2023 Pennsylvania Prison Society Annual Report

Promoting the health, safety, and dignity of incarcerated people and families I M PA C T R E P O RT 2 0 2 2-2 0 2 3

Letter From The Executive Director This year, the Pennsylvania Prison Society made a profound difference in the health, safety, and dignity of people living behind bars and their families. This report shows the impact we made in 2023 by assisting incarcerated people, by exposing and addressing issues behind bars, and by helping families build and maintain connection through the distance and isolation of prison.

Today’s Impact Coming out of a worldwide pandemic and its social and economic repercussions, prisons have emerged more isolating and damaging than they were just three years ago. In our 236th year, the need for the Society’s services and voice is more acute than ever.

In the first year of our new strategic plan, Forward Together, we leveraged growing recognition that the work we do has a deep, enduring impact. As you will read, we provided assistance to tens of thousands of incarcerated people and their families, sparked improvements in correctional facilities across the state, and contributed to meaningful, lasting change.

Tomorrow’s Future The Prison Society works to create a future in which the health, safety, and dignity of people in prisons and jails are safeguarded, family and community ties are supported during incarceration, and in which depriving people of their liberty is a last resort for public safety.

Sometimes that future can seem far off, but this past year, we caught a glimpse of what it might look like when several staff toured facilities in the United Kingdom. Although the British facilities we saw looked and felt like some of the less-well-maintained facilities in Pennsylvania—with rats and roaches, and unpleasant smells—there were striking differences.

Prisons in England have a mandate to foster family connection. They recognize that a strong family or community tie can be the deciding factor in someone’s success when they come home from prison.

In all three facilities we visited there was programming. At one jail, a computer programming class was filled. At a second, a warehouse was staffed by 100+ incarcerated men busily filling commissary orders.

The warehouse was operated by a company that extends job offers to people in custody prior to release.

The opportunities for education, work, and self-improvement we observed went well beyond what we see in Pennsylvania, where many instructors and counselors retired or quit during the pandemic and have not been replaced.

England’s incarceration rate is half the incarceration rate of Pennsylvania, despite having a generally similar crime rate. That is, in part, because Pennsylvania, like other states, imposes prison sentences more frequently and for longer periods of time. With fewer people in prison for less time, there can be more staff for each person in custody—more staff to keep people in prison safe, more staff to run programs, and more staff to help families connect.

Fundamentally, even a more humane prison is, by its very nature, damaging and repressive. Nevertheless, what we saw, recognizes the value of people who live in prison, who work in prison, and their families in a way that was inspiring and achievable.

Because of You The Prison Society is the sum of its supporters, donors, and volunteers. None of this happens without you.

Thank you for being a part of the Prison Society in our effort to create a Pennsylvania that values and safeguards the health, safety, and dignity of people in prisons and jails, supports and strengthens family and community ties, and in which depriving people of their liberty is a last resort for public safety.

Together, we are creating the future we want.

C L A I R E S H U B I K- R I C H A R D S Executive Director

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C O N D I T I O N S I M PA C T

Safeguarding Lives 59

TOTAL PRISONS & JAILS VISITED

23

COMPREHENSIVE WALKTHROUGHS OF CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES

2,089

ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS WITH INCARCERATED PEOPLE TO ADDRESS HEALTH & SAFETY CONCERNS

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REGIONAL VOLUNTEER TRAININGS

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Oversight impacts how people in prison are treated and the conditions they face. We play a key role by bearing witness to problems and advocating for solutions.

This year, we increased our number of regional staff monitoring prison conditions. With more feet on the ground, our impact is growing.

Advancing Nutrition in Prisons Allegheny County Jail switched to a new food service provider after the Prison Society helped bring serious problems with the jail’s food to light. In 2022, we conducted the first-ever, facility-wide survey of people incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ), at the request of the county. The survey results documented reports of food that was moldy, rotten, and contaminated with insects and rodent droppings.

Ninety-five percent of respondents said they regularly went hungry. Two months later, ACJ announced a new exterminator and a new food vendor.

Growing Oversight The Prison Society is playing a key advisory role in establishing a new jail oversight board with expanded access in Philadelphia. In the fall of 2022, we took members of the Philadelphia Jail Advisory Board and City Council on a monitoring tour of one of the city’s jails. Witnessing conditions firsthand has been a critical factor in City Council’s introduction of a charter change to create a new jail oversight board.

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Ending Abuse After we exposed patterns of abuse and neglect in the Restricted Housing Unit at SCI Fayette, prison officials promptly took action. In summer 2023, our lead monitor for SCI Fayette saw an increase in complaints coming from the prison’s Restricted Housing Unit (RHU or segregation). The reported patterns of abuse and neglect ranged from lack of access to rulebooks and grievance forms to withheld food and patterns of excessive force. There were also reports of staff encouraging suicide. After dozens of complaints to the prison’s administration, our volunteers with staff support collated our data from the RHU and presented a pattern of complaints specifically against one staff person. When we toured the RHU one month later, the staff person had been reassigned and conditions and treatment had significantly improved. Both the men in custody and the administration expressed gratitude for assistance.

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C O N N E C T I O N I M PA C T

Ending Isolation 8,102

CALLS TO OUR HELPLINE ANSWERED

3,100

LETTERS TO OUR HELPLINE ANSWERED

1,065

ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING SESSIONS

102

INCARCERATED PARTICIPANTS IN PRISON SOCIETY REENTRY WORKSHOPS

117

INCARCERATED FATHERS PARTICIPATED IIN FATHERHOOD GROUPS

Connection is a critical component to promoting health, safety, and dignity. People in prison are just that: People. They are brothers, uncles, mothers, and neighbors. Maintaining connection with loved ones on the outside strengthens the relationships people need to help them cope with incarceration and thrive when they come home.

This year, we bolstered our efforts to dismantle systemic isolation by increasing staff and programming. Our Helpline doubled its capacity to answer questions about prisons and jails; we launched a new monthly support group for formerly incarcerated people; and we refined our ability to help families negotiate technological barriers associated with visiting policies. We are helping more families in more parts of the state navigate an opaque, traumatizing system. Love is one thing that incarceration cannot interrupt.

Reducing Barriers to Visiting We are a resource for families struggling to navigate complex online scheduling systems in county jails.

A distraught mother called our office frustrated that the jail would not help her visit. Our Helpline staff took the time to walk her through the process, reuniting her with her son for the first time since his arrest. For many families, new digital systems are confusing or inaccessible without help from our staff. No family should be barred from visiting because of a disability, poverty, or lack of digital savvy.

Strengthening Family Connection We launched programming in a Community Correctional Center (CCC or halfway house) for the first time in recent organizational history. Prison Society Family Reunification groups offer a space for people transitioning home to reflect and begin repairing interpersonal relationships.

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Building Networks of Support Our mentors provide crucial, individualized support for mentees as they prepare for life after incarceration. A mentoring program participant who was beginning the fall term at a community college was denied parole, causing his release to be delayed another six months. His mentor jumped into action, contacted the community college and arranged for a deferment, ensuring that his admission efforts didn’t go to waste.

P E R S O N A L I M PA C T

Meet Virginia “I turned to the Prison Society when my son was sent to [the state prison in] Albion, seven hours from Philadelphia—almost outside the state—I couldn’t believe it. Without the transportation program, seeing him in person would have been impossible.”

“Family connection is so essential to adjustment, mental health, and a successful return home. Just being able to touch your loved one and remind them that you still love them, that they are still in the family—there’s no substitute for that.

“The Prison Society supported me when I had no support.”

Hear Virginia tell her own personal story about the importance of staying connected on WURD radio.

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A DVO C A C Y I M PA C T

Activating Empathy We believe that all community members, especially those in positions of power, need to see behind prison walls to understand what it means to be confined there. Until you come faceto-face with what’s happening behind bars, you don’t understand the urgency to disrupt the degradation.

We give the public and policy makers independent information on what is happening in Pennsylvania correctional facilities—information unavailable anywhere else—to increase understanding and awareness, and guide good decision making. More and more, elected officials are turning to the Prison Society for crucial insights into prisons and jails. The media is amplifying the issues we bring to light, and our dedicated supporters are mobilizing to drive systemic change. We are directly influencing policy and public perception to drive meaningful change.

We Did It! Advocacy Agenda

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Advocacy Wins

Stop price “gouging”

The DOC increased wages for people in state prison 20% across the board.

Hunger and nutrition in prison

Philadelphia jail adjusted meal times to address reports of people going hungry between meals and Allegheny jail switched food service providers.

Remove barriers to in-person visiting

State senators made removing barriers to in-person visiting a key issue in their confirmation of new Pennsylvania Corrections Secretary, Laurel Harry.

Access to medical and mental health care

Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform joined the coalition to end the $5 co-pay that prevents many incarcerated Pennsylvanians from accessing needed medical care.

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Reducing Financial Hardships for People in Prison & Their Families Because of our advocacy, the Department of Corrections increased wages for people in custody.

After the Prison Society published an analysis showing that the DOC hiked commissary prices 26.7 percent in fall 2022, the DOC increased wages 20 percent across the board. This policy change was sparked by incarcerated people who wrote to us about surging prices. The raises will relieve some of the burden of commissary price increases that far outpaced inflation in the outside world.

Expanding Voting Access For Incarcerated People In Pennsylvania We registered hundreds of incarcerated voters. Along with coalition partners from the Committee of Seventy, the PENNfranchise Project, the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, and All Voting Is Local, we provided incarcerated people the information they need to register to vote. Together, we helped register hundreds of voters in Pennsylvania jails. Our work showed how this kind of outreach can drastically increase participation in the democratic process among incarcerated people, whose voices too often go unheard by policymakers making decisions that directly impact their lives.

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C E L E B R AT I N G I M PA C T

Mission Champions Our annual award winners impact the lives of incarcerated Pennsylvanians and their families through their leadership, compassion, and commitment to health, safety, and dignity behind bars.

Speaker Joanna McClinton

Andrea Stripen

HUMAN RIGHTS CHAMPION OF

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR, PHILADELPHIA

THE YEAR

CHAPTER

“The first time I ever walked

“What’s really important for

into a correctional facility,

people to know about the Prison

I was a high school student.

Society is that this really

I was stunned to see how many

wouldn’t be possible without

young faces there were in that

all the volunteers who just

county jail.”

step up. Despite the difficult

Throughout her rise to become the first woman speaker of the Pennsylvania House, former Prison Society board member Joanna McClinton has been a champion for human rights. She is a powerful advocate for the health, safety, and dignity of people who are currently or formerly incarcerated, and people otherwise impacted by the criminal legal system.

88

circumstances [in prisons and jails], they show up and visit people.”

For the past five years, Andrea has worked weekdays and weekends to address urgent calls for help from incarcerated people and their families in Philadelphia. She has co-led the Prison Society’s Philadelphia volunteers, conducting trainings, convening meetings, and ensuring all requests for help from incarcerated people and their families in Philadelphia receive prompt attention. Her efforts have consistently ensured that these pleas receive the attention and support they deserve.

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Hear from our annual award winners. Scan here:

Georgia Dovshek

Kareem (Kerry) McNeil

CORRECTIONAL EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR,

INCARCERATED PERSON OF THE YEAR,

WASHINGTON COUNTY JAIL

SCI PHOENIX

“Compassion is essential in

“My uncle Kerry has been locked

this job. It’s important that

up my entire life. I’ve never

we serve high-quality meals,

seen him as a free man. I can

and it’s a process that is

only imagine the relationship

often taken for granted.

that I would have had with him

Although there are many

[if he weren’t incarcerated].”

challenges, we at Washington

— Aleisha Peterson, Kareem’s niece who accepted the award on his behalf

County still manage to serve the best food in all of the surrounding counties.”

In the world of corrections, food service can significantly influence mood and morale.

Concerns about food quality also rank among the most prevalent complaints received by the Prison Society from people incarcerated in county prisons. Georgia’s dedication to using clean, fresh ingredients and maintaining an impeccable kitchen fosters an atmosphere of dignity and respect. She shares joy through special meals, empowers her team with culinary skills, and cultivates a sense of community.

Kareem’s 40-year commitment to the SCI Phoenix community is truly remarkable. He co-founded the Real Street Talk Foundation, which focuses on guiding young people away from actions that may lead to incarceration and helped start Pull of Gravity, aimed at assisting men in their reentry into communities, offering mentorship for successful reintegration. Kareem’s leadership, boundless compassion, and enduring impact on the lives of people at SCI Phoenix and beyond are truly commendable.

We are required to blur Mr. McNeil’s image because of a DOC policy that prevents publication of faces of incarcerated people.

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Financial Report Thanks to the generosity of so many, 2023 was our most impactful year yet.

We raised more money, reached more people, and changed more lives than ever before.

REVENUE

TOTAL REVENUE

$1,063,000

1010

● GRANTS

69%

● PROGRAM REVENUE

8%

● INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS

22%

● ENDOWMENT DISTRIBUTION

1%

I M PA C T R E P O RT 2 0 2 2-2 0 2 3

“Philanthropy is the heartbeat of every thriving non-profit. This year’s growth in individual giving speaks to the connection between our mission and the hearts of our supporters who believe in it.

With increased support, we are able to each expand our services and our impact.” Emily Cheramie-Walz, Development Director

EXPENDITURES

● PROGRAM

75%

● ADMINISTRATION

17%

● FUNDRAISING

8%

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YO U R I M PA C T

Your Giving Matters Because you care, we have the power to change lives. Your support fuels our work to promote health, safety, and dignity behind bars.

Pittsburgh Gathering A big thank you to Efrem M. Grail and the Grail Law Firm for generously hosting us for our spring gathering in Pittsburgh. We were thrilled to have so many familiar faces join us for an evening of conversation and connection, and to have the time to expand and deepen our relationships with many volunteers, partners, and the like-minded in Western Pennsylvania.

In her welcome remarks, Representative Emily Kinkead explained that the Prison Society has “transformed the way that incarcerated people are treated across the state and continues to work to transform and improve the system.” Senator Camera Bartolotta emphasized that we have much work to do, but together we are making a difference.

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IN MEMORIAM

Nancy H. McVaugh

Pictured are Nancy H. McVaugh and her husband George (seated) during an event with people serving a life sentence at SCI Dallas.

Ensuring Your Impact Endures The Prison Society was sad to learn of the recent passing of longtime volunteer Nancy (“Nan”) McVaugh of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Like many of the best volunteers, Nan was dedicated, tenacious, and her compassion unfailing.

frequently over the years from people with whom she’d made a connection and a real difference in their lives. It was for this reason that Nan and George received the 2000 Volunteer of the Year Award.

Nan and her late husband of 47 years, George, dedicated countless hours to visiting with incarcerated people in several facilities, including SCI Frackville, SCI Mahanoy, SCI Graterford (now Phoenix), and SCI Coal Township. We heard

We are honored to learn that Nan provided for the Prison Society in her estate plans. Her bequest of over $140,000 will go a long way toward furthering our mission and continuing her incredible work with incarcerated people across the state.

Please let us know if you have recognized the Pennsylvania Prison Society in your estate plans or if you would like information on doing so. We sincerely hope that this Impact Report inspires you and validates your own personal connection to the Society.

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D O N O R S L I S T E D H AV E G I V E N $ 4 0 O R M O R E Crystal Adams

Mike Brown

Julia DellaPorta

Elizabeth Gallagher

Ted Agoos

Destiny Brown

Chloe DePaola

Beth Gallagher

Edward Agoos

Adele Bruch-Appel

Howard William DeWeese

John Gallery

Fareed Ahmed

Esteem Brumfield

Vincent DiAngelus

Richard Garland

David Akers

Michael Buckley

Abigail Diebold

Deborah Gausmann

Etta Albright

Janet Burd

Richard Dietrich

Lawrence Geller

Kasim Ali

Alex Busansky

Sharon Dietrich

Dmitra Gideon

Ricardo Alvarez

Timothy Byrne

Gregory Dober

Rosemary Gido Ph.D.

ANIVO at SCI Albion

Jane Cadwallader

Margaret Dobrinska

Thomas Ginsberg

Alan Appel

Lauren Campbell

Yvonne Dodson

Joan and William Goldstein

Theodore Aronson

Peter Cardinal

Michael Dombkoski

Richard Goldstein

Rackell Arum

Allen Carr

Henry Domer

Marie Gottschalk

Barbara Auerbach

Mazzie Casher

Faith Donaher

Elena Grab

Lisa Austin

Natalia Castilla

Phyllis Donahue

Edmundo Grab

William Babcock

Steven Chanenson

Gail Donner

Phyllis Grady

Chuck and Shirley Baily

Stefanie Christmas

DeVonte Douglass

Marshal and Tamar Granor

YahNé Baker

Paul Chrystie

Daniel Doyle

Charles Grasty

Hannah Balkovec

Robert Cicchinelli

Robert Dreyfus

Mike and Lisa Gribbin

Flavia Barger

Lauren Cifoni

Paul Droesch

William Griffin

Janis Barksdale

Harrod Emmanuel Clay Jr.

John Dulik

Samuel Gross

Senator Camera Bartolotta

Kim Clayborn

Felicia Dusha

John D. Grove

Troy and Debbie Beam

Charles Clopton

John Early

Robert Gutowski

Margaret Beauchesne

Carolyn Cohen

Medora Ebersole

Melissa Hacker

Gean Bechthold

Sara Jane Elk

Marie Hamilton

Will Bein

Collaborative Social Work of Central PA, Inc.

Janice Etchison

Virginia Hammond

Peter Benekos

Benn Colker

Gordon Everett

John Hargreaves

Joseph Betz

Keith Collins

Quinn Everts

Shannon Harrington

Jean Bickmire

William Coneghen

Dan Falco

Carrie Harrington

Ashley Biden

Michael Cooke

Patricia Fee

Cohen Harris

Barbara Billings

Martha Copithorne

Sylvia Feldman

Peggy Hartzell

Laura Birdsall

Kimberly Cornell

Michael Fenwick

Gabrielle Havard

Jennifer Black

Douglas and Laurel Costa

Stephen Fetter

Joseph Hicks

Robert Blair

Mark and Jena Croxford

Nan Feyler

Jennifer Hill

Nancy Blood

Robert Csandl

Shanel Fields

Miriam Hill

Stephen Bloom

Francis Cullen

Johannah Fine

Rebecca Hillyer

David Bloom

Marion Damick

Theodore Fitzgerald

Adolph Hoehling

Michael Blume

Kurt Danysh

Jenna Flohr

Jack Hoffer

Marilyn Bobrin

Nicholas Darecca

Sandra Folzer

Dianna Hollis

Sharron Boddy-Adedipe

David Davis

James Foran

Everlena Holmes

Rachel Bomysoad

Harry Davis

Leanna Foster

Pamela Hooks

Jason Boulette

Herman Davis

Mark Frailey

Andrew Horowitz

James Branz

Lavinia Davis

Erica Freeman

Sylvia Horst

Eugene Breisch

Amanda Day

Ernest Fuller

Hanna Howe

Bradley Bridge

Kristi Deckman

Cheryl Fulwiley

Renee Hughes

Alison Bristol

Michele Deitch

Richard Gabel

Cassandra Hulin

Gloria Brown

Gerald Delbridge

Nicole Gallagher

SCI Huntingdon IGWF

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Illumination Ministries

Silas Lee

Pamela Moore

Angela Putman

Indiana District United Women in Faith

John Leete

Edward Moss

Nancy Ramani

Diane Leos

Deena Moss

Grace Marie Ransom

Thomas Innes

Samantha Lew

Amanda Mouser

Matt Ray

Eric Janec

Alan Lewandowski

Andrew Mow

Jessica Raymond

Dena Jangdhari

Heather Lewis

David Moyer

Joan Reese

Robert L. Jennings

Alison Lewis

Jennifer Murphy

Kathleen Rhodes

Theresa Johnson

Timothy Liveright

Laurence Mutti

David Richman

Roderick Johnson

William Lockard

Andre Myers

Leonard Rieser

Sandra Johnson

Kimberly Lolk

Jack Nagel

Martina Risech

Ruth Johnston

Gina Lombardi

Nadia Narnor

Linda Riter

Myron Jones

Eric Long

Brianna Nelson

Theodore Robb

Reuben Jones

Addy Lord

James Nevels

Carlos Rodriguez

Laurie Jubelirer Langman

Angus Love

Larry Newberry

Susan Roncoroni

Kathleen Judge

Geraldine lowe

Yvonne Newkirk

Anita Rosenblithe

Ann Marie Judson

Bonnie Lyn Heist

Michelle Nguyen

Justice & Mercy

Naomi Maas

June Nyblade

Daniel and Barbara Rottenberg

Filip Kapular

Scott MacQueen

Linda Oberholtzer

John Rush

Jordan Kauffman

GiGi Malinchak

Holly O’Connor

Gloria Ruszkiewicz Brown

Harriet Kaylor

Joseph Manzi

Oppenheimer Foundation

Stephen Sands

James Kaylor Sr.

Harriet Marritz

Carroll Osgood

Teresa Sarmina

Linda Kegerreis

Linda Martin

Timothy Overton

Marianne Sawicki

Kerby Keller

Constance Martin

Owen Owens

Meredith Schamun

David Kellom

Ben Mattison

Kimberly Oxholm

Nicholas Scharff M.D.

Edward Kelly

Sheila Mayne

Harry Oxman

Phoebe Schellenberg

Andrea Kennedy

Gloria Mazzocco

Sara Pantazes

Paul and June Schlueter

John Kenstowicz

Liam McAlpine

Kerri Park

Marilyn Schneider

Rafa Khan

James McCain

Abdullah Pasha

Alexandria Schuster

Valerie Kiebala

Carole McCallum

Theodore Passon

JoAnn Seaver

John Killeen

Michael McCaney

Christine Paul

Elaine Selan

James Kimmel

Robbin McCarthy

Kim Paymaster

Laura Shaffer

Ashley King

Damon McCool

Lindsey Peniston

Glenn Shaffer

Rep. Emily Kinkead

Megan McDaniel

Joanne Perri

Claire Shubik-Richards

Dr. Knesset Klein

John McGuire

Lauren Perry

Joyce M. Shutt

Heidi Klopp

Mary Jane McKenna

Joan Peters

Jane Siegel

John Knapich

Andrew McKinnon

Walter Peterson

Joseph Silverman

Susan Knox

Katherine McLean

Peggy Petrillo

Jon Singer

Eva Korolishin

Mary McNichol

Shirley Pfadt

Katherine Skebeck

Vicki Kramer

Lisa Meade

Charles Picarella

Christine Small

Annette Krusewicz

Ellen Melchiondo

Katherine Pickering

Ken Smeltzer

Darlene Kvaternik

Alida Merlo Ashley

Joseph Piette

James O. Smith

Leslie Laing

James Midkiff

Margaret Platt

Judy Smith Young

William Lamberson

Annemarie Millar

Simeon Poles

Sarah Snider

Janet and Joseph Landis

Leeann Mills

Stephen and Tara Popernik

Mary Sollenberger

Janet Landon

Matthew Mitchell

Joan Porter

Leonard Sosnov

Donna Lane

Rebecca Mitchell

Ingrid Prater

Dorothy Speight

John Langel Sr.

Nancy Spooner

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Kim Paymaster

Gerald C. Weaber

Recurring gifts are such an important part of keeping our mission afloat. We extend our appreciation to the following recurring donors:

Maria Weick

Lolo Serrano

William Stewart

Robert Blair

Joanne Weidman

Jason Boulette

Brenda Sharpe

Darlene Stewart

Gudrun Weinberg

Carol Bush

Denise Sobers

Richard Stokes

Cathy Weiss

Stephen Stept

Stephen Strahs

Peter Cardinal

Ronni Weiss

Meah Carruth

Matthew Stroud

Charles Strickler Jr.

Joan and Dane Wells

Sharon Cary

Brian Taussig-Lux

Andrea Striepen

Michael West

Chris Cera

Victoria Vesey

Patricia Stringer

Lois Whitman

Pablo Cerdera

B. August Walker

Matthew Stroud

John Will

Stefanie Christmas

Janet Walker

Catherine Struve

Merrily Williams

Shaheed Coleman

Gina Wise

Dorothy Stubbs

Martha Williams

James Wise

Phyllis Subin

Benn Colker

Linda Williams

Michael Cooke

Philip Yevics

William Sudell

Seth Williams

Keith Sultzbaugh

Kristi Deckman

Cliff Willson

Paul Swanger

Julia DellaPorta

Troy Wilson

Patricia Swesey

Yvonne Dodson

Sarah Winch

Richard Swiat

Sue Dolan

Elizabeth Wingfield

John Swisher

Michael Dombkoski

Tabitha Winklebleck

Brian Taussig-Lux

Daniel Doyle

Catherine Wise

The Benevity Community Impact Fund

Phyllis Taylor

John Early

James Wise

America’s Charities

Robert Thomas

Sara Jane Elk

Network for Good

Patricia Thomas

Stephen and Dana Wiser

Janice Etchison

National Philanthropic Trust

Linda Thomas

Andrea Witmer

Quinn Everts

Langman Family Fund

David Thornburgh

David Wolf

Donna Fernsler

Henry Thurston-Griswold

Jelena Woodham

Gregory and Kathryn Dober Charitable Fund

John Tischler

Howard Woodring

Paul Titterton

JoAnn Wyjadka

Margaret Toland

Su Ming Yeh

Stefanie Tomlinson

Philip Yevics

Claudia Tramer

David Young

Lydia Trapp

Elizabeth Yount

E. Lee Trayer

Anthony Zalesky

Victoria Trott

Thomas Zeager

Magdalena Tsiongas

Helen Zeager

Michael and Frances Rose Utkus

Roger Zepernick

Nicole Spring

B. August Walker

St. Peters Evan. Lutheran Church

Marilyn Walsh

David Stadler

Jennifer Watts

Ashley Stauber Stephen Stept

Neil Ward

Derek Zimmerman

Efigenia Vazquez

Judi and George Zucker

Victoria Vesey

Chris Zweifel

Theodore Fitzgerald Dwight Frizen Nicole Gallagher Dmitra Gideon Sylvia Horst

Shymita Pitts Marianne Sawicki Meredith Schamun

The Pennsylvania Prison Society would like to thank the following Donor Advised Funds:

Fidelity Charitable DonorAdvised Fund American Online Giving Foundation, Inc.

Hanna Howe

American Endowment Foundation

Eric Janec

OLHL Fund

James Kaylor Sr.

Schwab Charitable

Rafa Khan

The Hilda Mullen Donor Advised Fund

Dawn Marie Kidney Tonya Krebs William Lamberson Eric Long Addy Lord

James Wade

Liam McAlpine

Robert Walden

Matthew Mitchell Nadia Narnor Michelle Nguyen Kerri Park

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Jennifer Perry

Hohenwarter and Groves Family Fund The Blackbaud Giving Fund Every effort has been made to ensure an accurate and up-to-date recognition list of our donors. Please contact our development team to report any errors or omissions. Thank you!

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Focus on Foundation Support Center for Science in the Public Interest In spring 2020, the PA DOC closed dining halls and began serving food to incarcerated people in their cells on trays as a COVID mitigation measure. The Prison Society immediately began seeing an increase in letters from incarcerated people complaining about food. We were therefore surprised when, in early 2021, then-Corrections Secretary Wetzel announced that the dining hall closure would be permanent.

Thanks to 18 months of funding by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the Prison Society set out to understand this change’s impact. The project’s goal is to provide the DOC with information to improve food service operations that bolsters the health and wellness of the incarcerated population in the department’s care and custody.

Bloomberg Philanthropies is a national foundation committed to improving public health. CSPI is a national, science-based advocacy organization working to improve the U.S. food system to support healthy eating. With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, CSPI is supporting projects around the country to improve food service in government institutions, including schools and prisons. We are grateful to them for their support.

We offer tremendous thanks to all the funders that helped further our critical work: Arnold Ventures

Howard Family Gift Fund

Pennsylvania State Senate

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Independence Foundation

van Ameringen Foundation

Independence Media Foundation

Vera Institute

Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation Heinz Endowments

Lenfest Journalism Foundation

Henrietta Tower-Wurts Memorial Foundation

MKM Foundation

Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation

Pittsburgh Foundation

Philadelphia Foundation

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INTERNS

Lauren Cifoni

Carrie Harrington

Angus Love

Rachel Danielewicz

Harrod Emmanuel Clay Jr.

Cohen Harris

Geraldine Lowe

Natalie Demasi

Kim Clayborn

Basym Hasan

Kathleen Lucas

Connor Demchick

Charles Clopton

Joseph Hicks

Bonnie Lyn Heist

Ezra Groff

Tyesha Colbert

Jennifer Hill

Naomi Maas

Ben Marshall

Lori Collins

Miriam Hill

GiGi Malinchak

Anastasia Pierdomenico

Martha Copithorne

Geoff Hilsabeck

Stacey Mandel

Rebecca Pohle

Desiree Cunningham

Adolph Hoehling

Joseph Manzi

Mallory Skinner

Marion Damick

Jack Hoffer

Harriet Marritz

Nicholas Sondergaard

Kurt Danysh

Dianna Hollis

Constance Martin

Sharvari Tatahjar

Nicholas Darecca

Pamela Hooks

Linda Martin

Cassidy Tilley

Lavinia Davis

Sylvia Horst

John Maule

Dean Wiley

Harry Davis

Janet Irons

Taria Mayo-Giddings

Koren Woznicki

Amanda Day

William Jackson

James McCain

Dion Deans

Dena Jangdhari

Carole McCallum

Joyce Degenhart

Angela Jimenez

Damon McCool

Chloe DePaola

Sandra Johnson

Megan McDaniel

Abigail Diebold

Theresa Johnson

John McGuire

Richard Dietrich

Roderick Johnson

Andrew McKinnon

Esther Dieudonne

Kathleen Judge

Katherine McLean

Gregory Dober

Filip Kapular

Lisa Meade

Henry Domer

Jordan Kauffman

Ellen Melchiondo

Saudia Durrant

Harriet Kaylor

Annemarie Millar

Felicia Dusha

James Kaylor Sr.

David Miller

Medora Ebersole

Linda Kegerreis

Cynthia Miller

Janice Etchison

Valerie Kiebala

Vickie Mills

Gordon Everett

John Killeen

Rebecca Mitchell

Daniel Falco

Ashley King

Pamela Moore

Sylvia Feldman

Knesset Klein

Amanda Mouser

Michael Fenwick

John Knapich

Andrew Mow

Theodore Fitzgerald

Susan Knox

David Moyer

James Foran

Eva Korolishin

Jennifer Murphy

Mark Frailey

Nathan Kruis

Laurence Mutti

Ernest Fuller

Annette Krusewicz

Nadia Narnor

Cheryl Fulwiley

Darlene Kvaternik

Brianna Nelson

Richard Gabel

Leslie Laing

Larry Newberry

Richard Garland

William Lamberson

Yvonne Newkirk

Mary Gergen

Donna Lane

Holly O’Connor-Hricko

Mary Grace Gerrity

John Langel Sr.

Carroll Osgood

Dmitra Gideon

Richard Latker

Timothy Overton

Edmundo Grab

Judith Lavia Jones

Elizabeth Parsons

Elena Grab

Silas Lee

Abdullah Pasha

Clara Graham

John Leete

Theodore Passon

Charles Grasty

Samantha Lew

Christine Paul

Donald Groff

Alan Lewandowski

Joanne Perri

John D. Grove

Heather Lewis

Joan Peters

Alan Gutwein-Guenther

Carolyn Lidston

Shirley Pfadt

Debra Hager

Timothy Liveright

Charles Picarella

Patricia Haight

William Lockard

Joseph Piette

Marie Hamilton

Kimberly Lolk

Margaret Platt

VOLUNTEERS Crystal Adams Fareed Ahmed Ricardo Alvarez Jay Aronson Steve Austin William Babcock YahNé Baker Flavia Barger Janis Barksdale Noah Barth Troy and Debbie Beam Margaret Beauchesne Will Bein Joseph Betz Jean Bickmire Laura Birdsall Jennifer Black Robert Blair Stephen Bloom David Bloom Rachel Bomysoad Eugene Breisch Shawnfatee Bridges Michael Brown Destiny Brown Esteem Brumfield Cornell Brunson Lauren Campbell Allen Carr Paulette Carrington Mazzie Casher Kristina Church Robert Cicchinelli

18

I M PA C T R E P O RT 2 0 2 2-2 0 2 3

Charity Hughes, Senior Vice President, Talent Management, Sellers Dorsey

Joan Porter

Martha Williams

Donald Rathmann

Sarah Winch

Kathleen Rhodes

Elizabeth Wingfield

John Rose

Tabitha Winklebleck

April Rountree

Catherine Wise

John Rush

Stephen and Dana Wiser

Stephen Sands

Dana Wiser

Marianne Sawicki

Andrea Witmer

Phoebe Schellenberg

David Wolf

Alexandria Schuster

Howard Woodring

Ernest Scott Jr.

Kathy Yeatter

Elaine Selan

Philip Yevics

Laura Shaffer

David Young

Glenn Shaffer

Adrienne Young

Jon Singer

Thomas Zeager

Christine Small

Helen Zeager

Ken Smeltzer

Harold Zeager

Judy Smith Young

Roger Zepernick

COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL

Dorothy Speight

Derek Zimmerman

Jose Luis Alamo

Nancy Spooner

Chris Zweifel

Felicia Dusha

Lauren Strausser Charles Strickler, Jr. Andrea Striepen

James Nevels, Founder and Managing Partner of Unicorn Partners, LLC Simone Quinerly, CEO, Quinerly Financial Group LLC Matthew Ray, Chief Creative Officer, Chatterblast Fatima Sultan, Culture & Engagement Lead, Vanguard David Thornburgh, Chair, Ballot PA (project of the Committee of Seventy) Su Ming Yeh, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project

Richard Garland

Ashley Stauber Richard Stokes

Representative Emily Kinked, State Representative, 20th Legislative District (Allegheny County)

BOARD PRESIDENT Simeon Poles, Associate, DLA Piper LLP

Virgina Hammond Sandra Johnson Terri Minor Spencer Lisa Kessler-Peters

Patricia Stringer

VICE PRESIDENT

Adrian Perry

Matthew Stroud

Honorable Renée Cardwell Hughes, Retired Trial Judge, Court of Common Pleas

Pamela Superville

Joseph Sudano Keith Sultzbaugh Paul Swanger Richard Swiat John Swisher Phyllis Taylor Patricia Thomas Linda Thomas Henry Thurston-Griswold Lydia Trapp Magdalena Tsiongas Samantha Urbanick Michael Vail Sintora Vanderhorst Efigenia Vazquez Jenna Vella Beaufils Vladimir Neil Ward Maria Weick Ronni Weiss Michael West Kathryn Whiteley John Will

TREASURER Seth Williams, Senior Managing Consultant, Public Financial Management S E C R E TA R Y Steve Chanenson, Professor, Villanova Law School Senator Camera Bartolotta, State Senator, 46th Senatorial District (Beaver, Green, and Washington Counties) Dana Becker, Partner, Morgan Lewis Ashley Biden, MSW, Executive Director of the Women’s Wellness SPA(ce) Bradley Bridge, Retired Assistant Defender, Defender Association of Philadelphia.

Stefanie Christmas, Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Inizio David Davis, Managing Director, Consulting Lead for PA and Talent & Organization Lead for North America’s Public Sector, Accenture

JoAnn Wyjadka

“For over two centuries, the Pennsylvania Prison Society has upheld the belief that health, safety, and dignity are human rights, not privileges reserved to those outside a prison’s walls. It has also long understood what I learned firsthand as a child: prison impacts the whole family, not just the person behind bars. So I’m honored and grateful to serve this organization and it’s constituents.”

—SIMEON POLES, BOARD PRESIDENT

19

Staff

Claire Shubik-Richards

Anton Andrew

Noah Barth

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY FELLOW

PRISON MONITORING DIRECTOR

Emily Cheramie-Walz

Kirstin Cornnell

John Hargreaves

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

VOLUNTEER DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR

Matthew Githens

Anaïs Hussian

Rebecca Johnson

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

PRISON MONITORING MANAGER

PRISON MONITORING MANAGER

MANAGER

( WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA)

(EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA)

Andy Peifer

Joseph Robinson

Kailyn Schneider

Lisa Garcia

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY

MENTORING ASSOCIATE

ADMINISTRATIVE

ADMINISTRATIVE AND

AND FAMILY SUPPORT

PRISON MONITORING

ASSOCIATE

ASSOCIATE

SUPPORTS MANAGER

CONSULTANT SUPPORT:

Jena Croxford, Sidney Evans, Aidan King, Joel Wolfram

20

W H AT’ S AHEAD S AV E T H E D AT E !

Every action counts and we’re counting on you.

TOGETHER WE CAN DO SO MUCH MORE.

Love Above Bars 2024 P H I L A D E L P H I A , PA

We are delighted to announce Love Above Bars will return to World Cafe Live next year! Mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 25, 2024 for another evening of transformative impact and camaraderie.

D O N A T E and take a stand for human

rights and just criminal laws. Your contribution helps us tell the truth boldly, hold power to account, and care for our fellow citizens.

V O L U N T E E R and join our work

inside and outside of prisons. We offer a range of opportunities to fit your interests and availability.

P A R T N E R with us. Join our team of

corporate partners to make an impact that is mutually beneficial to your company and the Prison Society.

L I K E us on Facebook and Linkedin

2021 ANNUAL REPORT

and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ prisonsociety to stay up to date with our latest news, photos, and videos.

S U B S C R I B E to our weekly

Supporter Updates with timely original reporting on the week’s hottest issues.

F O R M O R E W AY S T O G E T I N V O LV E D , E M A I L U S AT C O N N E C T @ P R I S O N S O C I E T Y. O R G O R C A L L U S AT 2 1 5 - 5 6 4 - 4 7 7 5 .

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/PrisonSociety