You might never have pictured yourself inside a prison. Neither did Judy Miller or Donna Duffey.

But every other Thursday morning, they drive out to SCI Phoenix, a state prison just outside Philadelphia. They go through security. Then they sit in a circle with men who have become, in Judy's words, family.

Right now, the men inside are asking for more of what Judy and Donna bring. C.*, a member of the program's Core Team, says JUST Listening is the "hottest program" at Phoenix . Everybody wants in. (*Out of respect for their privacy, we share only the first initial of anyone currently at SCI Phoenix.)

"I just felt it in my gut."

Judy and Donna were part of JUST Listening's first group of volunteer listeners. In 2013, they started listening to people in Kensington who were facing addiction, mental health challenges, and homelessness. Two years later, JUST Listening founder Sharon Browning asked who wanted to come with her to Graterford prison, which is now SCI Phoenix.

Donna knew right away. "I just felt it in my gut," she said. "Yes, I want to do that."

She walked in with an open mind and an open heart, with no guesses about what the men would be like. "JUST Listening taught me how to do that." she said. "How to not put a stamp on something before you even know what's going on."

The men noticed. They asked the volunteers what they expected to see. They talked about how people in prison are shown on TV and in the news. Then they showed Judy and Donna who they really are.

One way JUST Listening builds trust is through shared storytelling. Volunteers and men split into groups of two or three. They answer a prompt, like "Tell a story about your siblings." Some stories are deep and heavy. Some are just funny. Judy says C. tells stories about his sister that are hilarious.

And everyone shares, not just the men. "I am telling them stories about when I was growing up," Judy says. "It's just this mutuality that we have."

Change Happens When We All Listen Justly

Donna used to shut down when conversations got hard. "Now I lean in," she says.

She once served on a jury that was stuck. After three days, people were shouting across the table. Two women had turned their chairs around so they didn't have to look at anyone. It was Friday, and the deputy begged them to decide before the weekend. He brought in pizza. The room went silent. Donna was so tense she couldn't even take a bite.



Then she thought, "Wait a minute. I have these skills. I do them every two weeks!"

Donna asked everyone to go around the table and share a little about who they are. When it was her turn, she talked about listening with the men in prison. One of the women slowly turned her chair to listen. Then the other one turned too. "Aren't you scared?" one asked. Soon everyone was asking Donna questions, and the room grew calm.

The foreman asked everyone to get back to work and see what they could agree on. About an hour and a half later, they reached a decision. "It worked!" Donna says. "I just couldn't even believe it."

Judy has learned to catch herself before she jumps in with "that happened to me too." As she puts it, "It's not about you. It's about them."

When people tell Donna she does good work, she pushes back: "I say, no, they're helping me. I have never felt that kind of love."

You don’t need to be a great listener already. You just need to care about people and want to grow. If you want to build rich relationships and a chance to improve your listening skills, the men at SCI Phoenix would love to meet you. Like Judy and Donna, you may find that you change too.

The SCI Phoenix JUST Listening program started in 2013 because the men inside asked for it. Sharon Browning was invited to lead a listening training at the prison. Afterward, members of Lifers Inc., a group of men serving life sentences, told her: we need this here. Men like S. and H. worked with Sharon to build it into a lasting program. 

That is still how it works. Everything is built collaboratively. JUST Listening counts the men on the inside as volunteers too.

How it works today

• The Core Team: A group of incarcerated men and outside volunteers meets every other Thursday morning. They plan programs, practice skills, and listen to each other.
• Symposiums: Twice a year, the Core Team leads a full-day listening training for 100 to 200 men across the prison.
• Skills sessions: Men who finish a symposium can go deeper. D., a Core Team member, created an 8-week course to train other listeners. Two others, both writers, built a poetry workshop that teaches listening skills.

Why it matters inside

Prison is a hard and tense place. Many men carry trauma. Many have never had a safe place to reflect on their lives.

The men who learn to listen become a calm presence on their blocks. They help stop fights before they start. Many are lifers who mentor younger men who may one day go home. They want those younger men to have the tools to stay home. In addition, listening skills also improve communication with the SCI Phoenix guards and staff.

“The Core Team sees its purpose as breaking down the walls between us and them - between themselves and other residents, between those incarcerated and prison staff, and, of course, between those who are residents of SCI Phoenix and those who live outside the prison. In the words of one Core Team member, ‘We create little pockets of hope in a place where hope can feel hard to come by,'" shared Brenna McGinnis, JUST Listening co-director.

Here is something most people don't know. Volunteer programs, even if they are led by the men inside SCI Phoenix, can only meet when an outside volunteer is present. Core Team member D. built a whole 8-week listening course. But if no volunteer shows up, the class can't happen.

The men are asking for more. Many of our volunteers have been coming for over a decade, and we are so grateful for them. Now we need new people to join them and help carry this work forward.

You don't need special training to start. We will give it to you.

Judy's advice if you are not sure, "Just come and try it out and see. If it isn't for you, you'll know."

Donna agrees. "For the most part," she says, "you're hooked."

Two ways you can help

• Listen inside. Join the Core Team at SCI Phoenix. You will sit in the circle, help lead activities, and support programs like the symposiums. Just by showing up, you make it possible for the men to meet.
• Help from home. Can't go inside? You can still keep this program running. We need help keeping track of paperwork, typing up meeting notes, and sending emails.

What it takes to listen inside

• Time: Every other Thursday, 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. You do not have to come every time.
• Training: JUST Listening's four-part listening series.
• Support: A mentor meets with you after visits for your first few months, to help you process what you hear.
• Paperwork: Prison clearances and a TB test. We will walk you through it.



All you need is an open heart and a willingness to listen.

For 12 years, this program has been running with very limited resources. Every symposium, every folder, and every certificate the men earn is covered by our own funds.

That is where you come in. When your organization books a JUST Listening workshop, training, or retreat, you help keep this program alive. When you read, share, or forward this newsletter, you help the men's stories reach people outside the walls. Thank you.

What your support makes possible

• Reaches 100 to 200 men at each full-day symposium
• Supports a Core Team that meets every other week and creates its own courses to bring great calm for themselves and their neighbors
• Builds better relationships between the men and the staff and guards
• Helps longtime residents mentor younger men who may soon return home, stay home
• Brings together families, volunteers, and the men across lines of race, class, and neighborhood

What more could happen

Remember D.’s 8-week course? Right now, it can only run when a volunteer is free. With more support, that course and others like it could run all year, on both sides of the prison.



There is more to come. Prison staff want to learn to listen too. In 2027, the team hopes to offer listening training to staff, so everyone at the prison can benefit. The men would also like to bring the program to other prisons. And JUST Listening hopes to work more closely with other programs at Phoenix. Listening is a basic skill that can make every other program stronger. 

If you or your organization care about justice, healing, and safer communities, we would love to talk. Just reply to this email.

This is part one of a series.  Next month, the men of the Core Team will share what JUST Listening means to them.

You will also get an inside look at their November 2026 symposium, a full day when the Core Team teaches listening to men across the prison. 



Judy tells the men that she and the other volunteers are their "ambassadors" to people on the outside. Next month, you get to meet them yourself.

Watch your inbox.

Saturday, November 14

10:00 am - 3pm | In-Person

From Division to Dialogue

Being able to listen with care is more important than ever. Many of us feel tired and upset by talks that feel more like battles than chances to understand each other. And with Thanksgiving coming, many of us are already bracing for that one hard conversation at the table.

Most Americans (66%) say that when discussing issues with those with whom they disagree, people are “quick to attack them.” Only 24% say people are “quick to listen.” What if you could change that, one conversation at a time?

In this hands-on session, you will learn how to:

• Stay calm when a conversation gets heated
• Really hear people who see things differently
• Share your own views without starting a fight
• Find common ground, even when you disagree

You will also learn what science says about how our brains react in conflict. Then you will practice new skills in a warm, caring group. You will leave with simple tools you can use right away at home, at work, and in your community.