Director’s Update: September 2023
Operations: September operations are on track.
MPAC: Board consists of 6 members, Co-Chair Ryun Anderson, Co-Chair Carla Hunt, Executive Secretary Julian Rowand, board members Jadirah Ortiz, Craig Williams, and Rosalani Moore.
MPAC currently has a staff size of 11 individuals. Joseph Jackson, Jan Collins, Peter Lehman, Joelle Jackson, Daniel Fortune, Brandon Brown, Wendy Allen, Andre Hicks, Antonio Jackson, Linda Small and Kathy Elliot
MPAC has 6 volunteers leading projects. Doug Dunbar, Jon Courtney, Jamie Peloquin, Leslie Manning, Cheryl Mills, Olivia Hochstadt and Lani Graham. Special thanks for their work and dedication.
MPAC Mission. Value, and Purpose statements
Our Mission is to support and advocate for Maine’s incarcerated citizens, their families and friends.
Our Purpose is to reduce Maine’s use of incarceration by advocating for a criminal legal system that is ethical, humane and restorative.
Our Vision is of a justice system that is restorative. It supports humanity in every person, and reflects and creates transformation and accountability.
MPAC Staff and Volunteers meet as a full team weekly to update and resolve tensions.
MPAC staff members are in regular communications with incarcerated residents and formerly incarcerated individuals.
MPAC: Justin Gilcrist is MPAC’S new intern and is working on research to reduce violence in prisons and jails.
MPAC: filed our first 990 since becoming a 501c3.
MPAC staff meeting in-person with incarcerated residents at MSP, Bolduc, MCC, SMWRC.
MPAC Ways of Working committee has shifted staff roles to correspond to accountabilities.
MPAC Strategy Meeting is the second Saturday of each month from 10-12.
MPAC - Legislative Strategy Meeting every Tuesday at 6pm.
Arts Programming Team - meets every Thursday at 8:30 to discuss avenues for increasing arts programming at DOC facilities. Jon, Jan, Olivia(departed for Boston but still participating), Adriane Herman, and Nicole Lund.
MPAC Website Committee: meeting every other week.
On-going: Advocacy, correspondence, and Direct Dialogue.
MPAC Strategy Meeting - there was no meeting in July, August, or September due to our Staff and Board retreat and workshop.
MDOC - Brief meeting with Deputy Commissioner Tony Cantillo. MPAC board of Visitors training.
MDOC - Approved the sale of artwork produced for gallery exhibition with 100 percent of proceeds going to incarcerated residents.
MDOC - rare restorative process happening between an incarcerated resident and his victim. Hopefully it sets the stage for other restorative processes.
MSP- Speaker of the House met with the MSP NAACP on the earned good time bill.
Bolduc unit - reports residents are threatened with write ups if they approach the Commissioner with complaints. Residents also report having to wait 8 months after SCCP approval before release. Residents with jobs are finding it difficult to access their final paychecks in a reasonable time.
Bolduc Unit - MPAC partnered with Recovery Connections of Maine to hold a softball game and cookout at the prison. The current cons soundly beat the ex cons. The cookout was good, looking to make this an annual event.
MCC Reentry Center- meetings happening once a month. Amanda Wolford has been moved to Augusta(2nd time) and is doing work with jails as well as the prisons. Losing Amanda and getting Ben Beal as warden means we may have lost a strong advocate for the women.
Longcreek- Andre is in Long Creek every day. More people were detained in August. We are supporting 14 youth in the community. Interaction involves lunch, school clothes, and support with obtaining driver's licenses. Communications through snapchat.
MPAC - staff continues to support formerly incarcerated individuals in reentry, with transport, peer to peer support. One on one and in group settings.
MCC Longtimers - meeting with Longtimers twice a month. Linda joining! Van to conduct Mammograms for women visiting MCC.
MCC Longtimers - women complained they have been denied the ability to open bank accounts. Men have been allowed to open accounts for years. Deputy Commissioner is looking into it.
MSP - Greg Warmki an incarcerated resident is in hospice for end of life care. He spent his time working in the greenhouse. He was responsible for many of the plants and gardens. He declined Compassionate Release, because he didn't want to be a burden for his family. He and his partner were recently approved by the Commissioner for a trip to the botanical gardens in Boothbay.
MSP: New ACU Privilege Level, 2 hours of rec a day (as opposed to the 3 they were getting). Level's 1 and 2, reportedly are not being allowed out for programming, ie; art class and creative writing class.
MSP - MPAC attended the health care meeting. Scott Landry was unable to attend, but representatives from the DOC and Wellpath were in attendance. MPAC's presence lifted the morale of incarcerated residents. Complaints ranged from Chronic untreated illnesses, Prescription meds being delayed, no access to dental care. The DOC cites difficulty recruiting and retaining staff. MPAC believes failure to provide medical care is unconstitutional. We need more data. OPEGA may be an option!
MPRN- statewide reentry training began. The Commissioner addressed the group.
Penobscot county jail : plan to ask voters for approval next year to build an enormous new jail at a likely price tag in the ballpark of $100 million.
Penobscot county jail- the mother of 21-year old Jeffrey Macomber who died at PCJ in January reports he had never been in jail before. He suffered from mental health issues and cried a lot during his incarceration. They reported that he was never known to take drugs and died the day before his release from a massive fentanyl overdose. His parents are filing a lawsuit.
Projects:
Reentry Support- MPAC supported 5 people in reentry transition.
Charles Jordan House: No updates.
Gallery Exhibit Project - Exhibit is up in Farmington. The exhibit includes artwork from Maine Correctional Center and Mountainview Correctional Center.
MPAC is considering Recovery Connections of Maine prison door as part of the exhibit. We're also considered the Statehouse as an exhibit location.
Book drive - Jon Courtney took a load of books to MCC, and MSP. MCC is training a new person to take over the project inside.
MPAC Film Series : Jon was at MSP September 10 with Rob Shetterly and his Film series- Americans who tell the Truth. It was well attended, 30-40 residents. Robert Shetterly may bring some of the portraits for an exhibit for Black History month at MSP.
Reentry Sisters: developing a reentry program for 10 women in transition. Outdoor activity communing with nature, evening programming for trauma!
Sustainer learner: Craig and Joseph participating. Sustainer learner's recently held a making the ask workshop. Informative but general in nature, individuals create a pitch and got feedback on how to make the pitch stronger
Recovery Rally - MPAC tabled at the Recovery Rally in Kennedy Park in Lewiston. It was a great turnout for a wonderful event. Joseph and Antonio tabled.
MCC Reentry Center- held a recovery fair. MPAC Coordinator Linda Small in attendance. Women from B-pod were allowed to attend. Great conversation with DOC reentry Coordinator Dave Simpson. MPAC is very concerned about the shifts in leadership changes and how that impacts women’s services.
Justice Radio: Listen live at 90.9 WMPG FM or stream online: https://www.wmpg.org/ Sunday at 1:30
Freedom And Captivity - Catherine Besteman leads. Freedom and Captivity: Linda Small is facilitating the workshops this fall with 3 incarcerated facilitators. 30 people enrolled in the workshop including intern Nicole Lund.
MPAC'S Speakers Bureau- creating a structure to hold the work. We plan to make changes to the webpage for recruitment. Looking to create a meeting space and time to support the project.
Behind the Door Podcast- MPAC Coordinator Brandon Brown co-host with the Executive Director of Recovery Connections of Maine Jeremy Hiltz. They traveled with the prison door to DC, and set it up at national monuments.
MPAC Intern - Reduction of Violence in Prison research. Research is going well. So far he has 16 sources. He's looking at artificial intelligence's potential for reducing violence. Early indications suggest AI can be used to predict human behavior. He's also looking at Criteria for weighing the factors involved in the Reduction of Violence.
Communications:
MPAC brochures. MPAC Brochure
Public engagement is On-track.
Public engagement- MPAC ED did a presentation at the Maine Conscious Business Collective and Conscious Revolution and Center for Compassion at USM!
MPAC/ Maple collaboration with students working on videos. Andre, Brandon, Wendy and Cuba.
Behind the Door Podcast, MPAC Executive Director appeared on the podcast. Behind the Door Podcast with Joseph Jackson
Public engagement - MPAC Assistant Director and MPAC Volunteer Lani Graham did a presentation for the Maine Public Health Association about Mass Incarceration as a Public Health Emergency.30 health professionals attended.
Public engagement - Lani Graham, Zach Swain, and Alexsea Cholewa will be presenting at UNE on Oct 12th.
Public Engagement- MPAC Coordinator Wendy Allen did a presentation at Mobilize Recovery in DC She spoke on incarceration and the impacts it has on finding adequate recovery services.
Public Engagement- MPAC ED commented on a story about former Bolduc inmates say they weren't paid for final weeks' work on newscenter 6 News story
Public Engagement - MPAC AD commented on Penobscot jail CO’s arrest on sex assault of inmates.
www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/crime/arrest-of-corrections-officer-renews-calls-for-ov ersight-in-county-jails-penobscot-county-maine/97-c9335608-bd59-4aab-b8c5-eef3b576d8d0
Donors/ funders:
MPAC fundraiser was held last month on September 7th.
Thank yous have been sent out to all donors. Electronic and handwritten!
MEHAF - 30000 dollar grant awarded
Vital Project Fund - awarding MPAC 20,000
Gill Foundation- 3600 dollar grant awarded
Welch grant declined
Libra Foundation- grant declined
Maine Humanities Council - working on a 1000 grant for our art project.
Become A Sustainer campaign- A sustainer is a Donor or Supporter who commits to making monthly or yearly donations of time or money to the organization. Sustainers play a crucial role in providing a stable and predictable source of income for us by allowing us to plan and execute long-term initiatives with greater confidence.
Legislative:
Assistant Director Jan Collins leads!
Legislative Committee zoom meetings resume.
Solitary confinement
Parole4Me- zoom meetings have resumed. They meet every other Monday afternoon.
Indigent Housing - working with the Speaker of the House
Earned Good Time- working with the Speaker of the House
Longcreek Bill - working with MYJ and the Advocacy table.
Call for action against AG finding of no criminal responsibility after officer involved shooting in which the medical examiner defines as a homicide. Jeremy Lau letter-
Strategic Partnerships: ongoing- MaineTransnet, GLADD, Portland Outright, MIO, MYJ, Maine Law School, Disability Rights, Maine Equal Justice, ACLU, Muskie, Recovery Connections, Recovery Housing, JJAG, Women’s League of Voters, MPRN, MPDA, MSP-NAACP, Colby College, Bates College, UMA, RJIM, Maine Immigrants, Maine Family Planning, Maine Humanities Council
New Partners- Pubic Health Committee for Maine Medical Association, Knox-Waldo Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women. No Penobscot County Jail Expansion , ME-RAP, Southern Maine SURJ(Standing Up for Racial Justice), Amistad, Maine CDC, Vera Institute, Curative, Augusta Recovery Center, Reform Alliance, College Guild, Project Home, Maine Health Equity Foundation
