Erik Beller
Prison Husband, Recovering Addict, Founder of Still Standing
My name is Erik Beller. I am a person in long-term recovery, a husband, an advocate, and someone who has seen the criminal legal system from a place most people never have to survive. After being beaten by correctional officers in a Kentucky jail, hospitalized for months, and left with lasting disability, I knew I could not look away from what happens behind walls.
My wife, Taira Beller, is incarcerated at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women. She is serving a 40-year sentence under Kentucky's habitual offender laws. Her case, her rehabilitation, her service to other women, and the pain of our family separation are central to why Still Standing exists.
I hold a BS and MS in education, completed paralegal training, and have spent years learning, writing, organizing, and advocating around sentencing reform, prison conditions, reentry, addiction recovery, and family impact. I am part of the Dream.org Dream Justice work and serve through Prison Fellowship as a Justice Ambassador. I also founded Still Standing, a justice initiative focused on connection, preparation, purpose, mentors, and structure. The work includes public education, legislative advocacy, direct encouragement to incarcerated people, and practical support for people and families impacted by incarceration.
