Progressive Prison Project
Greenwich, Connecticut
I received the letter below from a friend who understands the value of sharing his experience with others.
April 15, 2013
Dear XXX,
Thinking about & praying for you. It's all going to be completely different
than anything you could possibly imagine. Open your heart and mind to the
possibilities. Stay in the moment at all times. Keep the focus on yourself -
practice mindfulness as you go about your routine of mind, body & spirit.
Honor respect above all. Slow down
& be a quiet observer - listen five times more than you speak. Everything will be all right. God is
watching out for you and we are all in your corner. With radical respect, acceptance and dignity for you and your
journey, Jeff
Can
you please check out my blog. If it works for you, kindly
write a me a letter that I can post. It can be anonymous or not.
Gratefully,
Jeff Grant
Jeff Grant, JD, M Div
Director, Progressive Prison Project
Associate Minister/Director of Prison Ministries
First Baptist Church of Bridgeport Connecticut
jg3074@columbia.edu
(203) 339-5887
April 29, 2013
Hello Jeff,
Thank you for all of the help and insight you gave me when I
was preparing for my incarceration.
It is hard to believe I’ve been here for almost two weeks. Time has flown. I’ve spent the last two weeks getting
acclimated and doing lots of watching.
There have been moments when I’ve said too much but I’ve stopped
speaking when I realized it. There
have been no major events. One guy
thought I was a cop & kept trying to call me out. I’ve kept my cool, my language simple (most of the time),
spent the majority of the time reading on my bed. My goals are below:
Mind: work on book about Destructive Thinking, read 2
books/week, watch Maury Povich.
Body: work out 5x week (upper 2 days, lower 2 days,
abs 5 days).
Spirit: Go to church services, Bible study, read the
Bible.
Although I’m incarcerated I don’t feel
trapped or imprisoned. My mind is free & actively thinking about the
future. I’ve embraced my
incarceration & used it as a turning point. Gone are the days of Investment Banking & in come the
days of doing something substantial with my life. My first priority when I’m released is to attend a victim
action panel, do my 200 hours of community service, pay my fine, do whatever my
parole/probation officer asks me to do.
My release date will be no later than XXX, baring any bad behavior. It could be as early as XXXXX.
The areas I’m going to initially explore
during my life after jail are jobs in alcohol & drug rehab, learning more
about destructive thinking, comedy, music, diet & exercise. The most fulfilling one for me, as of
today, are doing something with my knowledge of addiction and comedy. I’ll need to go back to school for more
education if I choose the addiction route. My undergraduate & graduate GPA is around X.X, so I’m
worried about what kind of post-graduate programs I can attend. I also don’t know if my Felony will
affect my application or if I’ll be allowed to apply. Any insight would be appreciated.
That’s it for me today. I’m currently in the XXXXXX of the
XXXXXXXX prison. It is nice. The windows open & you can look
through them. It is much better
then XXXXXXXXX. It looks like I’ll
be transferred to XXXXXXX some time in the next 30 days. Check the website for my movements,
enter my inmate number if you want to track my movements. Let me know if you want to visit.
Best regards,
XXXX
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