Director’s Update: January 2024
Operations: January 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 10 volunteers leading projects. Doug Dunbar, Jon Courtney, Jamie Peloquin,
Leslie Manning, Cheryl Mills, Olivia Hochstadt, Lani Graham, Adriane Herman, Nicole
Lund and Art Jones. 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 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 weekly
MPAC Website Committee: is switching to meeting monthly.
On-going: Advocacy, correspondence, and Direct Dialogue.
MPAC Strategy Meeting - First meeting that Cuba and Linda facilitated without Joseph present. Cuba and Linda did a wonderful job.
MDOC - Hoping to meet with Deputy Commissioner Tony Cantillo about continued collaboration on the art project.
MDOC - frank dialog with the Deputy Commissioner about MPAC'S testimony on the dismal state of reentry programming in Maine.
MDOC - Report that the Supervised Community Confinement program (SCCP) policy has been changed. It appears that eligibility for the program is restricted to individuals in minimum security facilities.
MDOC- residents in community custody (SCCP) can no longer access medical care through the department. We believe Medical files should be part of an individual's exit package, but are not. Must be requested and payed for per copy.
MCC Reentry Center- monthly meetings at the facility to resume. We supported a woman to file a grievance for lack of response for medical care. Policy states they are supposed to respond within 24 hours. The women complain that case managers are referring people to harm reduction housing. The women are not feeling good about it.
MCC Reentry Center- Brandon visited the Women’s Center with HS students from New York..
Longcreek- 14 committed locked down, 17 detained watching Freedom Riders, 4 girls. Opportunity scholars has found funds for driving lessons. POs are allowing Dre to pick up people including those on house arrest.
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. Leslie meeting with unit managers, director of medical and director of health services. Good meeting with Jen Mconnell, ( the director and new to the company). She has been in place for a year. Plan to continue meeting with her. We have received a request for an attorney for medical negligence.
MSP - unit manager of the medium unit escorted out of the facility. Numerous complaints coming from MSP! We brought those concerns to the Warden.
MSP-NAACP- MPAC supported the MLK Event held at the prison on January 29th. Samaa was the keynote speaker. Kenyon Hall and Kyle Friday performed. Kudos to Jon Courtney for helping to pull this off.
MSP NAACP signed a fiscal sponsorship agreement with MPAC. We are committed to supporting their efforts to obtain grant funding for projects.
MERN- Having difficulty connecting returning people to services because of lack of MDOC staff support..
MYJ - great month working with young people. They separated sections out of LD 1779 into LD 288. Strength based needs assessment to evaluate what needs they need support in the community to get help. LD 288 will identify what resources are needed in the community and who will provide those resources.
Projects
Reentry Support- MPAC supported 5 people in reentry transition.
Gallery Exhibit Project - waiting the word from MDOC about the future of the project.
Their response impacts if we can reschedule with LA Arts.
Book drive - Jon Courtney delivered over 100 books to Mountainview. Over a thousand
books were delivered last year to prisons and jails.
Bates -Four Bates students to work on research projects for MPAC this semester.
Joseph is taking lead.
MPAC Film Series : on hold for February.
Reentry Sisters: MPAC was able to procure car loads of donated clothing for women
in reentry”.
Sustainer learner: Craig and Joseph completed the project.
Justice Radio: Linda had a great interview with Aswad Thomas last week. Focused on
what violent crime survivors really want. System currently causes more trauma to people who have received harm. Listen live at 90.9 WMPG FM or stream online: https://www.wmpg.org
For archived episodes, please visit: https://www.wmpg.org/show/sunb/
or tune-in every Thursday at 5pm for Justice Radio on Community Radio WERU 89.9FM!
Working with Catherine Besteman at planning a survivor 3-part series.
Freedom And Captivity - Catherine Besteman leads. Relaunching the website and
meeting with DOC this month. https://www.freedom-captivity.org/fc-curriculum-project
MPAC'S Speakers Bureau- first meeting of the speakers Bureau to take place this
Saturday from 1-2.
Behind the Door Podcast- MPAC Coordinator Brandon Brown co-host with the
Executive Director of Recovery Connections of Maine Jeremy Hiltz.vBehind the Door is recording multiple episodes each week. Brandon was on a Philadelphia radio show to promote last week. He will also be presenting at Penn State at a Social Justice workshop. There are also plans to present at a conference in Virginia .
Survivors Network - bringing folks together nationally and locally for survivor support system for Maine RJM and Downeast, Survivor Speak (Amanda Comeau).
Maine Humanities Council - Linda and Cuba are participating in planning committees for a National gathering focusing on mass incarceration.
Charles Jordan House - project is hanging by a thread. The mayor of Auburn is in support of the project.
Communications:
MPAC brochures. MPAC Brochure
Public engagement is On-track.
Jan was featured in a National Education Association article Advocating for Humane Prisons
https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/advocating-humane-prisons
Jan met with the physicians and osteopaths committee for the June Symposium
they are having discussing a presentation on Mass Incarceration as a Public
Health Crisis
Joseph featured in booklet “Embodying Activism” in partnership with Bates College. Link below to the publication for purchase: https://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/10175415/8c821fb169d0e41f99d92cc2793ba24 46e20f16b
Portland Chamber of Commerce wants to grant MPAC membership, Tommy Johnson,
VP Member Engagement. Complimentary Membership
Communication Resources:
Maine Art Commission featuring Joseph's video. Joseph's poem "Lewiston Strong "
Doners/Funders
Sewell: MPAC is part of their co-hort. Antonio Leads!
Grant team meets weekly
Maine Community Foundation: due February 15th
End of year letter went out to all donors.
Maine Humanities Council: MPAC submitted a grant on January 30th.
Wellspring: issued 95000.00 check for second year of funding.
To MPAC From The Sam Cohen Foundation “The Sam L. Cohen Foundation was pleased to
fund this program with a $10,000.00 grant awarded on November 13, 2022. Clearly, MPAC is providing critical services and supports through your peer support groups and mentoring programs. It's also clear from the report that 2023 was a year of tremendous loss and an incredibly emotionally challenging year for your staff. The Foundation is grateful for the opportunity to support your work.”
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!
Jan and Peter testified on numerous bills or commented on issues impacting our
constituents in work sessions.
Dr Art Jones is joining the legislative team as a volunteer. Welcome aboard!
Legislative Committee zoom meetings 6pm Tuesdays.
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. Outcome became a resolve to study reentry by an outside evaluator.
Longcreek Bill - working with MYJ and the Advocacy table.
Criminal Records Committee- MPAC Executive Director appointed by Senate President
Troy Jackson to serve on the committee.
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
