Former News Director gets funding to continue a magazine by inmates at Her Majesty's Penitentiary

    Monday, 10 March 2025 12:00

    By Tonya Organ

    Gerry Phelan held a news director post in radio for many years but started doing this after being approached by the pen’s chaplain. A year later, they launched launched The Pen.

    For nine years, a retired news director, who happened to be my editor back in the day, has been helping prison inmates design a newsletter. Gerry Phelan held the post in radio for many years but started doing this after being approached by the pen’s chaplain and a year later, launched The Pen. It’s a compilation of stories, essays, pictures, and poems all done by inmates. Those at the Women’s Correctional Centre in Clarenville also contribute to the newsletter. Phelan says there is also news from the Pen, such as a new dog at the Pen, what visitors say about the magazine, and more. He recently received $1500 dollars from the Community Addictions Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Grants program, which will be used to continue publication. Phelan says it’s an inside the pen newsletter only, blessed to get $ church is in receivership and they funded as much as they could until last year.  So far, 20 Pen newsletters have been printed and they are 26 pages each. 

     

     

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