Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Long Road To Project Longevity. By Charlie Grady - Guest Blogger
Progressive Prison Project
Innocent Spouse & Children Project
Greenwich I Weston I Bridgeport
Connecticut
Long Road To
Project Longevity
By Charlie Grady - Guest Blogger
We met Charlie Grady when he became the Bridgeport Project Manager for Project Longevity. He became a regular at the Bridgeport Reentry Roundtable and in very short order we were all enriched by his breadth of experience. - Jeff
On a hot summer night in the year 2000 in a suburban neighborhood of Hamden, CT. A narcotics Detective sits at the kitchen table with the young man who rented the house that CT. State Police and the FBI had just raided. The house has been turned inside out during the search for heroin. Over $10,000 worth of the drugs were found tagged and bagged. The man, Freddie Williams Jr. is handcuffed and overcome by emotion as the Detective talks and he listens. Freddie begins to speak and acknowledges the drugs are his and that he knew what he was doing was wrong on many levels. After about 45 minutes the Detective is heard to say if you truly want to change, I will help you because I believe you have just turned a corner in your life right here and now.
That Detective was me and after a short court battle Freddie Williams Jr. and I took a journey together and changed his life. Today he owns his own 18 wheeler truck and several homes and travels the country. Despite being an ex-offender he has been able to be a successful example of change and I’m proud to call him my friend. As of this date I can honestly say that I have helped more people change their lives for the better than I have had to imprison due to their own life’s choices. Since Freddie, there have been countless others that I have worked with to help them be better in this life.
At 8 or 9 yrs old I saw my first dead body, a female prostitute that had been strangled with her own nylons. My father a police officer told me to stay in the car but of course I didn’t and I saw what he tried to protect me from seeing. I grew up with drug and alcohol addiction in my family like most Americans and had to always make choices on how to live my life. I was one of the fortunate ones with guidance and insight that helped me make good decisions and choices.
At 14 yrs old while hanging out with my slightly older but much “wiser in the streets” cousin. I was confronted with what is probably the most profound moment in my adolescence. “To smoke crack or Not to smoke crack”….. That was the question?? I recall literally feeling as if I were at a crossroad. I turned right and my cousin turned left. He still struggles today with his addiction and I chose to abstain. I have fought over 25 yrs keep drugs off our city streets and will continue to do so as long as I’m able.
I wasn’t poor growing up, nor did I have to struggle but I never took what I had for granted nor did I feel superior to anyone. I make it a point to treat everyone with the same degree of respect that I want in return. My father and many of my uncles were cops. Not just cops but a very special breed of cop, they were “beat cops”. Back then cops was an acceptable term all around. My father knew everyone and everyone knew his name even if they didn’t know him directly. I recall that he would deliver toys and food to families that had nothing in New Haven. I was a child but he would take me along to share in holidays with those families in the spirit of giving. To this day I’m still very close with many of those families. I had great examples of how to be a doer so that’s what I plan to always be… a doer.
I retired in 2002 from a very privileged 21 yr. law enforcement career and worked in private industry for eight years in security and investigative positions. In 2010, the US Attorney’s Office hired me to be the District of CT’s first “In house” Federal Investigator and in July 2012, I went on to become the Project Manager for Project Longevity Bridgeport. The work I do today is just a continuation of my public service. I have always recognized that I should help those less fortunate than I while I have the ability to do so. If I didn’t it would be a waste of a gift and opportunity. I have been blessed to work with an incredible group of people throughout the state and especially in Bridgeport. This city is a community that works very hard to shed any past negativity and uplift each and every resident. It is thru this positive energy and love that I receive from this special breed of people makes it easy to go to work every day and help bring about change. I will forever remain humble and know that we all need each other to survive and together we will forever overcome adversity.
“For me there is no greater feeling than believing in someone and having your belief validated" - Charlie Grady
Charlie
Grady
is a life time resident of CT, with a very diverse background. He is a
highly decorated retired police detective and federal task force agent
in CT.
He was awarded “Officer of the year” several times for his dedication to
community affairs in CT. He also founded a youth group in the Town of
Hamden in
1993 called “Highwood Youth Association” that focused on helping local
youth at
risk. In the mid 90’s, Mr. Grady created and hosted a local talk show
called
“Black & White in Focus” that dealt with race relations in CT. He is
an
accomplished professional film, stage, and television actor and has
appeared in
major motion pictures and popular television shows such as “Law &
Order," “Guiding Light," and "All My Children.” Mr. Grady also spent
many years conducting
corporate investigations for a Fortune 500 company here in CT. Most of
his 27 year law enforcement career has
been spent investigating violent crimes, homicides, and drug and
violent gangs throughout the state and nationwide. He has also dedicated
his
life to educating police officers and civilians on the methods and
dangers of
illicit street drug trafficking, gun trafficking, as well as
prescription fraud
& diversion. His list of accomplishments and dedication the to
community and
law enforcement made him the ideal candidate to be the first US
Attorney’s Senior
Investigator for the District of CT. While serving in that capacity Mr.
Grady was a very
active participant in the US Attorney’s Community Outreach Team and
helped to
produce the educational film “5K Motion.” The film deals with women’s
roles in
gun violence among many other social issues. In 2013, Mr. Grady was
chosen to
head Bridgeport’s “Project Longevity” initiative. Mr. Grady continues to
conduct
public speaking engagements statewide on a multitude of topics based on
his
varied life experiences.
To reach Charlie Grady: (203) 696-3049,
_________
Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Minister/Director
jgrant@prisonist.org
(o) 203-769-1096
jgrant@prisonist.org
(m) 203-339-5887
Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org
George Bresnan, Advocate, Ex-Pats
gbresnan@prisonist.org
(203) 609-5088
Jim Gabal, Development
jgabal@prisonist.org
(203) 858-2865
Babz Rawls Ivy, Media Contact
mediababz@gmail.com
(203) 645-9278
__________
Donations
We are grateful for donations from individuals, religious groups, charities, foundations and the like. Donations can be made by credit card/PayPal or by sending your check payable to: “Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.” P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883. Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project are missions of Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. We are a CT Religious Corp. with 501c3 status - all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Thank you for your support and generosity.
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.
Friday, April 3, 2015
It's About God: Prison Ministry v. Prison Consulting, by Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div
Progressive Prison Project
Innocent Spouse & Children Project
Greenwich I Weston I Bridgeport
Connecticut
It's About God: Prison Ministry
v. Prison Consulting
By Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div
Rev. Jeff Grant & Lynn Springer
Over the next few years, I ran recovery and reentry groups at a rehab and at a men's residential diversion facility. I earned a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in NYC with a focus in Christian Social Ethics. I was called to an inner city church in Bridgeport, CT, where I served as Assoc. Minister and Director of Prison Ministries. I was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of several prisoner reentry nonprofits. My wife Lynn Springer and I then founded, in Greenwich, CT, the first ministry in the U.S. created to support people accused or convicted of white-collar and other nonviolent crimes and their families.
IT'S ABOUT GOD
In the 10+ years we've been working with people and families before, during & upon reentry from prison, this is our simple conclusion: those engaged in a spiritual transformation do much better than those who do not. When asked the difference between a prison minister and a prison consultant, my first response is always the same... It's about God. Or at least, it's about your own perception of God, higher power or divinity. This is hard stuff. We were in isolation for the longest time, afraid to face the truth of our lives, what we were doing, and what we had done. Now, we have a large and growing spiritual community of people who have been through these things from whom we can all learn, grow and evolve into the person God intends us to be. We've dropped the rock. We are free.
WHAT WE DO
We shepherd people and families all the way through the process, to a new and better life and family dynamic on the other side of prison. We do direct pastoral care in person, by phone/Skype/FaceTime, by email (many Federal prisons have email), and by mail.
CONFIDENTIALITY
As clergy, our communications and counseling are confidential. For this reason, we are often the first people that families call when they are ready to end their isolation and reach out for help. This is also a major reason that many attorneys allow their clients to maintain relationships with us, when they prevent communications with other, non-confidential practitioners.
PASTORAL CARE
Utilizing our professional backgrounds and real world experience in religion, law, business, reentry, recovery, family work, ethics, and advocacy, we are the only ministry in the country created and equipped to guide people and families though this difficult time.
Direct counseling, readiness & preparedness ministering:
To people accused or convicted of white-collar and other nonviolent crimes, to help them survive, transform & succeed before, during & upon return from prison.
To the families throughout the process.
OUTREACH
Boards. We are on the Boards of Directors of the two largest nonprofits in Connecticut dedicated to families affected by issues of incarceration, Community Partners in Action and Family ReEntry. In New York City, we are on the Board of Healing Communities Network. We are also on the Editorial Board of the book & movement, The Justice Imperative (CT), and on the advisory boards of The Phoenix Association (CT) and Creative Projects Group (Los Angeles, CA).
Speaking engagements. We have spoken at some of the most important and influential venues in the United States, including The Nantucket Project, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center (Hartford, CT), Greenwich Leadership Forum, Correctional Ministries Assoc. Conference (Wheaton College, IL), Yale Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary, prisons and community reentry programs, etc.
Sermons. We often preach and speak at churches and other houses of worship.
Media. Articles about our ministry have appeared in Forbes.com, HedgeFund Intelligence, New York Magazine, Fairfield County Business Journal, Weston Magazine Group, etc.
Blog. We edit and curate one of the most widely read and respected criminal justice blogs in the country, Prisonist.org. We are also the co-Online Editor for The Justice Imperative blog and the Malta Justice Initiative blog.
Social media. We are a major presence advocating for criminal justice reform on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Linked In, Pinterest, etc.
All this we bring to help guide you and your family through its spiritual journey to a safe and secure life on the other side of prison.
DONATIONS
We are a CT Religious Corporation - we have submitted our 501c3 application and are awaiting determination; if approved then all donations will be tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. We accept no fees for our services but we do accept donations commensurate with each family's situation and ability. We also are grateful for donations from other individuals, religious groups, charities, foundations and the like - for details, please see the "Donations" box on the sidebar of prisonist.org.
Please feel free to contact us if we can be of service to you, a friend or family member - we will promptly send you an information package by mail, email or via Dropbox.
Blessings,
Jeff
_________
Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Minister/Director
jgrant@prisonist.org
jgrant@prisonist.org
(o) 203-769-1096
(m) 203-339-5887
(m) 203-339-5887
Lynn Springer, Advocate, Innocent Spouses & Children
lspringer@prisonist.org
(m) 203-536-5508
George Bresnan, Advocate, Ex-Pats
gbresnan@prisonist.org
(203) 609-5088
Jim Gabal, Development
jgabal@prisonist.org
(203) 858-2865
Babz Rawls Ivy, Media Contact
mediababz@gmail.com
(203) 645-9278
__________
Comments:
15 years ago I read a passage in a book called, Graduate to Greatness: "At one time or another you will be called upon to be a friend to the friendless, a counselor to the confused, a peacemaker for the troubled, and a guide to the lost." As I prepare to go to temple this morning, to cook a special holiday breakfast for 100 people who go to our Saturday morning prayer group, I am filled with joy. I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to express my feelings & opinions about reentry survivors.
Barry Diamond - Founder, reentrysurvivors.com
Terrence Gallman
Published Author/Playwright, Executive Producer, Director, Motivational Speaker
Only blessed hands and a blessed heart do the work that you do Jeff! Thank God for you, your work and your ministry. I pray his blessings to you!
Terence Jeffries
Founder & Director at "East Tremont Sober Living" and "Foxhurst Sober Living".
This is a great piece! I concur 100%
Charles Giesting I have been doing prison ministry for about 2 years and have seen many men grow closer to God through the preaching and nurturing provided by the volunteer ministers who have shared their faith with them. Many have said that since they are where they are, they have more time than ever to reflect and read about their faith, and this has sometimes been the only true peace they have found while in prison. Still, at the two different prisons where I am at, I believe the percentage of inmates who participate in church services is still far too low. I would like to see prison administrations give incentives to inmates who agree to regularly attend and actively participate in a church service.
Walter Stern I like your story because you didn't let the negativity of prison life take you down. You used your tragedy for the glory of God. You applied the Jesus Creed to help others to shed those shameful stains of federal custody. On top of everything you are a model for other inmates to use your good minds by educating yourself,and not being a con.I was a lawyer in federal custody without out my license and without pride.When my conviction was reversed ,the government has been unremitting. I am pleased that, while in custody, I helped inmates research their motions resulting in saving 15 people from illegal confinement.Now I am working on prison reform. You are a model for me.
Arthur Phelpsyou are right--It is all about God. It's about helping the inmate to get that inner strength to overcome the obstacles put in you way.
__________
Donations
We are grateful for donations from individuals, religious groups, charities, foundations and the like. Donations can be made by credit card/PayPal or by sending your check payable to: “Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.” P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883. Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project are missions of Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. We are a CT Religious Corp. with 501c3 status - all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Thank you for your support and generosity.
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.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Modern Medical Treatment of Alcoholism, By Dr. Bob Sterling - Guest Blogger
Progressive Prison Project
Innocent Spouse & Children Project
Greenwich - Weston - Bridgeport
Connecticut
Modern Medical Treatment
of Alcoholism
By Dr. Bob Sterling - Guest Blogger
The classic treatment for alcoholism is AA. There are some other organizations that claim to be strictly ecumenical and do not involve the concept of a higher power. Organizations like Smart Recovery, are organized around well known principles that are used in addiction counseling called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Smart Recovery and CBT try to get people to be very mindful of the concept of triggers, (environmental based cues that are paired with alcohol use.) There is a strong associative memory area in the hypothalamus of the brain that reminds the brain to feel a craving around these paired cues, such as the smell of a bar and drinking. Or birthdays, weddings, holidays paired with the activity of drinking. Being mindful of these pairings can allow the individual to be prepared for the associative cravings that occur and to have alternative behaviors planned out in advance. So if weddings trigger drinking, then at first, at least, one should avoid weddings. If going to a ballgame is paired with beer drinking, that venue should be avoided. If low lights and the tinkling of ice in a glass is a trigger, avoid being around such triggers.
Sometimes a smell might trigger a behavior, like hot dogs cooking on a grill. Maybe a switch to cold cuts would be in order.
These treatments are always required even in the presence and use of medications known to curb the desire to drink. So the following medications may be useful adjunctive treatments and I will illuminate their uses. I will first list the medications and their basic affect on people and then explain the mechanism of how they work.
Naltrexone: an opiate receptor blocker that decreases the pleasure derived from a stimulus (alcohol, sex, eating all are pleasures that may be reduced to some degree).
Acamprosate: a medication that is supposed to reduce the phenomenon of craving. That is the condition of desire when people are exposed to situations, and stimuli that are paired cues to alcohol consumption.
Topiramate: it is an anticonvulsant medication that works to reduce the release of dopamine which is responsible for the pleasure felt when alcohol causes a high sensation.
Baclofen: is an antispasmodic medication used in uncontrollable muscle spasm found in neuro- muscular degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Lou Gehrig's disease. It appears to reduce the high and the craving in alcohol consumption.
Disulfuram (Antabuse): This works to interfere with the metabolism of alcohol. It inhibits an enzyme in the metabolism of alcohol called aldehyde dehydrogenase. This causes the accumulation of acetaldehyde in the blood and body and that triggers very uncomfortable noxious stimuli like rapid heartbeat, flushing of the skin particularly the face. It raises blood pressure and causes intense anxiety. It's effect is often characterized like the sensation of dying from a heart attack. It is the activity of the acetaldehyde that causes the symptoms not the disulfuram itself.
Its main value is in avoidance of the alcohol so the combination will not trigger these uncomfortable sensations. It is a negative reinforcer.
The way these medications work is through a psychological mechanism described in the following explanation. They all work to some extent but the real issue is that one has to take the medications. If they are not taken, they don't work.
Naltrexone is the most useful of the medications for use in alcohol reduction and extinction. 50mg of Naltrexone daily is a very potent medication to reduce the desire to drink by making the drinks themselves less pleasurable. Naltrexone is an opiate receptor blocker. Opiate receptors respond to drugs like heroin and oxycodone and other narcotics which when used in excessive amounts give the person a "high". Alcohol, similarly, stimulates the opiate receptors of the brain to trigger good feelings that are accompanied by drinking. When you block that receptor it cannot get stimulated and so pleasurable neurotransmitters (like dopamine) cannot be released.
You are familiar with the bell in Pavlov's dog experiment where the ringing of a bell is paired with food and the result is that the dog salivates before eating the food. If those pairings on done often enough, you condition the dog to expect food on hearing a bell ring. The conditioned response is that the bell rings and the dog salivates in expectation of receiving food. However, if you ring the bell often enough and do not deliver the food, the dog stops salivating. This is call extinction behavior. That happens when behaviors (salivation), dependent upon paired stimuli (bell ringing) are no longer rewarded (food) and an extinction behavior develops (loss of salivation to the ringing of a bell).
In the case of naltrexone, it prevents the pleasure sensation when drinking, (the high). So drinking causes a high (which is associated with environmental cues, such as the people with whom you drink). This pairing is manifested by anticipation of drink when accompanied by enough pairings. Soon, just being with the drinking buddies triggers cravings for alcohol. If you reward that craving with actual alcohol then the conditioned reflex (craving) is reinforced so that eventually just the people trigger the craving without even the presence of the alcohol.
Naltrexone blocks that craving (or the high feeling that is caused by dopamine release in anticipation when exposed to the paired stimulus). So even if you do drink, you will not feel high. If you drink and don't feel high then eventually the association of drinking and high will be extinguished. And after a long period of time, the associations of the drinking buddies with getting high will be extinguished too.
I hope this helps you in the understanding of the medical treatment of alcoholism. You might ask how does AA work? It works by first recognizing the triggers, (these paired stimuli) and by either avoidance or the act of NOT acting when exposed to these triggers (i.e. drinking) that behaviors are extinguished. This, of course, takes a longer time than naltrexone but it might in some instances be more effective because behavior has been extinguished without the need for a medication so forgetting to take something is irrelevant to future behavior.
Bob Sterling 3/27/15
Dr. Bob Sterling, Westport, CT, has been in medical practice for the past thirty five years. During that time he has practiced Family Medicine, Ambulatory Care Medicine, Occupational Medicine and most recently Addiction Medicine. In all this time, what has become clear to him is the increasing prevalence of alcohol, marijuana and opiate addiction. Also, an alarming trend is the increasing dependence and addiction to physician prescribed benzodiazepines.
Dr. Sterling currently treats patients with the above addictions bringing his unique perspective as a student of Alcoholics Anonymous. He uses this knowledge to support his treatment of all addictions; and as a student of AA practice and history, it provides the platform from which he moderates the regular meetings as a volunteer at Silver Hill Hospital, a substance abuse psychiatric hospital in New Canaan, CT. Dr. Sterling can be reached at sterlinb@optonline.net.
Dr. Sterling currently treats patients with the above addictions bringing his unique perspective as a student of Alcoholics Anonymous. He uses this knowledge to support his treatment of all addictions; and as a student of AA practice and history, it provides the platform from which he moderates the regular meetings as a volunteer at Silver Hill Hospital, a substance abuse psychiatric hospital in New Canaan, CT. Dr. Sterling can be reached at sterlinb@optonline.net.
_________
Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Minister/Director
jgrant@prisonist.org
(o) 203-769-1096
jgrant@prisonist.org
(m) 203-339-5887
Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org
George Bresnan, Advocate, Ex-Pats
gbresnan@prisonist.org
(203) 609-5088
Jim Gabal, Development
jgabal@prisonist.org
(203) 858-2865
Babz Rawls Ivy, Media Contact
mediababz@gmail.com
(203) 645-9278
__________
Donations
We are grateful for donations from individuals, religious groups, charities, foundations and the like. Donations can be made by credit card/PayPal or by sending your check payable to: “Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.” P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883. Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project are missions of Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. We are a CT Religious Corp. with 501c3 status - all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Thank you for your support and generosity.
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.
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