Please download, print and mail a story of hope to someone who is incarcerated. These powerful stories are told only by those who have been incarcerated themselves. Each transcript will need two stamps to send by the USPS.
Link to Transcripts of Glenn E. Martin, Jeffrey Abramowitz, David Garlock, Dirk Van Velzen & Brandon J. Flood Interviews. Please download and send to a loved one in prison: https://reentryusa.com/?page_id=214.
Please download, print and mail a story of hope to someone who is incarcerated. These powerful stories are told only by those who have been incarcerated themselves. Each transcript will need two stamps to send by the USPS.
On Fri., Aug. 16th, 10:30 am, Jeff talked white collar crime and opioid addiction with Lisa Wexler on her show at its new home at WICC AM 600 and HD2 107.9FM. Call In (203) 333-9422.
Rev. Jeff Grant, J.D., M.Div. is an ordained minister with over three decades of experience in crisis management, business, law, reentry, recovery (clean & sober 16+ years), and executive & religious leadership. Sometimes referred to in the press as “The Minister to Hedge Funders,” he uses his experience and background to guide people faithfully forward in their lives, relationships, careers and business opportunities, and to help them to stop making the kinds of decisions that previously resulted in loss, suffering and shame.
After an addiction to prescription opioids and serving almost fourteen months in a Federal prison for a white-collar crime he committed when he was a lawyer, Jeff started his own reentry – earning a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York with a focus in Christian Social Ethics. He is Co-Founder of Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc., the world’s first ministry created to support individuals, families and groups with white collar and other nonviolent incarceration issues, and is the first person in the United States formerly incarcerated for a white collar crime to be appointed as CEO of a major criminal justice organization. More information: prisonist.org.
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The Lisa Wexler Show is a talk radio show focused on the day’s events, as well as cultural trends, scientific breakthroughs, lifestyle choices and social and political happenings. The show features host monologues, guests and call-ins from listeners.
The Lisa Wexler Show has aired for over 11 consecutive years in Fairfield and Westchester Counties of the metro NY region. Notable guests have included Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, Larry King, Alan Alda, Governors Rell, Malloy, Huckabee, Kasich, many Presidential candidates, scientists, physicians, writers, chefs, celebrities and trendsetters. Lisa’s sister, former RHONY Jill Zarin, is a frequent guest on the show. The Lisa Wexler Show broadcasts on the radio in the Westchester and Fairfield County regions as well as via internet streaming.
On Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, 9 am ET, Michael Kimelman, a former hedge fund founder and manager who was convicted and incarcerated for a white collar crime (who is a member of our online White Collar Support Group), was our guest on Criminal Justice Insider with Babz Rawls Ivy & Jeff Grant – The Voice of CT Criminal Justice. Live on WNHH 103.5 FM New Haven, rebroadcast at 5 pm. Live-streamed and podcast everywhere, see below. Sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven – Now More Than Ever.
Michael Kimelman is an expert on disruptive innovation and personal disruption; he uses the lessons of his own life to offer inspiration and insight to others — from formerly incarcerated youth to global CEOs — on overcoming personal and professional challenges. His mission is to empower people with the skills and mindset to become resilient and prosper in the face of adversity. Michael was a lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell and then founded Incremental Capital, a New York-based hedge fund. He is currently the head of Blockchain Strategic Development at Loop Media, Inc., and is the co-Founder of Crypto.IQ, a strategic advisory and media firm with a focus on digital assets. Michael’s website: https://mikekimelman.com
The Criminal Justice Insider Podcast with Babz Rawls Ivy and Jeff Grant is broadcast live at 9 am ET on the first and third Friday of each month Sept. through June, from the WNHH 103.5 FM studios in New Haven. It is rebroadcast on WNHH at 5 pm ET the same day. Podcast and Archive available all the time, everywhere.
Fri., Sept. 6, 2019: Khalil Cumberbatch, Chief Strategist at New Yorkers United for Justice Fri., Sept. 20, 2019: Aaron T. Kinzel, Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Fri., Oct. 4, 2019: Charlie Grady, Outreach Specialist for the FBI CT Community Outreach Program Fri., Oct. 18, 2019: Michael Kimelman, Former Hedge Founder and Manager who was Convicted and Incarcerated for a White Collar Crime Fri., Nov. 1, 2019: Corey Brinson, Former Attorney Convicted for a White Collar Crime who is running for Hartford City Council Fri., Nov. 15, 2019: Cathryn Lavery, Ph.D., Professor of Criminal Justice at Iona College, New Rochelle, NY
Season Two Guests:
Fri., Sept. 9, 2018: Kennard Ray, CT Unlock the Vote and Candidate for CT State Legislator Fri., Sept. 21, 2018: Louis L. Reed, National Organizer for #Cut50 Fri., Oct. 5, 2018: Sue Gunderman & Beth Hines, CT Reentry Roundtables Fri., Oct. 19, 2018: Venice Michalsen, Assoc. Professor of Justice Studies, Montclair State University Fri., Nov. 16, 2018: Andrew Clark, Director of the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, Central Connecticut State University Fri., Dec. 7, 2018: Glenn E. Martin, Founder/Consultant of GEM Trainers and Past-President and Founder of JustLeadershipUSA Fri., Dec. 21, 2018: Fernando Muniz, CEO of Community Solutions, Inc., and community leader Rosa Correa. Fri., Jan. 4, 2019: New Years Retrospective Show Looking Back at Past CJI Guests. Fri. Jan. 18, 2019: Peter Henning, Law Prof. at Wayne State University and “White Collar Watch” columnist for the NY Times. Fri., Feb. 1, 2019: Jeffrey Deskovic, CEO of The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation who was Exonerated after Serving 16 Years in Prison Fri., Feb. 15, 2019: Jeffrey Abramowitz, Executive Director for Reentry Services, JEVS Human Services, Philadelphia. Fri., Mar. 1, 2019, Rollin Cook, CT Commissioner of Correction Fri., Mar. 15, 2019: Dieter Tejada, Justice Impacted Criminal Justice Advocate Fri., Apr. 5, 2019: John Rowland, Former CT Governor Fri., Apr. 19, 2019: Gregg D. Caruso, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Corning & Co-Director of the Justice Without Retribution Network at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland Fri., May 3, 2019: Michael Taylor, CEO of Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center in the Greater New Haven area Fri., May 17, 2019: Tarra Simmons, Esq., Attorney & Criminal Justice Reform Advocate, Washington State Fri., June 7, 2019: Louis L. Reed, National Organizer for #Cut50, Part Deux! Fri., June 21, 2019: Marcus Bullock, CEO of Flikshop
Sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven – Now More Than Ever.
On Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, 9 am ET, Charlie Grady, Outreach Specialist for the FBI CT Community Outreach Program, was be our guest on Criminal Justice Insider with Babz Rawls Ivy & Jeff Grant – The Voice of CT Criminal Justice. Live on WNHH 103.5 FM New Haven, rebroadcast at 5 pm. Live-streamed and podcast everywhere, see below. Sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven – Now More Than Ever.
Listen on SoundCloud:
Watch on YouTube:
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The Criminal Justice Insider Podcast with Babz Rawls Ivy and Jeff Grant is broadcast live at 9 am ET on the first and third Friday of each month Sept. through June, from the WNHH 103.5 FM studios in New Haven. It is rebroadcast on WNHH at 5 pm ET the same day. Podcast and Archive available all the time, everywhere.
Fri., Sept. 6, 2019: Khalil Cumberbatch, Chief Strategist at New Yorkers United for Justice Fri., Sept. 20, 2019: Aaron T. Kinzel, Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Fri., Oct. 4, 2019: Charlie Grady, Outreach Specialist for the FBI CT Community Outreach Program Fri., Oct. 18, 2019: Michael Kimelman, Former Hedge Funder and Author of Confessions of a Wall Street Insider: A Cautionary Tale of Rats, Feds, and Banksters Fri., Nov. 1, 2019: Corey Brinson, Former Attorney Convicted for a White Collar Crime who is running for Hartford City Council
Fri., Nov. 15, 2019: Cathryn Lavery, Ph.D., Asst. Chair & Graduate Coordinator for the Iona College Criminal Justice Department
Fri., Dec. 6, 2019: “Free Prison Phone Calls” Show, Guests to be Announced.
Fri. Dec. 20, 2019: John Hamilton, CEO, Liberation Programs
Fri., Jan. 17, 2020: Serena Ligouri, Executive Director, New Hour for Women & Children – L.I.
Feb. 7, 2020: David Garlock, Program Director, New Person Ministries, Lancaster, PA
Fri., Mar. 20, 2020: Tiheba Bain
Season Two Guests:
Fri., Sept. 9, 2018: Kennard Ray, CT Unlock the Vote and Candidate for CT State Legislator Fri., Sept. 21, 2018: Louis L. Reed, National Organizer for #Cut50 Fri., Oct. 5, 2018: Sue Gunderman & Beth Hines, CT Reentry Roundtables Fri., Oct. 19, 2018: Venice Michalsen, Assoc. Professor of Justice Studies, Montclair State University Fri., Nov. 16, 2018: Andrew Clark, Director of the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, Central Connecticut State University Fri., Dec. 7, 2018: Glenn E. Martin, Founder/Consultant of GEM Trainers and Past-President and Founder of JustLeadershipUSA Fri., Dec. 21, 2018: Fernando Muniz, CEO of Community Solutions, Inc., and community leader Rosa Correa. Fri., Jan. 4, 2019: New Years Retrospective Show Looking Back at Past CJI Guests. Fri. Jan. 18, 2019: Peter Henning, Law Prof. at Wayne State University and “White Collar Watch” columnist for the NY Times. Fri., Feb. 1, 2019: Jeffrey Deskovic, CEO of The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation who was Exonerated after Serving 16 Years in Prison Fri., Feb. 15, 2019: Jeffrey Abramowitz, Executive Director for Reentry Services, JEVS Human Services, Philadelphia. Fri., Mar. 1, 2019, Rollin Cook, CT Commissioner of Correction Fri., Mar. 15, 2019: Dieter Tejada, Justice Impacted Criminal Justice Advocate Fri., Apr. 5, 2019: John Rowland, Former CT Governor Fri., Apr. 19, 2019: Gregg D. Caruso, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Corning & Co-Director of the Justice Without Retribution Network at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland Fri., May 3, 2019: Michael Taylor, CEO of Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center in the Greater New Haven area Fri., May 17, 2019: Tarra Simmons, Esq., Attorney & Criminal Justice Reform Advocate, Washington State Fri., June 7, 2019: Louis L. Reed, National Organizer for #Cut50, Part Deux! Fri., June 21, 2019: Marcus Bullock, CEO of Flikshop
Sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven – Now More Than Ever.
On Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, 9 am ET, Corey Brinson, a former attorney convicted for a white collar crime who is now a prison and pardons consultant running for Hartford City Council (and a member of our online White Collar/Nonviolent Support Group), was our guest on Criminal Justice Insider with Babz Rawls Ivy & Jeff Grant – The Voice of CT Criminal Justice. Live on WNHH 103.5 FM New Haven, rebroadcast at 5 pm. Live-streamed and podcast everywhere, see below. Sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven – Now More Than Ever.
Corey Brinson is the founder and chief executive officer of the Second Chance Firm, LLC. Mr. Brinson works closely with professionals who are the subject of federal prosecution and are expected to surrender to the Federal Bureau of Prisons for a period of incarceration. Mr. Brinson also works with people with criminal records who are seeking a pardon in the State of Connecticut or with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney. Mr. Brinson is also a registered and active lobbyist in Connecticut and advocates for broad, sweeping criminal justice reform.
Mr. Brinson brings his unique experiences in the criminal justice system to his prison consulting, pardon, and lobbying work. He has experienced the entire criminal justice system. Specifically, he has tried a murder case to verdict, obtained not guilty verdicts in felony cases, represented white-collar defendants in state and federal criminal court, and has argued for criminal defendants at sentencing hearings in federal court. Additionally, he has obtained and advocated for pardons for clients before the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles.
In 2017, Mr. Brinson was convicted in federal court of a white-collar crime related to unlawful banking transactions concerning a client’s multimillion-dollar securities scheme. He served 16 months in a federal prison camp and a halfway house. Mr. Brinson is also a 2018 graduate of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Residential Drug Abuse Program, which provides inmates with significantly reduced sentences and improved life skills.
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The Criminal Justice Insider Podcast with Babz Rawls Ivy and Jeff Grant is broadcast live at 9 am ET on the first and third Friday of each month Sept. through June, from the WNHH 103.5 FM studios in New Haven. It is rebroadcast on WNHH at 5 pm ET the same day. Podcast and Archive available all the time, everywhere.
Our Facebook Page (best place for information, news, articles, events):
Community Foundation of Greater New Haven website: https://www.cfgnh.org/LeadingOnIssues/IncarcerationandReentry/CriminalJusticeInsiderRadioArchives.aspx
An article about each show is published a few days later in the New Haven Independent (newhavenindependent.org).
Fri., Sept. 6, 2019: Khalil Cumberbatch, Chief Strategist at New Yorkers United for Justice
Fri., Sept. 20, 2019: Aaron T. Kinzel, Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Michigan-Dearborn
Fri., Oct. 4, 2019: Charlie Grady, Outreach Specialist for the FBI CT Community Outreach Program
Fri., Oct. 18, 2019: Michael Kimelman, Former Hedge Funder and Author of Confessions of a Wall Street Insider: A Cautionary Tale of Rats, Feds, and Banksters
Fri., Nov. 1, 2019: Corey Brinson, Former Attorney Convicted for a White Collar Crime who is running for Hartford City Council
Season Two Guests:
Fri., Sept. 9, 2018: Kennard Ray, CT Unlock the Vote and Candidate for CT State Legislator
Fri., Sept. 21, 2018: Louis L. Reed, National Organizer for #Cut50
Fri., Apr. 5, 2019: John Rowland, Former CT Governor
Fri., Apr. 19, 2019: Gregg D. Caruso, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Corning & Co-Director of the Justice Without Retribution Network at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland
Fri., May 3, 2019: Michael Taylor, CEO of Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center in the Greater New Haven area
Fri., May 17, 2019: Tarra Simmons, Esq., Attorney & Criminal Justice Reform Advocate, Washington State
Fri., June 7, 2019: Louis L. Reed, National Organizer for #Cut50, Part Deux!
Fri., June 21, 2019: Marcus Bullock, CEO of Flikshop
Sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven – Now More Than Ever.
Jeff talks criminal justice reform, white collar ministry, overcoming opioid addiction and devotion to service with Toni Quest and Peter Elvidge on the Seeing Beneath the Surface Podcast, Episode 60.
From Defy & Hustle: OPIOID ADDICTION, FRAUD, PRISON & now MINISTRY
Radio/Podcast: Hear the transformational story of Reverend Jeff Grant on Defy & Hustle Radio with Noreen Ehrlich and Kelly Trepanier on WGCH.com or WGCH 1490AM Greenwich in which we discussed ethics, white collar crime, money, morality and learn how Progressive Prison Ministries helps individuals, families and organizations start their lives over after white collar and nonviolent incarceration issues.
He’s been through the darkness and now he helps others regain health and love.
Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, 9 am ET, Aaron T. Kinzel, Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, was our guest on Criminal Justice Insider with Babz Rawls Ivy & Jeff Grant – The Voice of CT Criminal Justice. Live on WNHH 103.5 FM New Haven, rebroadcast at 5 pm. Live-streamed and podcast everywhere, see below. Sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven – Now More Than Ever.
Aaron T. Kinzel is a Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. His teaching and research areas of expertise are education, corrections, and public policy. He is a consultant that has worked nationally on criminal justice reform, including contracts with the U.S. Department of Justice. Kinzel has visited dozens of correctional facilities throughout the United States/Europe and has worked with thousands of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals for over 20 years to help them become law-abiding and productive citizens . Kinzel’s passion for these issues arose from his own incarceration as a youth in which he spent nearly a decade in the carceral state, including several years in solitary confinement.
Listen on SoundCloud:
Watch on YouTube:
The Criminal Justice Insider Podcast with Babz Rawls Ivy and Jeff Grant is broadcast live at 9 am ET on the first and third Friday of each month Sept. through June, from the WNHH 103.5 FM studios in New Haven. It is rebroadcast on WNHH at 5 pm ET the same day. Podcast and Archive available all the time, everywhere.
Fri., Sept. 6, 2019: Khalil Cumberbatch, Chief Strategist at New Yorkers United for Justice Fri., Sept. 20, 2019: Aaron T. Kinzel, Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Fri., Oct. 4, 2019: Charlie Grady, Outreach Specialist for the FBI CT Community Outreach Program Fri., Oct. 18, 2019: Michael Kimelman, Former Hedge Funder and Author of Confessions of a Wall Street Insider: A Cautionary Tale of Rats, Feds, and Banksters
Season Two Guests:
Fri., Sept. 9, 2018: Kennard Ray, CT Unlock the Vote and Candidate for CT State Legislator Fri., Sept. 21, 2018: Louis L. Reed, National Organizer for #Cut50 Fri., Oct. 5, 2018: Sue Gunderman & Beth Hines, CT Reentry Roundtables Fri., Oct. 19, 2018: Venice Michalsen, Assoc. Professor of Justice Studies, Montclair State University Fri., Nov. 16, 2018: Andrew Clark, Director of the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, Central Connecticut State University Fri., Dec. 7, 2018: Glenn E. Martin, Founder/Consultant of GEM Trainers and Past-President and Founder of JustLeadershipUSA Fri., Dec. 21, 2018: Fernando Muniz, CEO of Community Solutions, Inc., and community leader Rosa Correa. Fri., Jan. 4, 2019: New Years Retrospective Show Looking Back at Past CJI Guests. Fri. Jan. 18, 2019: Peter Henning, Law Prof. at Wayne State University and “White Collar Watch” columnist for the NY Times. Fri., Feb. 1, 2019: Jeffrey Deskovic, CEO of The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation who was Exonerated after Serving 16 Years in Prison Fri., Feb. 15, 2019: Jeffrey Abramowitz, Executive Director for Reentry Services, JEVS Human Services, Philadelphia. Fri., Mar. 1, 2019, Rollin Cook, CT Commissioner of Correction Fri., Mar. 15, 2019: Dieter Tejada, Justice Impacted Criminal Justice Advocate Fri., Apr. 5, 2019: John Rowland, Former CT Governor Fri., Apr. 19, 2019: Gregg D. Caruso, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Corning & Co-Director of the Justice Without Retribution Network at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland Fri., May 3, 2019: Michael Taylor, CEO of Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center in the Greater New Haven area Fri., May 17, 2019: Tarra Simmons, Esq., Attorney & Criminal Justice Reform Advocate, Washington State Fri., June 7, 2019: Louis L. Reed, National Organizer for #Cut50, Part Deux! Fri., June 21, 2019: Marcus Bullock, CEO of Flikshop
Sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven – Now More Than Ever.
Tarra Simmons thought she was going to escape the fate of the family she was born into — a family where everyone had been incarcerated and everyone suffered from a substance abuse disorder.
And for a while she did.
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“I thought I was doing pretty well,” said Simmons, who is the executive director of Civil Survival, an advocacy organization for the formerly incarcerated. “I thought I had escaped the cards dealt to me, but I never dealt with the childhood trauma.”
Though she gave birth to her first child at 15, she managed to finish four years of high school in a single year, graduating at 16. She would be the first to graduate from high school and college and eventually became a registered nurse.
But after a series of abusive relationships, she fell into substance abuse. She eventually landed in prison at age 33 for multiple felonies where she served two years.
It was in prison that she met a group of law students who piqued her interest in becoming a lawyer.
On a recent episode of WNHH’s “Criminal Justice Insider,” Simmons shared the story of how she went on to graduate from the law school and eventually had to take her fight to be allowed to practice the law all the way to the Washington State Supreme Court.
“I think I had always kind of been called to fight for justice,” she said.
Prior to prison, Simmons said, she didn’t know any lawyers beyond the ones she came into contact with through the public defense system. That meeting with the law students was the first time she had the opportunity to ask about the legal profession and how she might become part of it.
After she served her time, she enrolled at the University of Seattle Law School where she graduated magna cum laude.
But when she wanted to sit for the bar exam last year the Washington State Bar Association decided to deny her application.
Though she managed to keep up her RN license, submitted to over a hundred random drug tests to prove her sobriety, graduated with honors, and was appointed to two boards by the governor, the state’s bar said she did not have the character necessary to practice law.
The Washington State Supreme Court saw things differently and reversed the Washington State Bar Association’s decision.
“Criminal Justice Insider” is sponsored by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
