Who We Are….

Meet the Team and the Heart Behind Prison Stops Nothing

Meet Tanya Hornbeak

Founder & CEO | Director of Medical Rights Advocacy
Master’s in Psychology | 30+ Years Mental Health Experience | Tireless Advocate

Tanya Hornbeak has dedicated over three decades to the field of mental health, working on the front lines of crisis care, trauma response, and advocacy for some of the most overlooked populations. With a Master’s degree in Psychology and more than 30 years of hands-on experience, Tanya has become a powerful voice for incarcerated individuals and their families—especially when it comes to protecting their medical rights.

Her journey took a deeply personal turn when the man she had known and loved became incarcerated. That moment wasn’t the beginning of her work—it was a deeper calling. She had already spent years serving and supporting those impacted by mental illness. Now, she brings that same level of commitment to fighting for those behind prison walls.

Tanya is compassionate to her core, but relentless in the face of injustice. She founded Prison Stops Nothing to create real change—not just talk. She believes every human being deserves dignity, health care, and a chance at true rehabilitation. And she won’t stop until that becomes reality for the people the system continues to forget.

Her mission is rooted in empathy. Her strategy is backed by decades of experience. And her heart beats for every family holding on to hope from the other side of the glass.

Because prison may take a person—but it stops nothing.

Meet DeAnna Epperson

Director of Family Advocacy & Inmate Rights
B.A. in Psychology | M.S. in Psychology | M.S. in Addiction Counseling
Former Correctional Officer | Lived Experience Advocate | Family Voice for Justice

DeAnna Epperson knows the prison system from every angle—because she’s lived it from every side. A former Correctional Officer for the Arizona Department of Corrections, DeAnna once called the prison her “happy place.” She worked six days a week, 16-hour shifts, and showed up with heart, humor, and deep respect for the men and women inside. Her inmates weren’t just numbers to her—they were human beings deserving of dignity.

It was behind those walls that DeAnna met her now-husband. She stood by him as he came home, married him as a civilian, and continued to believe in his potential. But what should have been a new chapter became another painful cycle. Now she advocates not only for him—but for countless others—because the system that claims to rehabilitate failed him miserably. DeAnna calls it what it is: a re-incarceration machine, not a path to redemption.

With a Bachelor’s in Psychology and two Master’s degrees—one in Psychology and one in Addiction Counseling—DeAnna brings unmatched expertise to the front lines of criminal justice advocacy. She deeply understands the psychological impact of incarceration, the trauma of institutional failure, and the long-term damage of untreated addiction.

DeAnna met Tanya through shared advocacy work, and it didn’t take long before they became more than allies—they became sisters in this fight. United by firsthand experience, insider knowledge, and fierce compassion, they’ve built Prison Stops Nothing into a platform that doesn’t just speak truth—it demands justice.

Today, DeAnna is a fierce, unrelenting voice for justice. She shows up for families, speaks out for inmates, and refuses to let silence win.

Because prison may take a person—but it stops nothing.