A Curiae is a companion of JPEN in the work of Shared Humanity

I wear many hats and speak different professions in the work I do for my non-profit organization, A Curiae. We work at the intersection of criminal justice, public health, and a community organization. We strategically collaborate with people and organizations to help people who have been incarcerated and/or are reentering society. When I first met with the Jesuit Prison Education Network (JPEN), I was overwhelmed with the intelligence, passion, and dedication towards helping others through a Jesuit mission. I observed academics doing incredible research that looked at outcomes from a new perspective; learned about development of inside out programs that felt daunting and overwhelming to implement; there were people on the call who graciously offered their insight and motivation to do this crucial yet exhausting work. 

From the few conferences and regular meetings, it is evident how important our work is for communities, universities, and society about observing and accepting different perspectives. We work better together even with adversarial viewpoints as collaboration helps us shape better interventions. There is palpable energy from different perspectives. Take for example a panel that included a man incarcerated for over 30 years, participating in the conference, shaking the hand, and hugging a leader in the Department of Corrections to share his story. Moments that show acceptance and collaboration to this magnitude show the importance of different perspectives.

I rarely feel like I fit perfectly among my peers since the organization works across multiple systems. As I observed and provided input in our meetings, I felt my perspective being valued even though I wasn’t a traditional professor, researcher, or program director. However, I always felt welcome and connected. Each of the meetings with JPEN has meant an additional thread of connection around the country. I’m so proud to have been part of a group of people who are driven by passion, well researched through evidenced based interventions, and navigate different industries with great success. I learn from each of our cohort, and the monthly meetings are a genuine boost in energy and professional drive to do more work for A Curiae and develop programming and insight with the University of San Francisco.

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Would you like to donate to JPEN?

Visit the Jesuits of Central & Southern Province support page to learn more about how you can contribute.

To designate your gift to the Jesuit Prison Education Network, scroll down the webpage to "Donation information" to select a gift amount. Then scroll down to the "Designation" box, click on it, and select JPEN from the drop-down menu.