Earlier this month, Celeste Trusty was named Secretary of the PA Board of Pardons, replacing Brandon Flood. She has been involved in prison and sentencing reform for years, first as FAMM’s regional organizer for Philadelphia and then, since July 2019, as its first state policy director for Pennsylvania. It was in that role that PLSE first connected with her in January 2021, when she participated in Lt. Governor Fetterman’s press conference announcing the results of PLSE’s study of people serving sentences of life without parole for second degree murder.

FAMM’s President has called her “a force of nature...a passionate, bold, and creative strategist who knows how to build the broad coalitions needed to win reform.” On the job for less than ten days, she had already agreed to meet with PLSE’s Pardon Project Steering Committee and with the leaders of the dozen county wide Pardon Projects that have been created across the state. “I am looking forward to meeting everyone and thanking them for their work,” she said in accepting the invitations.“I see some heroes on that list of Steering Committee members! Can’t wait.” We can’t either, Secretary!

It’s been clear for a long time that women are going to prison in Pennsylvania in higher numbers than ever before. Now studies are beginning to document the impact that has on SO many social metrics – access to food and health care, mental health, persistence in schools, juvenile offenses, entry into the foster care system. Reentry systems have been slow to respond to the special needs of women returning from prison. That’s why we were so excited last October when First Lady Frances Wolf launched a series of discussions around the special problems faced by women in reentry.

PLSE was honored when the First Lady invited our Deputy Executive Director Taylor Pacheco to be on the panel with newly-appointed Secretary Celeste Trusty where the topic was criminal history records and the inter-generational harms they inflict on families. “Pennsylvanians who have paid their debt to society and are positively contributing to their communities deserve a chance to reestablish their lives without the burden of their criminal record following them,” said the First Lady. Not just talking the talk, the First Lady and her staff are participating in the creation of the Pardon Project of York County, which is where the Wolf family has lived for generations.

This month’s magazine includes a long article about the growth of pardon projects across the state. “Pardon Projects: Communities Coming Together in Restorative Justice” identifies over 60 people who have been leaders in their counties who have very different perspectives on criminal justice, but all agree that pardons are the right way forward. It was written by PBA Past President (and PLS Board Member) Sharon Lopez and PBA Zone One Delegate (and PLSE Deputy ED) Taylor Pacheco.

If you’d like to help start a Pardon Project in your county, contact us!

With the grant from the William Penn Foundation and the new contract from the City of Philadelphia, PLSE has the opportunity as never before to reach more low-income communities, partner with more non-profits, help thousands of more clients, and engage hundreds of more volunteers. And to help us get there, we are excited to announce three new members of our team who joined just this month:

Pro Bono Coordinator Macdonald Taylor, an experienced paralegal who was with SeniorLAW Center for four years as an Elder Victim Advocate and highlighted last year by the Barristers Association as its Member of the Month.

Paralegal Victor Sotelo, law clerk to Magisterial Justice Michael Quinn in Montgomery County, after having served for three years as a district court judicial assistant in his home state of Colorado

Staff Attorney Emily Satifka, a 2019 grad of the University of California, Irvine School of Law where she was on the law review, who joined Juvenile Law Center as a Zubrow Fellow working for two years on issues of SORNA, JLWOP, conditions of confinement, and fines and fees, before becoming an Assistant Deputy Public Defender in Trenton   

Longtime Philadelphian Ana Pujols McKee has been named the Interim Chief Executive Officer of The Joint Commission – the largest accreditor of health care organizations and programs in the world. When she joined the PLSE Board in August 2020, she was “just” its Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. COVID-19 brought whole new responsibilities, and urgencies, her way as the healthcare industry was already struggling with equity of care issues, with lots of studies showing that populations of color have disproportionately worse health outcomes than white populations. And now, her duties are even greater.

Dr. McKee was the first Chief Medical Officer in the country (to our knowledge) to identify criminal records as a key determinant of public health. More than that, she called it “one that the health profession can and must help address.” She did so because criminal records “exclude millions of people from engaging fully in community and social life.” Thanks to her, PLSE has been connecting with community health outreach workers, public health clinics, mental health and recovery communities, and others who can so easily help give their patients the hope for a new life that only a pardon can provide.

Brian Hamilton, tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, is offering a free,8-week program Inmates to Entrepreneurs that helps people with criminal backgrounds start low-capital businesses. The course meets online on Wednesdays, February 2 – March 23, 8-9:30 pm. More details and registration information can be found here. According to the website:

“This is a practical, no nonsense, and direct curriculum that covers the very basics of starting a company, such as the type of company to start all the way through servicing customers and more importantly making a profit. Your instructors are people who have successfully started and run businesses. We will cover things like starting low capital businesses because we understand that most people do not have a lot of capital (less than $1,000) to start businesses. There are no fees for the course, indirectly or directly, and nothing is available for sale.”

This course is designed for West-Coasters, but our reputation’s made it that far and we’ve been invited, too. Thank you, Brian!

Leadership positions in public interest work don’t open up all that often. If you’ve been dreaming about putting your talents to wonderful use, consider this:

Philadelphia Bail Fund (“Poverty Should Not Determine Freedom”) combats mass incarceration by organizing to end cash bail and pretrial punishment in Philadelphia, while also acting to pay bail for neighbors in need at the earliest possible moment after arrest. The Executive Director will lead PBF through an exciting growth phase for the organization. They will have primary responsibility for the management of the organization, with emphasis on strategic planning, administration, fundraising, and Board relations. The ideal candidate has a demonstrated record of working to dismantle mass incarceration and carceral systems. They also have staff management, organizational development, and fundraising experience. The role is based in Philadelphia, PA. Salary starting at $90,000 + benefits. Interested? kristen@nrgconsultinggroup.org