Sylvester Shockley is an advisor and a coordinator for the “Compassion Prison Project”. He spent over 50 years in prison at different stages of his life. He was released in 2019 after spending over 37 years in prison. While incarcerated, he led, helped develop, coordinated, and participated in the following programs: Narcotics Anonymous, Violence Prevention, My Brother’s Keepers Mentorship, Anger Management, Workshops for Training in Nonviolence Alternatives to Violence Project, Thresholds (how to make right decisions), Parenting & Nurturing, Relationships (how to win friends and influence people), Senior Assistant Group Leader, Principals & Concepts of the Violent Offenders, Life Skills, Shedding the Victim role, Personal Challenges, Family Problems, Character Development, and Twelve Steps. To expand on his experiences there, he completed a number of educational and vocational training courses such as Fundamental & Applied Economics, Date Processing, Business Applications, Instructor in cosmetology, Hotel/Restaurant Management, and Certified Braille Transcriber. He recently successfully completed the SERV Safe food Protection Manager Certification Examination.

The ability to draw from his wealth of experiences has made him well qualified with insight to support the healing of trauma in the prisons and communities here in the United States and around the world. The path forward seems clear given his past. Family, friends and healthy relationships are the focus of his future personal goals. While professionally, Sylvester hopes to help others in his prior position to find a path forward of their own in coaching them through the unresolved traumas which have contributed to their situation as it is.