About Jericho Circle
Jericho reduces recidivism. We support and guide individuals on their emotional healing journeys during incarceration and upon reentry, serving their communities, modeling resilience and promoting positive change.
Our Mission
Inspired by California’s Inside Circle—featured in the award-winning documentary The Work—our model centers on peer-led group circles that cultivate self-awareness, emotional literacy, and deep healing. Rooted in Jungian depth psychology, our model integrates mindfulness, guided visualization, bioenergetics, psychodrama, inner “parts work,” and non-sectarian ritual to foster lasting personal and communal healing. As a volunteer-driven organization, we foster safer prisons and communities through transformational work with incarcerated individuals and returning citizens. By training participants in leadership and facilitation, we empower them to co-lead circles and serve as Credible Messengers upon release—guiding others on their path to change.
Our
History
Our founder, retired criminology professor Steve Spitzer, was inspired by the transformative work of our West Coast partner, Inside Circle—an influence that resonated deeply with his own path of self-discovery. Recognizing that true healing and restoration must be experiential rather than purely academic, he brought these principles back to Boston to create a space for deep, personal transformation.
Our purpose is to bring down walls of separation and isolation; building self-awareness and agency within individuals who create and sustain authentic connections and positive changes in their families and communities.
Our name, Jericho Circle, symbolizes the power of perseverance and breaking down barriers within ourselves. As in the story of Jericho, we break down walls that separate and isolate individuals and give rise to emotional freedom.
Co-creating safe, transformative
correctional spaces and communities.
Board of Directors
Click on pictures for individual profiles.
Elder Advisory Council
Click on pictures for individual profiles.
The Elder Advisory Council provides strategic guidance, advocacy, and volunteer support to strengthen the organization’s impact across key areas like fundraising, community engagement, and criminal justice. Comprising experienced elders and experts, they help shape program direction and serve as vital connectors to external partners and resources.
Mark Muhammad
Elder Board Member
James Mosley
Elder Board Member
Sister Ruth Raichle
Elder Board Member
Maureen Letendre
Elder Board Member
Glenn Williams
Elder Board Member
Cai Sorlien
Elder Board Member
Susan Bates
Elder Board Member
Steve Spitzer
Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer
Administration and Program Coordinators
Randy Wessel
Information Technology Consultant & Intensive Project Manager
David Telep
Carl Robinson Program Coordinator (CT)
Maureen Letendre
MCI-Framingham Program Coordinator
Kim Weeter
MCI-Norfolk Program Coordinator
Jonathon Purinton
Maine State Prison Program Coordinator
Susan Bates
FMC Devens Program Coordinator
Vern Ludwig
Expansion Coordinator