How do you dream about the future when you’re facing a long prison sentence?
Chris Wilson was eighteen years old when he was sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life in a maximum security prison. But what felt like the end of his story was just the beginning.
The Master Plan Program
Chris was released with the help of his “Master Plan,” a list of goals he had accomplished and ones he was still determined to achieve. This experience became the bestselling book, The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose which continues to inspire and uplift those who are searching for a new sense of purpose and meaning in their lives.
Our new program consists of The Master Plan and The Master Plan Workbook which leads students through 14 units focused on different aspects, stories and strategies pulled from the book. The goal of the program is to promote resilience and autonomy in the incarcerated individual and to strengthen the life skills of those who are planning for reentry.
Program participants at Jessup Correctional Institution in Maryland:
“I would like to commend the program’s structure, it is what a lot of marginalized people need: just to talk to someone or one another about their life’s experiences and not be judged and in a safe environment to vent their traumatic experiences.”
“This is a much needed program. Everyone, home and incarcerated should take this class.”
The PROGRAM Break Down
Each of these parts lead students through a process of understanding how stories and systems shape our understanding of ourselves and how we can challenge these deficit narratives as empowered agents of change.
The Master Plan Discussion Model was created in partnership with restorative justice organization The Restorative Center. The Discussion Group is led by two credible messenger facilitators, both formerly-incarcerated, with lived experienced in the system. These paired facilitators lead a 15-week discussion group with students of the Master Plan, creating a sense of community, accountability and trust among students.
This program is supported by a grant from THE Robert W. Deutsch Foundation
With recidivism rates as high as 60% in some parts of the country, it is clear that new models within the pre and post release systems are necessary to reduce cycles of mass incarceration. At the CWF, we believe that a lack of support and opportunities, as well as legal barriers to resources, exacerbates the already diminished sense of agency an incarcerated person feels during their transition back into society.
Thank you to our donors, funders and supporters for believing in our mission and for making this program possible!