PACT: An Oral History

Abstract

This oral history documents the origins and trajectory of a group run by incarcerated men called the Project for A Calculated Transition (“PACT”) at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, New York, and their community partnership with students at Yale Law School. Incarcerated activists at Green Haven—a maximum-security prison—created PACT in the wake of the Attica Uprising. While PACT welcomes men of all backgrounds, most of the members of PACT are men of color who grew up in neighborhoods devoid of state investment, and most are serving long sentences for serious crimes. Meanwhile, most, but not all, of the Yale members have been white students from economically privileged communities, and their group includes all genders. The partnership has persisted since 1978. Over the past forty-three years, this community has generally met every other Monday night to discuss political, legal, and moral issues as peers. PACT’s partnership with Yale Law students has most recently consisted of a reading group where the incarcerated men lead the discussion, though in the past Yale students and PACT members have also taken turns leading discussions. Although the format of the meetings has changed, throughout the years, the members have challenged each other to change their perspectives and forge relationships built on honesty and respect. There have been some years where Yale students were unable to enter the prison, including the period between the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and the submission of this paper in January 2022.