Press Release: Jeff Grant Appointed New Interim Executive Director at Family ReEntry

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for the Days Ahead
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Press Release: 

Jeff Grant Appointed New Interim 

Executive Director at Family ReEntry

 

Jeff Grant Appointed New Interim Executive Director at Family ReEntry

Bridgeport, Connecticut – Thurs., October 13, 2016

The Board of Directors of Family ReEntry has appointed Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, as interim Executive Director of Family ReEntry of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Grant served on Family ReEntry’s board of directors since 2009 — his new appointment marks the first time in the United States that a person formerly incarcerated for a white-collar crime has served as the head of a major re-entry agency. “It’s a tremendous step, and a bold decision on the Board’s part,” Grant said. “This is a transformative period for Family ReEntry. I owe them my fresh start, so of course I said yes when they offered me the position.”

“From an advocacy, program and fundraising perspective, it resonates with people to have a formerly incarcerated person at our helm,” stated Jeffrey Earls, Director of Development for Family ReEntry, “with a background in business, law, prison ministry, recovery and prisoner reentry, Jeff brings a wealth of experience to Family ReEntry.”

“We live and work in an area that has the largest disparity of wealth in the country,” said Grant, referring to the economic divide between affluent suburbs such as Greenwich and inner city communities such as Bridgeport. Family ReEntry receives tremendous support from individuals and families who have been very open and receptive to our mission,” Grant said. “We have a message that resonates around the state and the country — to lower recidivism and disrupt the intergenerational cycle of incarceration.”

There is a new sense of energy and purpose at Family ReEntry. The staff and directors are committed to advancing the agency, its core values, and above all its mission.

Family ReEntry provides essential support and programs to individuals and families who have been involved in or impacted by the criminal justice system.  FRE works to reverse the impact of domestic violence, crime, incarceration, drug abuse and mental illness. FRE also offers Youth Mentoring programs that focus on assistance to youth that are impacted by the devastating effect of an incarcerated parent or sibling.

Ronda Muir, Board Chair, said, "Family ReEntry was fortunate to have a long-serving board member with roots in the Agency's Fresh Start program who could step into the Executive Director role. Jeff's own experience and commitment to our mission makes him an ideal choice to quickly and effectively move the agency forward. He has the full support of the board as we build on Steve Lanza's tenure to support those impacted by the criminal justice system."

Mr. Grant replaces Stephen Lanza, who served as Executive Director since 1999.  Mr. Lanza will continue his relationship with Family ReEntry as a senior advisor and consultant. “Steve Lanza has been the heart and soul of Family ReEntry, and has served our agency, community and mission for the past fifteen years with dignity, grace, compassion, empathy and human kindness,” says Mr. Grant.

More information, visit www.FamilyReEntry.org or call Jeffrey Earls, Family ReEntry Director of Development at (203) 576-6924, jeffreyearls@familyreentry.org.

For press inquiries email to: fre-press@usadagency.com
 

Fifth Letter from Prison, by Lee Gutierrez, Guest Blogger: A New Light Shining

Prisonist.org: Faith & Dignity 
for the Days Ahead
Blogs, Guest Blogs & News

Fifth Letter from Prison: 

A New Light Shining

by Lee Gutierrez, Guest Blogger

This is the fifth letter of Lee's from prison 

that we're publishing with his permission.   
He wrote it from from a new
 prison, during which transfer we were unable to communicate. Lee's first four letters were among the most read posts ever 

on prisonist.org:

Inner Surrender, Inner Suffering

The Night Before Prison

 In Prison for the Holidays

Letter From Prison
 

Dear Jeff, 

YES, yes, 'Houston we have contact!" Your response to XXX's email was appreciated.  I really didn't expect to hear from you. It's comforting to know I am still in your thoughts....

Wow, I've been incarcerated for 2 years, 7 months, time is passing. This weekend my son [almost 3 years old] is coming for a visit, my folks are coming North now that spring has arrived. I haven't seen his angelic face in 6 weeks, I can't wait.  He is growing in leaps and bounds, he has my heart. 

In September of last year my transfer went through.  I dropped down to a medium classification in July, 2015 but they wouldn't confirm it. In late August there was a gang war, in two days there were seven cuttings.   We were in lock-down for a week.  Once lock-down was over, they shipped about 30 inmates out at once.  "The place that has no name" is a horrific place.  Murders, cuttings, suicide, overdoses, 5 dead in one year, all hidden from the public. There is a hell on earth. 

I have so much emotion within me, so much fear, anger and resentment. That leg of my journey may be past me, but the emotion scares linger...damage has been done, I don't know if it will ever heal. There is so much pain inside that needs to come out, to be expelled from my spirit, to be shared with others.  I have no time now to focus on this task...

My Appeal, what a challenge... [redacted]

Currently to keep my mind busy I enrolled into a certificate course of Paralegal studies.  Studying law and researching the case has piqued my interest.  I plan to send an updated resume to law firms in Manhattan and Long Island... If you have any thoughts on this subject, that would be appreciated. 

Jeff, I am in good spirits, my Lord is providing strength and hope. He has given me the opportunity to rebuild my relationships, believing that I am loved and needed. I wish all the mates in prison could see the light the way I do. 

Going forward I will be writing down my thoughts again and sending them to you as I perfect them.  You are very kind to say that my articles are still being read. May you and your blessed family have an uplifting spring.  Rejoice in the work you are doing and celebrate life each day.

Your friend, 

Lee 

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Donations

We are grateful for all donations this past year to our Ministries. These donations enable us to grow, reach out and serve this community for which there is far too little understanding, compassion, empathy and accurate information.  Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. is a CT Religious Corp. with 501c3 status -

all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. We hope you will consider making a donation to our appeal this year.  Donations can be made by credit card/PayPal here, at the "Donate" button on on our site, prisonist.org or by sending your check payable to: "Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc." P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883.  We have enclosed an addressed envelope for your use. Thank you.

__________ 

 

If you, a friend or a family member are experiencing 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

__________

Progressive Prison Project/  

Innocent Spouse & Children Project

Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Minister/Director
jgrant@prisonist.org
(o) 203-769-1096
(m) 203-339-5887
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Facebook
Linked In
Pinterest
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Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org

(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

 

 

The InterNational Prisoner’s Family Conference, By Carolyn Esparza - Guest Blogger

Prisonist.org: Faith & Dignity 
for the Days Ahead
Blogs, Guest Blogs & News

The InterNational Prisoner’s 

Family Conference

By  Carolyn Esparza - Guest Blogger

Carolyn Esparza is the chairperson 

of the International Prisoner's Family

 Conference. We invited her to guest blog for 

prisonist.org about her experiences founding 

and growing one of the most important 

prison-related conferences in the country.

__________

The 8th Annual InterNational Prisoner’s Family Conference will be held May 4 – 6, 2016 in Dallas, Texas.  

Just eight years ago, this conference was only an idea bounced around with a few friends until we took a deep breath and made a very bold step of faith to activate that idea solely on the “Field of Dreams Principle:” Build it and they will come!  Today, not only does the conference have an international presence, but unlike a typical (stuffy and often boring) corporate conference, the InterNational Prisoner’s Family Conference is a powerful, action oriented, encouraging and supportive community.

From a single Facebook page, THOUSANDS HAVE BEEN EMBOLDED TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!  Not only does the our Facebook End Mass Incarceration page have over 8000 “likes,” today, but dozens of similar pages can now be found boldly addressing the many injustices prison families experience.
 
For far too long, with absolutely no valid reasoning, families with incarcerated loved ones were relegated to second-class citizenship, often treated with as much disdain as the prisoner.  Children and family members were shamed into isolation, withdrawing from the mainstream community, suffering alone in painful silence.  In some ways, this factor alone led to the revolving door of inter-generational incarceration, adding fuel to the ever-growing mass incarceration epidemic in our country.

Having had several life experiences and a professional background that told me talking about something bothering you makes problems easier to manage, it seemed that putting people with similar circumstances in the same room could ultimately reduce the unwarranted stigma and resolve many difficult challenges facing families affected by incarceration.  In fact, such a gathering had the potential to improve the quality of life for the entire prison-family.  Today, eight years later, we know we were right!

In eight swift years that initial idea has been affirmed time and again, as the conference has grown into a community of like-minded people, strengthened by others like themselves, as well as community members who care deeply and genuinely want to help.

In eight short years, we have “matured”!  The conference has grown from a solely information sharing venue into an action oriented body.  Today, prison-families who have availed themselves of the conference experience are being empowered as their voices are being heard through the advocacy arm that has evolved from this conference.

In 2012, the first-ever Prison Family Bill of Rights was drafted by conference attendees to be used as an advocacy tool.  In 2013, the National END MASS Incarceration movement began at this conference, taking the prison family voice to the social media – a powerful means for raising the prison family voice.

At the 2013 conference, it was with some surprise that we welcomed our first international attendees.  In 2014, even more international attendees attended.  And in 2015, with the strong commitment and persistent work of Francis Ssuubi of Uganda, the conference officially became INTERNATIONAL, when attendees from nine countries on three different continents came together to launch the first ever International Network for Children with Incarcerated Parents.



Inspired by the more visible support, in 2015 over eighty attendees signed an agreement to launch the "Advocacy in Action Coalition" under the auspices of the conference.   The Coalition Task Force drafted a resolute White Paper, now being used for talking points with lawmakers to achieve critically needed criminal justice reforms that will strengthen and humanize all members of the prison family.  

This, our 8th year we are pleased to expand our conference even further, as we welcome college and university students for our first Student Social Justice Forum at this conference.
 
Perhaps because this conference has filled such a critical void, we have experienced very few growing pains as the conference has evolved from a purely informative venue to an action-oriented body that embraces advocacy.  Conference attendees have been strengthened and inspired, leaving each conference with fresh ideas and a strong desire to actively pursue avenues to continually improve the quality of life and strengthen the voice of the prison-family.

For details about the conference and a listing of the 2016 presenters, visit www.prisonersfamilyconference.org. 


(The conference is a project of Community Solutions of El Paso, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the prison-family.)
 

 Carolyn Esparza is a licensed professional counselor with over thirty years experience working with the criminal justice system.  As the founder and director of Community Solutions of El Paso, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving prisoners and their loved ones, she initiated and chairs the annual InterNational Prisoner’s Family Conference.   She can be reached at info@prisonersfamilyconference.org 
or  (915) 861-7733.

__________

DONATIONS

We are grateful for all donations to our Ministries that enable us to grow, reach out and serve this community for which there is far too little understanding, compassion and empathy.  Donations can be made by credit card/PayPal here, at the "Donate" button on on our site, prisonist.org or by sending your check payable to: "Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc." P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883. 

Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. is 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 you, a friend or a family member are experiencing 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

__________

Progressive Prison Project/ Innocent Spouse & Children Project

Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Minister/Director
jgrant@prisonist.org
(o) 203-769-1096
(m) 203-339-5887
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Pinterest
Google+

Tumblr

Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org 

(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   

Soccer, Brazil & Mass Incarceration, by John Ruane, Filmmaker, 11-time Emmy Winner & Guest Blogger

Progressive Prison Project

Innocent Spouse & Children Project

Greenwich I Weston I Bridgeport

Connecticut 

Soccer, Brazil & Mass Incarceration

By John Ruane, Filmmaker, 

11-time Emmy Winner & Guest Blogger

 It has always been our goal for prisonist.org to become a mosaic of stories relating to issues of mass incarceration.  We are thrilled that 11-time Emmy winner John Ruane has shared part of his story with us. - Jeff 

__________

As a filmmaker, my responsibility is to pose insightful questions and let the story reveal the outcome.  

What do Brazil, soccer, mass incarceration and filmmaking have to do with each other? 

 Everything. It is only through the willingness to examine our lives, find the common threads that bind us, and speak the truth fearlessly that anything ever gets changed. The voice in the wilderness braying about the pain of a loved one deprived of freedom is the same voice that cries out for identification with something greater, whether it be a soccer club like Corinthians in São Paulo or a consumer product brand such as Prada or Rolex. Somewhere amidst the morass of human needs and wants we may find the kernels of civility and brotherhood that can lift us all up.

Brazil has seen a 67.5% increase in its rate of incarceration in the last 10 years. Counting those under house arrest, Brazil is the 3rd most incarcerated country in the world, after the US and China.

Does everything in Brazil relate to poverty?

Brazil has the widest income disparity of any country in the world, a condition extending as far back as the European colonization and slavery. People incarcerated by poverty exist in plain sight. Like the US, the problem includes the targeting of young black men in poor neighborhoods by police, the unjust result of fear, poverty, and the “otherness” of people who happen to have a particular skin pigment. The US and Brazil seem to be in agreement as to who gets locked away.

Income disparity is another growing problem in Brazil (as is true in the US).  My simplified view is this: the mechanism for increasing income disparity is the ever increasing concentration of wealth, knowledge, resources, and control of institutions by a few individuals and corporations that are stuck on the myth that return of of value to the shareholder is supreme. It is, only if we make it so in practice. I submit that this value is relatively new, maybe 40-50 years old. It might be true that we need corporations to create wealth. But we do not need, nor are new generations going to support , those corporations whose narrow definition of profit contributes to dis-using employees, the natural environment, and blankly ignores poverty in our midst.

We surmise that the core problem of poverty is so enormous, both in the US and Brazil, that there exists a tantalizing tendency to get comfortable with abject poverty by conceptualizing individuals within impoverished populations as “others”, i.e., as somehow less than human. We are seduced into accepting the philosophy: “it has always been this way and always will be…”. 

The fact is (and we should welcome this debate) that there are enough resources on the planet that there need be no hunger. I am one who believes that technology can serve the greater good. The capacity exists to eliminate hunger and treat each human life as precious. What holds us back is the perception that the good life is a zero-sum game and “I better get mine while I can.”

Why is a filmmaker who is focused on Brazilian soccer and culture railing here about poverty, oppression, incarceration, and racism?

Why not just keep to sports? The answer is simple. The only thing we do worthwhile why on this planet is give another human being a lift up. Everything else is transitory and will crumble to meaninglessness against the inevitability of our own transition from this world. Others will disagree. But let’s not stop there.  What can see eye to eye?

My films illuminate the one thing that most Brazilians agree about — the importance of soccer. By contrast, in the U.S,  we are most likely to find universal agreement about a different thing that is important - money. Finding common ground is a negotiation that begins with the willingness to find the things that we see eye to eye.

Brazil has historically looked to the US for inspiration, from the pursuit of civil rights to jazz music. But the US has let Brazil down. At exactly the time in US history that students, blacks, and people of conscience were fueling the civil rights movement,the US explicitly supported the latest oppressive regime in Brazil, a military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 1964-1985.

Today, although it has been declared dead,  the US continues to exert the Monroe Doctrine around the world. It is self-interest that governs. Like corporations that fail to see that they may even increase their profit by broadening its definition, the US lets the world down by exerting its influence and defending principles that result in shortages, starvation, and hoarding of resources. We defend the right of a sovereign nation, corporation, or individual to concentrate money and power to benefit a few.  Looked at from the perspective of “have nots”, the US has institutionalized corruption; we’ve made corruption legitimate by dressing it up with fancy legal arguments, underpinning it with flawed doctrines,  or when challenged, we undertake clandestine activity treating “others” as far “less than.“ We think of ourselves as superior moral beings.  Yet, no wonder that much of the world sees as as bullies, or worse.

Mass incarceration is just one of the social ills that the vast majority of US citizens seem willing to overlook because of their own fear and hubris. This is unlikely to change much until there is a critical mass of citizenry that is organized and mobilized to press for policies that treat all people as intrinsically valuable and equal.  How this can be achieved is a weighty question.  Will it, for example, develop from a realization that a requirement that universal public service, including military service, by all citizens is a necessary mechanism for leveling the population and affirming that there is something more valuable and precious than what we can grab for ourselves? Will the anguish of poverty be eased only when there is a collective recognition that huge disparity of income is perhaps the primary source of animus, fear and disharmony?

All of these admittedly broad strokes of commentary beg the question of whether our films are going to be one big polemic? 

The answer is no because we know that our purpose is to both entertain, inform, and maybe even inspire our audience of soccer and indie film fans. Will our work be controversial? Maybe. Will it be truthful? Yes. Will the filmmakers be consciously engaged in continual “self-checking” to identify our own buried biases, assumptions and impulse to objectify populations as “other’, as less than human? Yes. Why? Because self-criticism is part of our core values; it is essential to telling stories that touch the center of the human heart. Revealing the truth of our stories, whoever that leads, is an opportunity to bring forth the emotional response that audiences crave in a good story. We are storytellers.

The fact of the matter is that all marketing too is storytelling. In business, we seek to “connect” with our customers or connect our customers to the brand. Storytelling, with all its emotionally impactful techniques, from music to stirring images, to ego appeal, can be used for good or for ill.  Self-serving interests can be subtly or not so subtly achieved by pulling the wool over the eyes of large groups of people. It happens every day.

My opinion on mass incarceration may or may not resonate with this constituency. (In my view, mass incarceration is a problem we can solve with the political will to invest in our society and infrastructure.)  Our films may challenge or confirm conventional beliefs about incarceration or other socially significant issues. But, above all, they will tell stories that captivate the audience because without that quality we might as well be whistling in the wind.

Our goal is to tell the truth in as unbiased a way as we can achieve - to tell stories with passionate connection to the stories we tell.with emotional resonance, whether we are telling a story about Brazilian soccer, or poverty/mass incarceration, or the relationship between the two - and what the future may hold for both. 

 
John Ruane is an 11-time Emmy Award winner with over 30 years of experience as a media business executive, independent producer, and entrepreneur - including 20 years with NBC Sports. During his career, John has broadcast thousands of hours of live and recorded sports and news programming. He has traveled extensively around the world covering major events such as the Olympic Games, Wimbledon, the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the NBA Finals, to name a few. 

Beautiful Game will be an independent production. This means that it will not be constrained or influenced by the kinds of strategic business ties that major media companies have with sponsors and conservative political entities, so truth-telling will be possible and themes can be developed that reach beyond the  sanctioned and acceptable pablum that passes for sports storytelling from “official” sources. To reach John Ruane: jruane1@gmail.com. Link: Beautiful Game crowdfunding initiative. 

__________

Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Minister/Director
jgrant@prisonist.org
jg3074@columbia.edu

(o) +1203.769.1096
(m) +1203.339.5887

Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Pinterest
Google+

Lynn Springer, Advocate, Innocent Spouses & Children
lspringer@prisonist.org
(m) +1203.536.5508

George Bresnan, Advocate, Ex-Pats
gbresnan@prisonist.org

Michael Karaffa, Advocate, Disabilities
mkaraffa@prisonist.org

______

__________

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.