Director’s Update: February 2022

Feb 17

Written By Joseph Jackson

Operations: Winter operations are on track.

MPAC currently has a staff size of 13 individuals. Antonio Jackson is our newest Coordinator.
MPAC has 4 volunteers leading projects. Doug Dunbar, Jon Courtney, Jamie Peloquin & Leslie Manning.
Mikol Allison is no longer on staff with MPAC. He took a job as a car salesman.
MPAC Staff and Volunteers meet as a full team weekly to update and resolve tensions.
Every MPAC staff member is in communications with incarcerated residents and formerly incarcerated individuals.
In-person meetings between MPAC staff and incarcerated residents at MSP, Bolduc, MCC, SMWRC continue to be suspended due to covid outbreaks.
MPAC's application for 501c3 status is complete.
MPAC is looking to create company emails for all staff.
MPAC Administrative Assistant is responding to requests by mail.
MPAC Strategy Meeting continues to be well attended.
MPAC staff took some time in January to slow down to workshop our mission and vision statements.
MPAC invested in the app Instrumentl to discover, research and track grants, all in one place.
MPAC bookkeeper is retiring. She wants her last day to be in April. Any suggestions?

On-going: Advocacy, correspondence, and Direct Dialogue.

MPAC Strategy Meeting - Saturday January 8th was one of the most well attended over zoom. At one point we had 40 people in attendance, including an incarcerated woman from MCC. We heard updates from the board co-chair, MERAP, and Catherine Besteman. Our filmmaker Alexandra Morrow debuted MPAC'S 5 solitary confinement videos.
The MPAC Executive Director, Assistant Director and Jon Courtney met with Commissioner Liberty to advocate for increased access to Library books. We discussed creating spaces for books within each pod, and creating a new paid position to refresh reading materials.
The MPAC Executive Director, Assistant Director were asked to remain in the meeting with the Commissioner who expressed concern about our relationship because MPAC filed a formal complaint against MDOC policy director Diane Sleek over the constitution violation of preventing a incarcerated Maine citizen from testifying at a public hearing. Commissioner was unaware MPAC had received permission from MSP Warden. The Maine Overseers of the Bar office is investigating.
MDOC - outbreaks at MSP, MCC, and Mountainview are on-going. MPAC continues to advocate for a vaccine mandate for all MDOC staff.
MPAC Executive Director met with MDOC Racial Disparity Manager Roy King to discuss racial disparities within the Supervised Community Confinement program. Three residents with BIPOC identities were denied and each feel there was a racial component to their denial.
MDOC- MPAC Coordinator met with Associate Commissioner Ryan Thornell to discuss SCCP denials, educational resources for probation officers.
MCC Reentry Center- MPAC Staff and Volunteers met virtually w/residents and Unit Admin despite 11 active cases in SMWRC. The women were able to participate from their rooms using tablets; health, visitation and paperwork delays (due to staff absences) were the issues raised.
Longcreek - MPAC Coordinator Brandon Brown is working in person with young people at the Youth Detention Center. He is visiting the facility weekly.
MCC Reentry Center- MPAC Coordinator Wendy Smith is supporting women housed in Windham.
MPAC staff are supporting formerly incarcerated individuals in reentry. One on one and in group settings.
MPAC staff feeling the loss of a system impacted individual who committed suicide.
MPAC Staff are collaborating with the Rest Center in Lewiston on a peer support group for formerly incarcerated individuals entitled Pros and Cons.
MPAC Staff had 50 meetings with incarcerated individuals transitioning into reentry.
MPAC Staff had 15 peer support meetings with post reentry individuals.

Projects:

Solitary confinement campaign is in its final stages. We have completed 5 videos. They have been released on our social platforms. Our letter has been signed by over 300 individuals and 20 organizations.
Gallery Exhibit - Art project for Prisons is coming together- our intern from last year will curate. The Portland Public Library has agreed to hold the exhibition in October (may do so annually).
MPAC has signed on to a group applying to the McArthur Foundation for a grant to Address housing in Cumberland County for system impacted individuals, with a primary focus on BIPOC Identities.
MPAC Volunteer Jon Courtney is leading a project to provide increased access to Library books in Maine's prisons and jails.
MPAC Staff is currently seeking to partner with Amistad to provide support for incarcerated residents in Cumberland County Jail.
MPAC Staff is working with Bates professor Amy Douglas to develop a survey for formerly incarcerated people.
MPAC staff is still in conversation with Aron McPike to start a reentry program at 87 Bartlett st Lewiston Maine. The property has 10 rooms, 3 bathrooms, it will be fully furnished and include electricity, and heat.
MPAC is still in conversations with Dan Black (real estate developer) about the Charles Jordan House located at 63 Academy Street Auburn Maine. The house was a boarding house with 12 rooms, bathrooms, and community space for living and kitchens. MPAC is considering whether we want to assume ownership.
MSP- MPAC Coordinator Dan Fortune is leading a project to create an informative brochure about Covid-19 for incarcerated residents.
Justice Scholar strategy- MPAC Executive Director is meeting Catherine Besteman and Erica King and Mara Sanchez from Muskie and Place Matters to initiate a project to expand opportunities for justice impacted students and to expand that network to include faculty (51). We hope the outcome will lead to free and full credit courses open to incarcerated students.
Mellon UMA Grant - Executive Director is on the board for the grant. Project is in its second year!
The Executive Director is working with UMA Melon Director and the Director of the College Guild on the Letters Project. It's a project targeting incarcerated residents to participate in a correspondence course to prepare them for the college experience.

Social Media platforms:

Public engagement is On-track..
Website engagement up. The Facebook post from January reached 2187 accounts. 909 engaged with the post in some way. Likes are up 50%.

Donors/ funders:

MPAC received 25000 Grants for Change from Maine Initiatives.
MPAC received 5000 from the Cottonwood Foundation
MPAC received 4000 from the Gill Foundation
MPAC received 5000 from a Foundation that requested to remain unnamed.
GiveButter Donations total 6069, from 44 supporters, 9 individuals donated 250 dollars or more!
UMA Mellon- we received 7200 in reimbursement

Legislative:

Long term care bill sponsor requested an ought-not-to-pass vote which was unanimous. The MDOC said they had rewritten the SCCP policy for the dying, but they had not.
Phone charges bill, workshop postponed.
The Parole study bill passed the house and senate.

Strategic Partnerships:

Ongoing

MaineTransnet, GLADD, Portland Outright, MIO, MYJ, Maine Law School, Disability Rights, Maine Equal Justice, ACLU, Muskie, Recovery Connections, Recovery Housing, JJAG, Womens 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. Penobscot County Jail Expansion Group, ME-RAP, Southern Maine SURJ(Standing Up for Racial Justice), Amistad

Communications/ Media:

Joseph Jackson https://maineprisoneradvocacy.org