by Fritzi Horstman Imagine, joy and laughter in of the world’s most serious places. I woke up this morning feeling the full effects of visiting 3 prisons in the last 2 weeks: two maximum security prisons (Salinas Valley State Prison and CSP-Sacramento) and one level 2 prison (California Training Facility): 6 days, 4 yards, working with over 400 men. I’m…
Mo, Jayme, Fritzi and Linda in front of a fence with a similar logo in Edinburgh Fritzi stands at the entrance to advocate’s close in Edinburgh In June, CPP returned from a visit overseas where we brought our work to four prisons in the United Kingdom! Four team members from CPP flew to Scotland, thanks to the generous sponsorship of…
Dr. Kim Gorgens is a Professor of Psychophysiology Clinical Neuropsychology and Psychology of Criminal Behavior at University of Denver. She manages a large portfolio of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) related research and has lectured extensively on those issues including a 2010 TED talk on youth sports concussion, a 2018 Ted talk on brain injuries and criminal justice, several NPR spots and an interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper.
Dr. Kim Gorgens is a Professor of Psychophysiology Clinical Neuropsychology and Psychology of Criminal Behavior at University of Denver. She manages a large portfolio of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) related research and has lectured extensively on those issues including a 2010 TED talk on youth sports concussion, a 2018 Ted talk on brain injuries and criminal justice, several NPR spots and an interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper.
Dr. Kim Gorgens is a Professor of Psychophysiology Clinical Neuropsychology and Psychology of Criminal Behavior at University of Denver. She manages a large portfolio of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) related research and has lectured extensively on those issues including a 2010 TED talk on youth sports concussion, a 2018 Ted talk on brain injuries and criminal justice, several NPR spots and an interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper.
by Fritzi Horstman Brandon Elliot assaulted a 65-year old Asian-American woman in NYC late March 2021. He had been incarcerated for stabbing his mother in 2002 — most likely after a life of adversity and violence. Brandon was not rehabilitated in prison and was put on “lifetime” parole when released — the prison system knew Brandon wasn’t safe, they did…
by Mary Diamond Compassion Prison Project staff and volunteers visited Valley State Prison (California) to launch the Trauma Talks video series. The purpose of this series is to educate residents about trauma; how to recognize their own childhood trauma, to see how it affected them in the past and how it continues to impact their lives now. What is trauma?…
by Robert Wells When was the last time someone told you that you mattered? For many incarcerated people, it’s something they likely haven’t heard in a long time, if ever. In addition to educating and providing resources, a big part of our mission at CPP is letting those in prison know that their lives matter and that there are people…
by Rune Marie Nielsen, intro by Melonie McCoy “My favorite pie is sweet potato, and I remember how I used to lick the bowl. You (CPP) all constantly remind me that I’m loved, that I’m forgiven, that I am somebody. This type of love is like giving me the sweet potato bowl to lick… this type of compassion is like…
by Morgan Vicki Emmess I flew into LAX on Sunday, September 5th, preparing myself for what would become one of the most enlightening experiences I have ever had. The following day, six of us piled into a 12-person van stocked full of supplies and were on our way to pilot our 12-part curriculum series, Trauma Talks, at Valley State Prison…
by Robert Wells Derrick Carter received a life sentence when he was only 17 years old. Fifteen years later, he’s creating an online STEM (science, technology, education, and math) academic program for students who have fallen behind due to Covid-19. Despite his contributions to society from behind bars, Mr. Carter was recently denied re-sentencing, even though both the judge and…
Fritzi Horstman is the Founder and Executive Director of Compassion Prison Project. She is a Grammy-award winning producer for her work on “The Defiant Ones”, has been a producer and post-producer on dozens of television projects and documentaries and has directed several films. She believes it is urgent to bring humanity and compassion to those living behind bars and these acts will help transform our society. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Vassar College.
