✳ THE MASTER’S PROGRAM IN PRINT63 ARTICLES. SINCE 1993.
The MPS Newsstand.
Read the program in the press.
Newspaper and magazine stories about the master’s programs at Sing Sing and Bedford Hills, stories featuring the program’s alumni, op-eds and essays written by MPS alumni and the seminary’s leaders, and academic writing found on Google Scholar.
SING SING & BEDFORD HILLS
MagazineThe Christian Century — Sept. 3, 2014Cover story: a visitor meets the Sing Sing seminarians
NewspaperThe Christian Science Monitor1997 report from inside Sing Sing on the master’s program
Academic journalAmerican Journal of Criminal JusticePublishes MPS alumnus Michael Pass’s 1989 prison study
Academic journalJournal of Prisoners on PrisonsMPS alumnus Jermaine Archer’s essay “Mis-Education”
MagazineSojourners1997 on ministry with people in prison, including Sing Sing
NewspaperThe Harlem Times2015 feature on the master’s program and its graduates63 of 63
EXTRA, EXTRA
About the program.
The Masters of Professional Studies: Groundbreaking Graduate Seminary Program at Sing Sing and Bedford HillsThe Burke Library tells the program’s history at both campuses.Sing Sing Correctional Facility Celebrates Graduation DayLocal coverage of graduation day for the master’s students at Sing Sing.New York Theological Seminary Awards Master’s Degrees to Nine Female InmatesThe first nine women graduate from the master’s program at Bedford Hills.Theology in Carceral ContextAmy Frykholm interviews Willie Dwayne Francois III on cultivating leaders who are building power inside prison.Theology Program for Incarcerated Women Answers the PC(USA)’s Matthew 25 CallHow the Bedford Hills master’s program connects to the church’s Matthew 25 vision.Inmate Seminaries: How They Have Positively Impacted CorrectionsThe American Correctional Association’s magazine on seminary programs in prisons, including the Sing Sing model.NYTS Launches State’s First Master’s Program for Incarcerated WomenJessi Mitchell reports on the program’s expansion to the women of Bedford Hills.Mentoring and Being Mentored: What I Learned and Taught at Sing Sing PrisonA teacher remembers Bill Webber and the students of the Sing Sing master’s program.Spreading the WordThe Harlem Times covers the master’s program and its graduates.Do You See This Prisoner? Meeting with Sing Sing SeminariansA visitor’s reflection on meeting the seminary students studying at Sing Sing.At Sing Sing, Inmates Who Are Pursuing an Education Take the StageCorey Kilgannon reports on the TED-style talks at Sing Sing, emceed by Jermaine Archer — an alumnus of the master’s program.Graduation at Sing Sing State PrisonAn account of a commencement unlike any other — the master’s graduation inside Sing Sing.Maximum-Security SeminaryEmilie Babcox profiles the seminary’s most “residential” students: the 15 men a year who study at Sing Sing.Prisoners to Pastors: NYC Seminary Educates Convicts Who Feel “Called” to MinistryA look at nearly three decades of the program and what it means for those who complete it.After Graduation, Back to Sing Sing Cellblock, With HopeThe Times attends a Sing Sing commencement, where graduates receive diplomas and return to their cells.George W. Webber, Social Activist Minister, Dies at 90The Times obituary of the program’s founder, who built the master’s degree at Sing Sing.Remembering Rev. Bill Webber: Spiritual Father and Director of Sing Sing’s Masters of Professional Studies in MinistryA tribute to the Rev. Bill Webber, who led the master’s program at Sing Sing.Hope Rises for Those Doing TimeAnthony Papa, sentenced under the Rockefeller drug laws, writes about education and hope behind bars, including the Sing Sing seminary program.Sing Sing SeminaryThe full transcript of Lucky Severson’s report on the accredited master’s program inside Sing Sing.Seminary at Sing SingJim Wallis on giving the commencement address to graduates of the master’s program at Sing Sing.In Sing Sing, Prisoners Find Faith and MinistryNPR returns to Sing Sing as academic programs disappear from prisons nationwide — and the seminary’s master’s program thrives.Sing Sing Seminarians Seek RedemptionA reprinted news story on the men studying for the master’s degree at Sing Sing.Sing Sing StudiesAs prison college programs closed nationwide, NPR reports on the thriving seminary program at Sing Sing and its 225 graduates.A New Preferential OptionSojourners looks at the call to ministry with people in prison, including the Sing Sing program.N.Y. Prison Religion Program Helps Turn Lives AroundAlexandra Marks reports from inside Sing Sing on the seminary’s master’s program.Serving Time, Saving Souls; Sing Sing Inmates Pursue Master’s Degrees in MinistryThe Times’ feature on the inmates earning master’s degrees in ministry through the seminary program inside Sing Sing.Religion NotesAn early Times note on the seminary’s master’s program for men inside Sing Sing.
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW
Featuring MPS alumni.
He Spent 23 Years in New York Prisons. The State Senate Just Confirmed Him to Oversee ThemAlexander Dockery’s appointment to the New York State Commission of Correction, his education through Bard College and New York Theological Seminary, and the debate over bringing lived experience into prison oversight.Osborne Association Applauds Alexander Dockery’s Confirmation to the New York State Commission of CorrectionThe MPS alumnus’s work supporting older adults returning home from incarceration, his educational achievements inside, and his commitment to safety, accountability, and humane conditions as a commissioner.Formerly Incarcerated SCOC Commissioner and Other Prison ReformsCoverage of Alexander Dockery’s June 4 confirmation to the State Commission of Correction, with video of the MPS alumnus’s confirmation-hearing testimony, alongside other New York prison oversight reforms.Hochul Nominee for Prison Task Force Is Clemency RecipientLocal reporting on Alexander Dockery’s appointment to correctional oversight and the political response. Dockery is an NYTS master’s program alumnus whose sentence was commuted in 2023.Sing Sing Voices: Musical ConnectionsCarnegie Hall marks 15 years of Musical Connections at Sing Sing — the program behind The Freedom Trap, whose members include MPS alumnus James “Mo” Torres — with its first public video playlists.A Timely Remix of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" Out of a New York PrisonMaurice Chammah on Sing Sing’s Alfred Roberts — whose “Victory,” recorded with The Freedom Trap, joins the Marshall Project’s prison-music playlist.Carnegie Hall Citywide: Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra with The Freedom TrapThe band of formerly incarcerated Sing Sing musicians — including MPS alumnus James “Mo” Torres — joins O’Farrill’s orchestra for Carnegie Hall Citywide’s free 15th-anniversary concert.From Sing Sing to Columbia University: Prison Education, the Second Look Act, and Prison ConditionsMujahideen Muhammad, MPS talks with Jessica Henry about how prison education transformed his life at Sing Sing, the Miller’s Children book club he built there, and the Second Look Act.Transforming Cellblocks into Psychology ClassroomsAPA’s magazine interviews Mujahideen Muhammad, MPS — now a research assistant at Columbia’s Center for Justice — and his Columbia colleagues on the transformative impact of psychology courses for incarcerated students.On the Count Radio: Speaking About the Second Look ActMujahideen Muhammad, MPS — Pillars of Promise co-founder — joins WBAI’s On The Count crew to talk about the Second Look Act movement and the people still left behind in New York’s prisons.Former Incarcerated Man to Lead Arts Group That Inspired Oscar-Nominated "Sing Sing"Jermaine Archer — who earned his master’s in professional studies from the seminary at Sing Sing — is named executive director of Rehabilitation Through the Arts.He Was Saved by the Arts Program That Inspired Oscar-Nominee "Sing Sing." Now He Leads It.The Journal News profiles Jermaine Archer — a master’s program alumnus — on leading the prison-arts nonprofit that inspired the film.#518 Jason Flom with Jermaine ArcherThe MPS alumnus tells the story of the wrongful conviction that sent him to Sing Sing — and the education that changed his path inside.PIP: A Night of Music and Reflection at Old St. Patrick’s CathedralA review of the Lent concert of Paul Cortez’s music — a graduate of Sing Sing’s master’s program — including his cello suite “Clemencia.”Thrive for Life Prison Project Presents Sacred Music Composed by a Man Currently Serving 25 Years to LifeThrive for Life presents Paul Cortez’s sacred music — written behind bars — at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral during Lent.Music from Sing Sing — Composer Portrait: Paul V. CortezDecoda musicians perform Cortez’s chamber works at Carnegie Hall: string quartet, piano quintet, and his solo cello suite.Let’s Take a Second LookMujahideen Muhammad, MPS joins host Phillip A. Jones on the Second Look Act and what second chances require for people sentenced more than twenty years ago.The Power of Second Chances: Community Leaders Call for Justice for Incarcerated PeopleUnion’s recap of the Second Look Symposium it hosted in James Chapel, featuring MPS alumni Mujahideen Muhammad and Patrick Stephens alongside Judge Marva Brown, Steve Zeidman, and former DOCCS Commissioner Brian Fischer.SolsticeThe composer’s album of eight songs — written at Sing Sing and released to streaming in December 2024.Governor Hochul Grants Clemency to Sixteen IndividualsAlexander Dockery’s sentence commutation after nearly 23 years in prison. The announcement documents his educational journey, including a master’s degree through New York Theological Seminary, and his work tutoring other incarcerated students.Bard College Prison Initiative Graduate Among 16 Granted Clemency by Gov. HochulCoverage of clemency for Alexander Dockery, an NYTS master’s program alumnus who pursued higher education while incarcerated. The full article requires a subscription.Freedom Trap | About the BandChris Washburne, the Columbia professor who facilitates the band, on how the Freedom Trap — whose members include MPS alumnus James “Mo” Torres — formed through Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections and where it has played.Eddie Ellis: Prison Reform VisionaryA wide-ranging interview with the late Eddie Ellis — MPS alumnus who earned his master’s from New York Theological Seminary inside — on the Green Haven Think Tank, the “seven neighborhoods” research, and his WBAI radio program On the Count.An Open Letter on LanguageEddie Ellis’s influential letter — written by the MPS alumnus and Center for NuLeadership founder — asking the public to drop words like “inmate” and “felon” and simply say people.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Written by MPS alumni.
I Am Not Your ‘Inmate’A master’s program graduate on the labels used inside Sing Sing and why names matter.How 27 Years in Prison Prepared Me for CoronavirusA master’s program graduate on the adaptability that decades behind bars teach you.Introducing News InsideA graduate of the master’s program at Sing Sing launches the print magazine he created for people in prisons and jails nationwide.
FROM THE LEADERSHIP
By the seminary’s leaders.
FROM GOOGLE SCHOLAR
Academic articles about the program.
U.S. Prison Seminaries: Structural Charity, Religious Establishment, and Neoliberal CorrectionsA scholarly look at seminary programs in American prisons, including the Sing Sing model.New York Theological Seminary Prison Program: Sing-Sing Correctional Facility, Our Context“We are seventeen theology students…” — a chapter written by students of the program.Social Theory, Sacred Text, and Sing-Sing PrisonExamines the sociology courses in the seminary’s community-based programs, focusing on Sing Sing.New York Theological Seminary Prison Program, Sing Sing Correctional FacilityWriting from the program’s students in the journal Souls.
FROM GOOGLE SCHOLAR
Academic articles by MPS alumni.
Mis-EducationThe MPS alumnus tells his own story — his block as his first university, and the classrooms that came after — in a journal written by prisoners for prisoners.An Interview with Eddie EllisA scholarly interview with the MPS alumnus — who earned his master’s from New York Theological Seminary while inside — on the Green Haven Think Tank and the “seven neighborhoods” research.Determinants of Social Distance in a Prison EnvironmentMPS alumnus Michael Pass’s study of what draws incarcerated people together — or keeps them apart — inside a prison, building on his work on education and race.Race Relations and the Implications of Education Within PrisonMPS alumnus Michael Pass examines how education inside prison shapes race relations among incarcerated men.