Concord Prison Outreach Sponsors Back to School Backpacks for Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian (from left), Family Resource and Outreach Coordinator Lili Bonilla and Director of Education Lisa Aubin hold three of the backpacks that were distributed on Saturday, August 18. Photo courtesy of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office. In partnership with the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office, Concord Prison Outreach provided 40 back-to-school backpacks to the families of incarcerated parents at the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction. Included in the backpacks were children’s ..read more

The Power of Writing – Sam Williams Featured in Boston Globe Check out CPO Executive Director’s, Sam Williams, feature in the recent Boston Globe Article “For prisoners, the power of writing” by Renée Loth! Read here. Share This Post Make A Difference Today Through time, or donation, you can make the difference in an individuals life and future both inside and outside of prison walls. VOLUNTEER GIVE NOW The post The Power of Writing – Sam Williams Featured in Boston Globe first appeared on Concord Prison Outreach ..read more

Naming the Unnamed – The Concord Bridge “Naming the Unnamed” project at Concord Reformatory Cemetery was discussed in the recent Concord Bridge article “Forgotten no longer: Concord prisoners get back their names in cemetery.” Check out the article here!   The post Naming the Unnamed – The Concord Bridge first appeared on Concord Prison Outreach ..read more

21st Century America: The Re-Emergence of Hate Crimes – RSVP PAGE Concord Prison Outreach invites you to our Spring Community Discussion series entitled “21st Century America: The Re-Emergence of Hate Crimes.” Over the last two decades, Americans have witnessed a wide array of social behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes that have caused great harm to our society. The Southern Poverty Law Center estimates the number of active hate groups has jumped from 784 to 892, based on information gathered from hate group publications, citizen reports, enforcement agencies, field sources, web posting, a ..read more

The Use of Humanizing Language In an open letter on the question of language, Eddie Ellis, founder of the Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions, invites us to use humanizing language when referring to people with criminal records. In his words: One of our first initiatives is to respond to the negative public perception about our population as expressed in the language and concepts used to describe us. When we are not called mad dogs, animals, predators, offenders and other derogatory terms, we are referred to as inmates, convicts, prisoners and felons. All terms devoid of humanness whi ..read more

Interview with volunteer, Win Wilbur Hannah Zack had the opportunity to interview one of our longest standing and highly contributing volunteers, Win Wilbur, in January 2020. Hannah: How did you get involved with CPO? Win: Years and years ago, I was still teaching full time and I heard it about Concord Prison Outreach through Jean Bell [CPO co-founder], she and I both went to Trinity Church. Hannah: What is the most memorable moment or accomplishment of your volunteer experience? Win: I have loved teaching the “Read to Me Dad” program because it is interesting to work with men of all ages; m ..read more

“Naming the Unnamed:” MassArt Collaboration for the Concord Reformatory Cemetery CPO is thrilled to collaborate with Lisa Kennedy’s Massachusetts College of Art and Design class “Professional Illustration for the Community” to commemorate the lives of people buried at the Concord Reformatory Cemetery. This cemetery was used by Charles Town Prison (1805-1955), Concord Reformatory (1844-present), and Rutland Prison Camp (1903-1934) to bury men with no next of kin. Their only grave markings are numbers on simple stone carvings. Kennedy’s class has been researching the lives of over 200 people b ..read more

Interview with Board Chair of CPO, Karen Baratta In January 2022, Jenn Albanese interviewed Karen Baratta, Board Chair of CPO and longtime volunteer about her time volunteering with CPO. Jenn: How did you first get involved with CPO? Karen: I was teaching Cognitive Skills at Pondville, and then at SMCC. The Director of Treatment was developing a Nonviolent Communications program and asked me to teach. I discovered that CPO offered training in nonviolent communications. Part of the training included participating in an NVC class at MCI Concord. I was asked to join CPO’s Advisory Council, and ..read more

Interview with CPO board member, Osamagbe Osagie On July 27, Hannah Zack had the opportunity to interview CPO board member, Osamagbe Osagie. Hannah: How did you first get involved with CPO? Osa: I joined CPO in 2019 as a volunteer. I facilitate(d) a weekly book discussion group on Wednesdays at MCI-Concord. Hannah: What is the most memorable moment or accomplishment of your volunteer experience? Osa: This is such a challenging question because there are so many memorable moments that I have shared with the guys and my co-facilitator. But if I had to pick one, I would say that the guys consis ..read more

Book Review Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of the Coronavirus on the Way We Live. by Christakis, Nicholas A. Book Review Submitted by Jenn Albanese, CPO Staff You may feel like you have consumed more information on Covid-19 than you’d like, but Apollo’s Arrow gives both an opportunity to consider how our society has been changed by Covid-19 and reassurance that someday we will see the virus in our rearview mirror. The author is a physician and a sociologist, and Christakis reviews a science-based review of the events of 2020. He also describes the path of Covid-19 as it tra ..read more