Community Partners in Action Celebrates 150 Years

Community Partners in Action (CPA), one of the nation’s oldest criminal justice organizations, proudly marks its 150th anniversary in 2025. Founded on January 30, 1875, as the Prisoner’s Friends’ Society (PFS), and later known as the Connecticut Prison Association, CPA has been a driving force for change, dedicated to improving lives and transforming the criminal justice system.

To mark the milestone year, CPA has planned several events, including Reentry Resource Fairs in Hartford and Waterbury in April, the Celebrate! CPA Prison Arts 2025, Inspiring Hope Gala at Hartford’s Society Room on September 18, the 25th Annual Reentry Halloween Spooktacular Brunch, and the Annual Meeting in December at the Pond House Cafe in West Hartford. 

Established in response to the harsh treatment and deplorable conditions at the Wethersfield State Prison, CPA’s founders included Charles Dudley Warner, co-owner of the Hartford Courant, with Mark Twain serving as an advisor. Together, they co-authored The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, reflecting their shared commitment to social reform.

When the Prisoner’s Friends‘ Society was formed, it was one of only five states in which an association had been founded specifically to provide services to adult prison inmates. It’s Articles of Association contained five “objects” or goals for the organization:

• To benefit society by the reformation of criminals,
• To assist prisoners in the work of self-reform,
• To promote reformatory systems of Prison Management,
• To aid discharged convicts in living honorably, and
• To cooperate in the repression of crime.

We ask the community to join us in making a lasting impact—whether through attending, sponsoring, or supporting any of our milestone events. Together, we can continue the work of offering second chances and creating brighter futures.