Prisonist.org Newsletter
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2017 Edition
Progressive Prison Ministries
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Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.
Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Director, Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate
White-Collar Ministry I Advocacy I Service
Faith & Dignity for the Days Ahead
The first ministry in the United States created to provide confidential
support and counseling to individuals, families and organizations with
white-collar and other nonviolent incarceration issues
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Inner City News: A Reflection on Our State of Criminal Justice on Martin Luther King Jr. Day,
Jeff Grant, JD, M Div
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Reprinted from Inner City News, New Haven, CT: What should I do, as a white man, prison minister who was incarcerated for a white-collar crime, and as Executive Director of a Connecticut criminal justice nonprofit, to walk in the footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr.? How do I apply his words, that are so easy to read but so difficult to put into action? How do I honor his memory in these most challenging and controversial of times?
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Event: School's Out for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert event of the millennium!
Family ReEntry proudly presents a Benefit Concert starring the rock band BLUE COUPE
, featuring members of
BLUE OYSTER CULT and the
ALICE COOPER BAND. April 13, 2017. Doors open at 6:30 pm. The Warehouse at Fairfield Theater Company, Fairfield CT. Don't Fear the Reaper and click this image for information and to purchase tickets. Net proceeds go towards our mission to restore dignity and renew families affected by justice issues. Family ReEntry - Bridgeport, Norwalk, New Haven CT.
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Why'd He Do It? Pure Rubbish:
Critiquing Eugene Soltes's Book:
"Why They Do It: Inside the Mind
of the White-Collar Criminal"
by Jeff Grant, JD, M Div
As the Director of the first ministry in the U.S. created to support individuals and families with white-collar and nonviolent incarceration issues, and as someone who served time in a Federal prison for a white-collar crime I committed when I was a lawyer, I can state unequivocally that Professor Soltes's methodology and his conclusions are "pure rubbish." Why They Do It, and the press releases and media attention surrounding it, are shamelessly exploitive and are designed solely to sell books; they inflame bigotry and hatred and paint people with a broad brush designed to promote stigma, shunning and Schadenfreude (unfortunately, themes for our time it seems). Click image to read article.
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Donations: A Message to Our Great Community of Givers!
Thank You for Your Support in 2016 and All You Do for Those Who Need it Most!
We know that you contribute to many important causes, and are grateful for your support of our Ministries this holiday season! Donations can be made by credit card/PayPal by clicking the image above, or by sending your check payable to: "Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc." P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883. Donations Are Only Source Of Revenue. We are a CT Religious Corp. with 501(c)(3) status. Your donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
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Significant Outcomes: We have Served Over 145 Individuals and Families in 25 States:
Since Jan. 2015, we have served individuals and families in
twenty-five states, including:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
We typically communicate with individuals and families before, during and upon reentry from prison in person or by phone, email, Skype, FaceTime, GoToMeeting or, if in a Federal prison, via CorrLinks.
Please click image for our information package.
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News: Our White-Collar/Nonviolent
Online Support Group Celebrates its Thirty-Eighth Weekly Meeting!
If you have been convicted of a white-collar or nonviolent crime and have served your sentence, please consider joining our confidential online white-collar/ nonviolent support group [As this support group is being run by clergy as part of a program of pastoral counseling, we consider it to be confidential and privileged]. We hold our weekly group meetings on GoToMeeting on Tuesdays, 8 pm Eastern, 7 pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5 pm Pacific. Click image for details.
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Interview on Reentry Central: Jeff Grant's Story
is an Inspiration to Other Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
, By Beatrice Codianni, Managing Editor
Dec. 6, 2016:
Grant went from having an eight digit prison number to being number one at Family ReEntry, a top reentry organization in Connecticut. Click image to read this interview.
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Event: We Will be Leading a Workshop at the UMC CT District Days, Jan. 29 & Feb 4, 2017
Louis L. Reed (Program Director of the City of Bridgeport Mayor's Initiative on Reentry) and I will be leading a workshop at the United Methodist Church Board of Church & Society Connecticut District Days, Jan. 29, 2017 in Bristol, CT & Feb. 4, 2017 in Bridgeport, CT. Click image for details.
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Event: We Will Be Leading an Adult Education Workshop, Wilton Presbyterian Church, Feb. 5th, 10 am
We are grateful to Rev. Shannon White and all at this church dedicated to social justice for the invitation to worship and lead an adult education workshop. Wilton Presbyterian Church, 48 New Canaan Rd. (Rte. 106), Wilton, CT. Please join us, click image for details.
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Save the Date: We Will Be Leading a Workshop at the CMCA Reentry Conference, May 5-6, 2017
Please join us in Philadelphia as Jeffrey Abramowitz and I will be leading "You Got to Have Faith: An Inside Look at Reentry" at the 5th Annual Correctional Ministries and Chaplains Assn. Summit, May 5-6, 2017. Click image for information and to register.
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Article: Our Ministry Featured in Business Insider
Rachael Levy wrote a powerful article about our ministry, "This is What it's Lke When the 1% go to Jail, According to a Couple that Ministers to Their Families." Click image to read article.
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Contact Information:
If transformation and redemption matter to you, a friend or a family member with a white-collar or nonviolent incarceration issue, please contact us and we will promptly send you an information package by mail, email or via Dropbox. The darkest days of a person's life can be a time of renewal and hope.
Blessings, כן, מאוד
Jeff & Lynn
Prisonist.org: Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project are missions of Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1232
Weston, Connecticut 06883
(o) 203-769-1096
Rev. Deacon Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Director
Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate
Innocent Spouses, Children & Families
Rev. Monsignor Joseph Ciccone, Ed D, M Div
Supervising Minister
stjosephmissionchurch@gmail.com
(201) 982-2206
Jacqueline Polverari, MBA, MSW, Advocate
Women's Incarceration Issues
jpolverari@prisonist.org
(203) 671-5139(m) 203-536-5508
Babz Rawls Ivy, Media Contact
(m) 203-645-9278
Faith & Dignity for the Days Ahead
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Copyright Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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