Public Voice Project
The Public Voice Project is a collaboration of formerly incarcerated people and prison reform advocates who reach out to the public to increase awareness about the critical need for policy reform and services. This is one of the few programs 
in the Boston area that is empowering formerly incarcerated men and women to advocate for change. Invite a PVP speaker to make a presentation to your group or congregation.
The Public Voice Project provides speaking and leadership training for formerly incarcerated men and women. Participants take part in a series of coaching workshops that promote effective speaking and story-telling skills. Once they have completed the training, they have the opportunity to speak to churches and community groups. Some Public Voice members share their personal stories of serving time and leaving prison to make a new life. Others address public policy concerns and the issue of prison reform. All the speakers offer their audience a better understanding of how these issues impact them and provide concrete suggestions about how they can get involved. In sharing their experiences, our speakers put a face on the need for reform in the criminal justice system.
Over two dozen churches and community groups have already engaged speakers from the Public Voice Project and they have received rave reviews. These speakers led worship services in some churches and spoken to youth groups in others. In each case they speak with a passion for change and reconciliation that inspires and informs their audience.
The Public Voice Project reaches out to churches, public forums, classrooms, the business community, and community organizations to share this information and these stories. Through this outreach effort, we continue to identify allies willing to work with us on criminal justice reform, offer them opportunities for engagement, and develop an active base of educated stakeholders. Invite a PVP speaker to make a presentation to your group or congregation.
The goals of The Public Voice Project are:
- Establish a strong public voice for reform of the Massachusetts criminal justice system
- Support leadership skills for formerly incarcerated people
- Develop effective partnerships with concerned people and organizations to work towards implementing effective change.
Program Information Sheet [Adobe PDF]
Prison Reform Fact Sheet [Adobe PDF]