted in less supervision, providing Brandon with even more opportunities to continue his illicit lifestyle. Looking back, Brandon admits that he made poor choices and “was guilty of the drug-selling lifestyle.” 

This led to his association with his co-defendant and ultimately a robbery and homicide. At the age of 23, Brandon was convicted of robbery and second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 50-year-to-life. Now 39, Brandon has served 17 years of his sentence. He is not eligible for parole until April 2059, the same month he will turn 74 years old. Brandon fully acknowledges the gravity of his actions and the choices that led him to prison.

Brandon is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's powerful words, "Be the change you want to see in the world.". Within minutes of arriving at the Niagara County Jail, Brandon felt humiliated. But inscribed on the wall was a quote “God won’t put more on you than you can bear.” He had a profound realization: there’s more to life than how he had been living. He resolved to live by Ghandi’s principle, dedicating himself to transforming his life into a force for good. 

 Over the past decade, Brandon has fully committed himself to studying law, using his time behind bars to gain a deep understanding of legal principles and systems. Brandon has also worked diligently to acquire practical, hands-on skills by taking vocational classes in business, plumbing, electrical work, and residential construction. However, his passion for education extends far beyond academics. For Brandon, education is not just about self-improvement; it is also a way to better equip himself to advocate for others, particularly at-risk youth, and to make a lasting, positive impact on the world around him. “Who I am today is a reflection of my faith and all the programs I’ve completed.” 

Brandon spent years working directly with at-risk youth as part of the Youth Assistance Program (YAP) at Attica. As part of the program, Brandon and other facilitators identified each participant’s needs through initial background questions, discussed four key negatives – crime, drug use, lack of authority and lack of education – and then contextualize how the participant’s experiences could lead to criminal behavior.

As Brandon would explain, “one bad decision, one poor choice, can lead to you being arrested.” He felt that “if we can help even one kid, we’ve done our job,” stressing the need for systemic support, like community centers, to address the root causes of youth involvement in crime. 

Brandon’s experience with YAP fueled his desire to create a more impactful change, leading him to co-found "Change Comes from Within" (CCFW). This organization has spearheaded initiatives to combat gun violence, bridge the divide between the incarcerated and the outside world, and mentor young people to help them avoid the pitfalls that led Brandon astray. For the organizations hard work and dedication to at-risk youth, CCFW was recognized with a community engagement award from Mayor Byron Brown and Senator Timothy Kennedy at the No More Tears 10th annual event. This success promoted CCFW to transition to the name “I AM YOU,” representing the organizations connection with at-risk youth’s experiences.

Since then, I AM YOU has hosted three events, including a back-to-school event in the neighborhood Brandon grew up in. At the back-to-school event, I AM YOU gave away 100 bookbags with supplies and apparel. Brandon says, “It was so heartwarming to hear about the smiles on the kids faces and how much fun they had.”

In addition to his advocacy work, Brandon has taken up trusted positions within the correctional facilities. Most recently he worked as a draft porter in transportation at Wende Correctional Facility. In this role, he helped load and unload the property of incarcerated individuals onto buses for release and meticulously filled out transfer tags, tasks that require a high level of accountability and attention to detail. Achieving this position just six months after his arrival at Wende reflects not only his dedication but also the trust placed in him by the facility as this role carries a certain prestige. 

Through all of his work helping others, Brandon’s strongest motivator is his family. With a wife and four children, he does all he can to be a present father and husband. He is grateful for their continued support along with the support of his mother, sisters, and nephews. The worst part of his incarceration is that his “family is doing time too.” As Brandon has shared, “it would mean everything to my family if I could be there for them.” The passage of the Elder Parole and the Fair and Timely Parole Bills would mean that Brandon could appear before the parole board in 16 years, when he turns 55 instead of 34 years from now. 

Due to Brandon’s impeccable institutionary record, he has been participating in the highly privileged, “Family Reunion Program” (“FRP”) since 2011. Admittance to the FRP requires completing all mandatory programs and not having any disciplinary tickets. In FRP, Brandon gets a private space to spend two nights with his family periodically.

While it cannot replicate the ability to live with family outside of the facility, Brandon is grateful for the opportunity to participate in this highly exclusive program and spend quality-family time with his loved ones.

While his current potential release date is over three decades away, Brandon continues to plan for the possibility of returning home. Whenever he is released, he has high hopes of giving back to his community, by opening up a community center that provides teaching of trade services, financial literacy services, and mental health and trauma services.

Today, Brandon’s goal “is to continue providing youth with the correct tools to diffuse the issues and negative experiences they’re facing daily.” He hopes that at-risk youth can use these tools to overcomes their problems, rather than learning in prison, as Brandon had to. “My job is to help break the cycle and not perpetuate it.”