Director’s Update: October 2025

• Operations: September operations are on track. 

• MPAC: Board consists of 6 members, Co-Chair Ryun Anderson, Co-Chair Carla Hunt, Secretary Julian Rowand, board members Craig Williams, Rosalani Moore and Thraza Rosie Hylton. 

• MPAC currently has a staff size of 12 individuals. Joseph Jackson, Jan Collins, Peter Lehman, Joelle Jackson, Darlene George, Brandon Brown, Andre Hicks, Antonio Jackson, Linda Small, Sammy Basu, Daria Cullen and Kathy Elliot

• MPAC- contracted consultant Jeff Evangelos to support clemency and habeas corpus applications.

• MPAC - has contracted incarcerated resident Gordon Perry to support the website and communication team.

• MPAC has 13 volunteers. Lee Urban,Doug Dunbar, Jon Courtney, Jamie Peloquin, Leslie Manning, Tatum Rosenberg, Olivia Hochstadt, Lani Graham, Adriane Herman, Nicole Lund, Sarah Johnson, Craig McEwen, Al Cleveland, and Luca Mellon.  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 Strategy Meeting is the second Saturday of each month from 10-12.

• MPAC - Legislative Strategy Meeting every Tuesday at 5:30 pm. 

• Arts Programming Team - meets weekly Thursday mornings at 8:00am.

• MPAC Website Committee: meets bi-weekly, Wednesday at 5:00 pm

• MPAC - Development and Communications Committee meets Mondays every other week at 8:00 am.

• MPAC - grant committee meets weekly on Tuesday.

• MPAC - Ways of Working committee meets monthly.

• MPAC - staff continues to support formerly incarcerated individuals in reentry, with transport, peer to peer support. One on one and in group settings.

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

• September MPAC Strategy Meeting - resumed with Brandon and Linda facilitating in Cuba's absence. We processed carpooling resources to visit residents at MSP.

• MDOC - Joseph met with Deputy Commissioner Cantillo about the perception of regression with the SCCP policy and practices. The discussion is ongoing.

• MDOC - Joseph met with Deputy Commissioner Cantillo about concerns about the new Tech Policy which imposes a 35.00 fee, and contains prohibitions on contacting legislators. Tony acknowledged the policy and said that it was needed to maintain resident access to technology.

• MDOC - Joseph and the Deputy Commissioner discussed concerns from residents about an increase in medical copay. The department says they haven't initiated that policy proposal.

• MDOC - Joseph met with the Deputy Commissioner and received a verbal agreement to sell resident artwork during exhibitions.

• MDOC - Joseph and Daria will meet with the DOC to discuss tensions they have with our Pathways to release Guide.

• MDOC - Joseph met with Deputy Commissioner Cantillo to advocate for 4 incarcerated residents to be seen by medical staff for various health issues.

• MDOC - MCC- MPAC Staff continues to advocate directly with Deputy Warden Chris Arbour and Warden Ben Beal about issues raised by incarcerated women. 

• MDOC - MCC - Antonio Jackson has been cleared to meet with the men at MCC monthly. Cuba will walk through the facility and interact with residents where they are. This is a model we'll be looking to expand to all facilities.

• MCC Longtimers - Daria and Leslie facilitate monthly meetings with the women on the hill and women in the re-entry center.

• MCC Longtimers -  MPAC sponsored an outing for incarcerated women to Sunflower Farm for Goat Yoga. Women really enjoyed what we're calling the Living Classroom. 

• MCC Longtimers - September Recovery Month. The prison has an activity related to recovery for the entire month.

• MCC Longtimers - Darlene and Linda did a panel for beyond the bars. 

• MCC Reentry Center - Linda working with the Reentry Center pre-release folks to help people with housing on the outside. She provides women with backpacks containing items that give women a headstart as they return to the community.

• Advocacy Coalition- will resume meetings every two weeks to discuss legislative strategy.

• Longcreek- Andre updates about Long Creek, noted a decrease in detained youth.

• Longcreek - MPAC is supporting 40 youth in reentry. There is weekly engagement with youth one-on-one or in groups. Youth are provided food, shoes, and haircuts. They are supported with seeking employment (help with filling out applications). Andre is speaking on behalf of youth during court hearings.

• Longcreek- Joseph and Andre held a second outdoor retreat for Youth. It was a small group but there was boating, fishing and breaking bread. 

• MSP - Jan and Nina went to the Longtimers Cookout. It was a good turnout.

• MSP - MPAC has been asked to sponsor SIIPS training. Sammy is supporting Jeff Taylor with his proposal.

• No Penobscot county jail - New jail building will likely not go for vote this fall, more likely June 2026.

Projects:

• Paco's Place- on track to close on the property before the end of the month.

• MPAC Clemency project - Jeff continues to support residents and each individual is in different stages of challenging their sentences or guilty verdict ls.

• Outdoor Retreat - MPAC had its final outdoor excursion this year with formerly incarcerated individuals from Recovery Housing of Maine. We transported men to the lake, played in the water and grilled burgers.

• Guide for Filing Grievances.  - MPAC is finalizing a project to consolidate information on how to file grievances properly.

• Reentry Support- MPAC supported 8 individuals in reentry transition for the months of September. We supported a family with a celebration of life.

• Gallery Exhibit Project: Inside Vision- MPAC exhibition at the Francis Hotel is up. Go check it out!

• Gallery Exhibit Project: Inside Vision - lithograph workshops starting at the Reentry Center, Adriane has a professional lithographer visiting. 

• Gallery Exhibit Project: Inside Vision-  Art Change The World workshops were held at SMWRC. And we are slated to present an encore screening of Sing Sing later this month.

• Mainecare- our project with Mainecare is nearly complete. There has been a request to have two survey groups at Franklin County Jail. One for men and one for women. We had to edit the contract to make this work!

• Beyond the Bars conference - MPAC staff were front and center from the first to the last day of this annual event. Kudos to Erica King!

Communications:

• MPAC - Daria Cullen is our communications lead. 

• Website: MPAC Volunteer Jamie Peloquin leads our Website design.

• Google Group: MPAC has received complaints about the overwhelming number of emails from mainers-against-solitary-confinement+msgappr@googlegroups.com. We have restructured our platform to only allow post from administrators. Which will take place once a week.

• Webpage: Pathways to Promise page is live.

• Daria continues to update our website, https://www.maineprisoneradvocacy.org/

• Webpage - Regular updates such as the weekly listserv email, social media outreach, and website maintenance continue.

• Webpage-  MPAC's fall fundraiser is in full swing. Our goal of $100,000 in 90 days.

• Webpage - Additional resources are being added to the page. The How to Write Effective Testimony guide was added to the legislative action page, and a “Trans Support” option was included in the Contact Us dropdown. The News and Events pages were also updated for September.

• Webpage - 

• MPAC - new YouTube channel MPAC YouTube channel 

Public engagement 

• On-track.

• MPAC- tabled at Recovery fairs across the state and collected signatures for Mainers willing to respond to our call to action. For the first time ever we tabled and different communities on the same day

Donors/ funders:

• Grant team meets weekly. 

• Donate Button Zeffy platform 

• individual donation Zeffy - 610.00 in donations for September 

• MPAC- Just Fund Us 15000.00

• MPAC - Fundraiser in Kennebunk MPAC Fundraiser Flyer

• MPAC - Peter Alfond Conference - Joseph, Cuba, and Andre attending 

• 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 Meetings - meets Tuesdays at 5:30pm each week.

• Legislative- Focus is on tabling and collecting names/email addresses in every district in the state for legislative letters. 

• Legislative Committee -  Clean Slate Campaign for record sealing.

• Legislative Committee - heard and discussed Frank Zarro proposal for an independent public defense program.

• Legislative Update- Parole4ME- meets every other Wednesday at 6:00pm over zoom. 

• Legislative Update- MPAC’S 2025 Legislative Tracker

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, FAMM (Families for Justice Reform).

New Partners- Pubic Health Committee for Maine Medical Association, Knox-Waldo Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), Maine Clean Slate,  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, Orange Bike Brewing Company, Friends of LongCreek, Groundwater Institute, Volunteers of America, Brennan Center, Maine Arts Commission, Maine Clean Slate Coalition.