Jesuit Social Research Institute Annual Report 2022-2023 SERVICE
A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
It's hard to believe that it’s only been one year since we started offering Loyola classes at Rayburn Correctional Center—it seems like we have known our students for much longer! What a phenomenal year it has been, filled with opportunities for growth and development. I am full of gratitude for the entire Loyola community who warmly welcomed Rayburn students and embraced prison education as a core expression of our mission as a Jesuit institution. To support our new focus on prison education this year, JSRI welcomed Dr. Stephanie Gaskill, who brings a wealth of experience in prison education, and Patrick Govan, who contributes tremendous gifts and insights after 35 years of incarceration. We also welcomed new advisory board members, who generously offered their time and expertise to guide us as we navigate new opportunities. Next year, we will continue to expand our staff to welcome four more people into new positions made possible through grant funding and your donations. I am personally grateful for the experiences that I have gained as a leader this year. In the Ignatian Colleagues Program, I joined peers from across the network of Jesuit colleges and universities to learn and grow as an Ignatian leader. I attended a silent retreat in OshKosh, Wisconsin where I was able to rest, pray, and reflect. In March, I traveled to Belize to learn from colleagues at St. John’s University about the educational system in that country. I also accompanied Jesuits visiting children and adults in prison. I was moved by the similarities between our students at Rayburn and the men in Belize Central Prison. Despite devastating circumstances, people in prison remain hopeful and find ways to serve each other. Every life has meaning and purpose. I learned more about my own purpose through making the 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises, which involves daily prayer and meditation. It’s hard to overstate the impact of the Spiritual Exercises both personally and professionally. I am finishing them with a new appreciation for life as a gift and a deeper connection with God. As we look forward to the next year and beyond, I am reminded of Acts 1:7-8 “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” The Holy Spirit is at work at JSRI and we are grateful to be her witnesses and conduits. Thank you to everyone who has supported JSRI in the past year. Your donations and encouragement are the fuel that keeps this flame alive. May God continue to bless you for your generosity and service this coming year.
Sincerely,
Dr. Annie Phoenix
Table of Contents Mission and Values
1
Staff & Advisory Board
2
Prison Education
3-6
Secondary Activities
7-14
Grant Funded Research 15-16 Financial Report
17
Gratitude Report
18
Looking Ahead
19
Mission The Jesuit Social Research Institute works to transform the Gulf South through research, education, advocacy, and service on the core issues of poverty, race, and migration. The Institute is a collaboration of Loyola University New Orleans and the Society of Jesus rooted in faith that does justice.
Values Faith that leads to justice Prophetic vision that leads to transformation Love of neighbor that leads to solidarity Scholarship that leads to action The frameworks for all of our efforts are Catholic Social Teaching and Ignatian spirituality.
Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus (2019-2029) To show the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment To walk with the poor, the outcasts of the world, those whose dignity has been violated, in a mission of reconciliation and justice To accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future To collaborate in the care of our common home
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Staff Structure
Executive Director Annie Phoenix, PhD
Operations Coordinator Kelsey McLaughlin, MS
JSRI Fellow Immigration Sue Weishar, PhD (part time)
JSRI Fellow Prison Education Stephanie Gaskill, PhD
Research Coordinator Patrick Govan
JSRI Fellow Criminal Justice Reform Bidish Sarma, Esq.
Advisory Board Rev. Chris Kellerman, SJ Ian Peoples, SJ Mary Baudouin, MSW Michie Bissell Charles Amos Mamie Gasperecz, MBA Christian Bolden, PhD Diane Blair, MAPS Constance Paige Young Allen Nguyen Marcela Villareal de Panetta Ashley Howard, PhD Rev. Tom Curran, SJ, Bryan Wilson, PhD, MBA
JSRI Advisory Board Members visiting Rayburn Correctional Center in June 2023
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LOYOLA AT RAYBURN The prison education program strives to bring the full Loyola experience to the prison and integrate the students into our community, thereby contributing to Loyola University New Orleans’ mission to welcome students of diverse backgrounds and prepare them to lead meaningful lives with and for others; to pursue truth, wisdom, and virtue; and to work for a more just world.
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“ Accomplishments
One of the things that incarceration has done to me is compounded feelings of worthlessness and meaninglessness, which I've already struggled with most of my life, but for the first time in a long time I feel once again in control of my own future and that good things could be just beyond the horizon. Loyola is the number one contributor to this positive shift in my life.
”
Received over 200 applications Enrolled 40 incarcerated students, and 15 correctional employee students
Offered new student orientations with presentations from Loyola’s Vice President of Mission and Identity and the Office of Accessible Education Offered 9 courses Purchased 60 laptop computers for incarcerated and employee students
Convened a working group of 20 leaders across campus Hired 1 new faculty member and 1 new staff member
Partnered with the Loyola Center for Ethics and Economic Justice to offer a personal finance workshop taught by Loyola business students in the prison Invited 3 guest speakers
$
Secured 2 million dollars in grant funding to support prison education Established the Rayburn Scholarship Fund 4
2022-2023: The program met administrative and admissions goals.
Program staff also began to build out student services both during incarceration and after release. The program added summer courses including a participatory evaluation course for students to contribute to program design and development.
Projected Budget: $100,000
Actual Budget: $109,278
JSRI also actively participates in the Jesuit Prison Education Network, (JPEN), and students learned more about JPEN this year.
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Thank you so much for the incredible opportunity of becoming a Loyola student. Furthering my education during my incarceration has been almost from the beginning my hope and dream above all else, constantly in my prayers. My prior college experience constituted the happiest years of my life and I've deeply regretted not finishing. I must admit that when I received the acceptance letter, after reading it multiple times, I cried for sheer joy. So again, thank you (and everyone else involved in the process of bringing Loyola to RCC) sincerely.
5
”
2023-2024 Objectives
Program Continuity
Support Services
Accreditation
Continue to offer each cohort of incarcerated students one course for fall and spring semesters and two summer terms for a total of up to eight courses per year.
Increase student support services and build partnerships with programming on campus.
Complete SACSCOC accreditation to designate Rayburn as an off-campus instructional site of Loyola.
Continue to offer correctional employees one course per semester for six academic sessions per year for a total of six courses per year.
Support students through the parole and re-entry process to continue their education on campus.
Sustainability
Dissemination
Evaluation
Support all students through the financial aid process to access federal and state resources.
Students will submit papers to present at professional conferences.
Students will design and implement a participatory program evaluation to inform decision-making and measure progress.
Raise $100,000 in grants and private donations to cover operating expenses.
Students will collaborate across the Jesuit Prison Education network to contribute to a report on the State of Jesuit Higher Education in Prisons.
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CAMPUS COMMUNITY COMPANIONS 2022-2023: Program did not launch due to lack of staff and faculty capacity.
Projected Budget: $60,000
Actual Budget: $0
2023-2024 Objectives JSRI will pivot to support faculty collaborations in a more organic fashion.
Specifically, we will proceed in two ways:
Host events and opportunities for faculty engaged with criminal legal system reform to network and collaborate.
Support collaborations between faculty and with community partners as they emerge.
Projected Budget: $15,000
7
IGNATIAN TEACH-INS ON MASS INCARCERATION 2022-2023: Secured additional funding from Porticus Foundation ($150,000/two years) to expand Teach-Ins in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. This year we offered Teach-Ins to Catholic Church Parishes and Loyola students (Criminology, Honors, and Greek Life). We also brought Teach-Ins into Catholic High Schools for the first time and had tremendous turn out for all events.
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400
92
Hosted eleven Teach-In events
For a total audience of over 400 people
Paid 92 stipends to formerly incarcerated speakers
Projected Budget:* $9,500 *before the grant was secured
Actual Budget: $24,322
2023-2024 Objectives JSRI will continue to offer Teach-Ins with some specific aims:
Partner with the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Baton Rouge to offer Teach-Ins at Catholic High Schools.
Partner with Catholic Mobilizing Network to deliver Teach-Ins aimed at abolishing the death penalty.
Projected Budget: $30,000
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IMMIGRATION STUDY 2022-2023: JSRI Fellow Susan Weishar met with immigration service providers and families to discern community needs and recommend areas that JSRI could contribute to immigration justice.
Dr. Weishar and Dr. Phoenix met with three service providers.
Dr. Weishar engaged 16 Loyola Service Learning Students, 17 LUCAP and Catholic Studies students, and 8 parish volunteers to teach ESL classes to 52 community members.
Projected Budget: $2,700
Actual Budget: $0
CAFE CON INGLES 2023-2024 Objectives: JSRI is more formally adopting the Café con Ingles program and increasing support while exploring ways to expand to other parishes and initiate more services. Sue leads Café con Ingles, which engages Loyola students and parish volunteers to to teach English as a Second Language classes at St. Anthony of Padua Church Parish after Spanish Mass on Sundays. Sue started the program in 2011.
Projected Budget: $1,000 9
THE CASE REVIEW PROJECT: NEW ORLEANS DISTRICT ATTORNEY CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION 2022-2023: JSRI receives grant funding for JSRI Fellow Bidish Sarma to work as an Assistant District Attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office. Funding also covers Loyola student workers to intern at the Division. In the past year, the Civil Rights Division has accomplished the following: 297
total case interventions
260
people released from incarceration
150
individuals once sentenced to life-without-parole released
148
habitual offender cases resolved (of those, 121 multiple bills were withdrawn or reduced; the rest were resolved due to conviction issues)
23
convictions vacated and charges ultimately dismissed due to wrongful conviction or incurable state misconduct
Approximately 2,556 years of incarceration avoided, saving the state ~$173 million dollars.
Projected Budget: $150,000
Actual Budget: $150,000
HIGHLIGHT Patrick Govan, JSRI's newest staff member, was released from incarceration due to the work of the Civil Rights Division.
The average age of people upon release is 53 years old, and they have been incarcerated for average of 25 years.
2023-2024 Objectives:
Projected Budget: $125,000
JSRI received additional funding to support another year of Bidish's work at the Civil Rights Divison. During this year we hope to build awareness of the work and help disseminate this model to other District Attorney offices nationally. Bidish will also be teaching in the Loyola Law Clinic, which will build more connections with law faculty and students. 10
TWOMEY LEGACY SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE In 2023, JSRI launched the Father Louis J. Twomey, S.J. Legacy Scholar in Residence Program to honor the life and work of Fr. Twomey, one of the greatest social apostles the Jesuit Province of the South ever produced. The program invites a distinguished scholar who has retired from a life of service in a field of study related to one or more of JSRI’s core issues (race, poverty, and migration) and Catholic Social Teachings to reflect and write about their life’s work. For one calendar year, the Scholar has a dedicated office at JSRI to reflect on their legacy and learnings to create a Blueprint for Social Justice. The Scholar’s time at JSRI culminates in fall semester with the Twomey Lecture, which will feature the Scholar’s Blueprint.
Projected Budget: $6,500*
Actual Budget: $3,247
*$1,500 grant received from the Jazz and Heritage Foundation
2023: JSRI invited Mr. Ronnie Moore, a civil rights legend and criminal justice reform champion, to join us as the inaugural Fr. Twomey Legacy Scholar. Mr. Moore was expelled from Southern University Baton Rouge in 1961 for his role as a student organizer leading protests to desegregate lunch counters in downtown Baton Rouge. He was the field secretary for the Congress of Racial Equality and a lead organizer in Iberville Parish for the 1964 Freedom Summer, which is featured in The Louisiana Diary documentary series. He was also the Executive Director of the Scholarship, Education and Defense Fund for Racial Equality, Inc. (1965-1973), the Director of Resident Initiatives at Tulane University (19962005), and the director of the African American Youth Congress (1982-1994). Ronnie Moore has spent the past 15 years working for Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of New Orleans as a community organizer leading criminal justice reform efforts. At Catholic Charities he was the architect for the first AmeriCorp program in the nation to hire formerly incarcerated people. Mr. Moore retired this year and continues to organize community efforts. His papers are preserved in the Amistad Research Center at Tulane.
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HIGHLIGHT
JSRI funded the effort to digitize the Twomey Archive. JSRI also hosted Dawn Eden-Goldstein on campus in August to begin research to write a biography of Fr. Twomey with a focus on racial justice.
2023: In Fall 2023, Mr. Ronnie led a collaboration between Loyola University, Dillard University, and the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington by uplifting the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Louisiana. Mr. Ronnie will also publish a Blueprint for Social Justice that centers the civic engagement of young people. The 60th Anniversary of the March On Washington Where Do We Go From Here? August 26 - 28, 2023 Dillard university|New Orleans, LA Artwork Citation: The Evelyn Cunningham papers. Amistad Research Center. New Orleans, LA.
2024: JSRI has invited Loyola Law Clinic Professor Emeritus William Quigley to be the 2024 Twomey Legacy Scholar.
Projected Budget: $5,000 12
JUSTSOUTH MONTHLY 2022-2023: JSRI reestablished the JustSouth Monthly in July 2022. Published articles from six Loyola faculty members, five JSRI staff, and one Loyola student were distributed to over 6,000 people with an average open rate of 57% (67% student open rate).
2023-2024 Objectives: JSRI will continue to publish the JustSouth Monthly and solicit articles from Loyola faculty, staff, students, and alumni. We also will welcome articles written by Loyola at Rayburn students this year. Projected Budget: $4,200
Actual Budget: $2,400
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EVENTS 2022-2023: In the past year, JSRI has led six major events including an event series for Second Chance Month. JSRI has also co-sponsored six events with departments across campus. We also hosted three events at Rayburn Correctional Center with guest speakers. Projected Budget: $10,000
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Actual Budget: $10,211
2023-2024 Objectives: JSRI will continue to lead and co-sponsor events this year focused on race, poverty, and migration. In Fall 2023, we contributed to an event series to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington. We also organized Death Penalty Advocacy and Awareness Week at Loyola. In Spring 2024, we will plan to host an event series to celebrate Second Chance Month. Projected Budget: $10,000
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GRANT FUNDED RESEARCH RESEARCH ON HIGHER EDUCATION IN PRISON In 2022-2023, JSRI was awarded over $2 million dollars in grant funding, including two major grants to contribute to research on prison education.
Ascendium Foundation
Projected Budget: $400,000/year for three years
With funding from Ascendium Foundation, the Jesuit Social Research Institute will support the creation and growth of the Jesuit Prison Education Network by contributing research, resources, and capacity across multiple institutions. The outcome of this grant will be a strong and thriving network of prison education programs within Jesuit colleges and universities who are engaged in rich collaboration, strong programming, and intentional research to improve and expand higher education in prisons nationally. Funding from Ascendium Foundation will also support a report on the state of Jesuit prison education, including a multi-institution participatory evaluation. Research activities include: Designing and implementing participatory evaluation at Loyola and assisting other Jesuit institutions to adapt this model to their contexts. As part of Loyola’s evaluation, JSRI will offer two courses on research methods in the prison and provide access to laptops and software to support student leadership in evaluation. Visiting existing Jesuit higher education in prison programs to collect data including information about program outcomes and capacity to collect data required for Pell reporting–for a State of Jesuit Higher Education in Prison report.
Identifying new potential programming sites through relationship building and resource mapping.
Engaging in national conversations to inform program leaders about how to access funding opportunities, including Pell.
Contributing to plan the JPEN annual conference.
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Mellon Foundation
Projected Budget: $250,000/year for three years
With funding from the Mellon Foundation, JSRI will provide research support for the formation of a statewide system of higher education in prison in Louisiana. Research activites include:
Evaluating and improving corrections data infrastructure (specifically release dates).
Assessing the capacity of prisons, as well as colleges and universities to serve currently and formerly incarcerated students and provide support for emerging programs.
Examining the historical roots of incarceration as well as the current policy landscape to inform changes that will expand access to higher education in prison in an equitable manner.
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FINANCIAL REPORT
JSRI Projected Operating Budget 2022-2023 Income:
Actuals
Budget:
Actuals:
JSRI Endowment
$336,000
$336,000
Twomey Endowments
$23,000
$23,000
Foundations
$237,000
$887,000*
Donations
$40,000
$39,384
Total Income:
$636,000
$1,285,384
Salary
$210,000
$257,453
Fringe Benefits
$50,000
$43,117
Other Operating Expenses
$30,000
$25,553
Prison Education Program
$100,000
$109,278
Campus Community Companions
$60,000
$0
Ignatian Teach-ins on Mass Incarceration
$9,500
$24,322
Immigration Study
$2,700
$0
The Case Review Project: New Orleans District Attorney Civil Rights Division
$150,000
$150,000
JustSouth Monthly
$4,200
$2,400
Campus and Community Events
$10,000
$10,211
Louis J. Twomey, S.J., Legacy Scholar
$5,000
$3,247
$621,400
$625,581
Operational Expenses:
Primary Program Expenses:
Secondary Activity Expenses:
Total Expenses:
NET: $659,803 *Grant funding was received this fiscal year, but grant terms do not match with the fiscal year (Aug 1st-July 31st) i.e. Ascendium Grant Term Dec 1st- Nov 30th, Mellon Grant term April 1st-March 31st, Porticus Grant Term Dec 1st- Nov 30th
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GRATITUDE REPORT Thank you to our supporters this year! Ascendium Foundation Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Porticus Foundation Barbara & Winston Rice Charitable Foundation* The Lauricella Land Company Foundation Community Foundation of Acadiana New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation Shea Stokes Family Fund* Daughters of Charity Ministries Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Grand Commandery of the South Order of St Lazarus* Saint Charles College* Marcela Villareal de Panetta and Bernard J. Panetta II* Lynn M. Coatney* Joseph A. Barreca Holly Gardner* Catherine M. Bissell* Lucille Whitley* Patrick D. Delahanty Mr. and Mrs. J. Ferrel Guillory Anita E. Grazer Francis Zipple Patrick Trahan Maria Isabel Medina* Roger W. White* George E. Murphy Krista Reed* Kelly M. Cuppett* *Donated to the Rayburn Scholarship Fund
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LOOKING AHEAD
JSRI is hiring new faculty and staff members!
Javian Baker is a new JSRI Fellow focusing on statewide expansion of higher education in prison.
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Kelsey McLaughlin moved into a role as Advisor and Support Coordinator for our Rayburn students.
We are in the process of hiring a new Operations Coordinator, Research Coordinator, and Postdoctoral Fellow!
LAGNIAPPE Dr. Cole’s visit to Rayburn In early August 2023, Dr. Cole and other Loyola faculty and staff met with all of our Rayburn students to learn more about the program. Students wrote and performed original lyrics to the chorus of “Lean on Me” and shared their experiences in a panel discussion. Dr. Cole also addressed the students and answered questions. The main questions that the students asked were, “Are we really Loyola students? Would you accept us into your community?” Dr. Cole answered with an enthusiastic YES! He shared that he hopes that one day our students will be free and join us on campus to continue their educational journey.
Please continue to support our work by donating! To give by mail:
To give online:
Jesuit Social Research Institute Loyola University New Orleans-Box 909 7214 St Charles Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118 Address any inquiries to Dr. Annie Phoenix, JSRI Executive Director at 504-864-7746 or alphoeni@loyno.edu. Your tax-exempt contribution will be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your support! 20