Tag Archives: Molly Frazier

Snapshot: A Quote a Day Keeps the PLAP Doctor Away

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Today’s “Snapshot” is courtesy of Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP) Project Archivist Molly Frazier.

The more we dig through once-forgotten boxes, the more we see PLAP’s long-standing appreciation for office humor and creative flair. Check out these colorful 4×6 note cards displaying PLAP “Quotes of the Day”. Originally penned in the mid-1980s to add a little color to the office, these student-created quotes spark controversy and poke fun at the prison system, the legal profession, and other hot topics. We’ve selected a smattering of some of our favorites. Let us know what you think, or, if you’re so inclined, keep the tradition alive and share your own!

Our PLAP predecessors definitely had not seen the likes of the new WCC building. Hell, it's definitely not.

Prison Disciplinary Board Members say the darnedest things…

PLAPpers know better than to wear jeans and sneakers into the prisons!

Words to live by…

Cedar Junction, a maximum security prison also known as MCI-Walpole, is "home sweet home" to over 800 male inmates.

Someone in the legal profession must always think on his or her feet…

The King knows how to start a party!

Event: PLAP Reunion and Trip Down Memory Lane

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3Ls Paul Chapman and Brent Boos demonstrate the enduring popularity of facial hair at PLAP

In anticipation of this weekend’s Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP) reunion, Project Archivist Molly Frazier has been digging up treasures from the archive. Next up: pictures and reunion details!

As we’ve explored in recent posts, some things change at PLAP (offices, fashion) while others stay the same (foraging for food, making playlists, sporting beards). Now there’s photographic evidence. Enjoy a few photos from the archive (below) in anticipation of the 40th Anniversary Celebration on April 20 and 21.

We all know that seeing how your classmates have fared (and aged) over the years is one of the key motivating factors for attending a reunion. But more importantly, PLAP’s 40th Anniversary Celebration will be a great opportunity to mingle and network with PLAP alums and current students, check out our new office space, and reminisce about your days at HLS! Here are the details:

Reception & Open House
Fri, Apr 20, 6-8pm
Wasserstein Hall, Caspersen Student Center, Clinical Wing & PLAP Office (Suite 5107)

The Long Road for Prison Justice: PLAP’s Lasting Impact (Panel Discussion)
Sat, Apr 21, 2:15-3:30pm
Austin Hall, Ames Courtroom

For more information, please visit the PLAP website.

1980-81 PLAP Board

PLAP in the classroom

PLAP loves a good house party. This cat, not so much.

Vintage PLAP sign from the 1970s

Snapshot: PLAP Mix Tape from 1991

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Recognize the mix tape’s creator? It's none other than Lisa Dealy, the Assistant Dean of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs, back in her PLAP days!


Today’s “Snapshot” comes from the Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP) archives, which Project Archivist Molly Frazier has been diligently organizing.

While sorting through over 40 years of material, PLAP has uncovered another relic from the dark ages — a PLAP mix tape created in April 1991. A mix tape, you say? How quaint! But, it’s not your typical mix tape, full of gushy love songs. Not unless you consider “Psycho Killer”, “Back on the Chain Gang”, “Fight the Power”, and other warm-and-fuzzy favorites “romantic”. This tape definitely warrants a listen… at a loud volume.

But instead of making limited edition copies to distribute to the rare individuals who still have tape decks, we thought we’d bring music sharing into the 21st century. So, for your listening pleasure, we’ve created a 1991 PLAP playlist on Spotify. Don’t be surprised if you start feeling like going up against the Massachusetts Department of Corrections Disciplinary Board after a few tracks.

Not to be outdone by previous Administrative Director Lisa Dealy (now the Assistant Dean of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs), PLAP’s current Administrative Director Sarah Morton has created a 2012 PLAP playlist on Spotify based on suggestions from 2011-2012 PLAPers. While some things change at PLAP, others stay the same, including a common love of The Clash, Talking Heads, and foraging for free food.

Feeling a little nostalgic? Then don’t forget to save the date for:

PLAP’s 40th Anniversary Celebration – Open House & Reception in WCC
Fri, Apr 20 at 6pm

Panel Conversation
Sat, Apr 21, 2:15-3:30pm

Stay tuned for additional details!

Somehow a photo of a Spotify playlist just isn't the same

Snapshot: PLAP Forages for Food Through the Decades

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PLAP students have been honing the art of finding free food for decades. (Good Timez, 1984)

Today’s “Snapshot” comes from Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP). PLAP is a student practice organization (SPO) at Harvard Law School dedicated to providing legal services to indigent Massachusetts Prisoners. 130 students are participating in PLAP this year, and PLAP students clocked over 3700 pro bono hours during the 2010-2011 school year.

As the part-time Project Archivist for PLAP, Molly Frazier has reviewed and organized 40 years of PLAP office materials. During the process, PLAP treasures – like humorous writings, artwork, photographs, student correspondence, and other colorful snapshots of history – have seen the light of day for the first time in years. It’s clear that when PLAP students weren’t busy answering phones, preparing for cases, visiting prisons and representing prisoners, they were having a little fun as well!

A lot can change in nearly 30 years. Clothing styles. Music tastes. Tuition costs. But it’s good to know that for PLAP students, some things never change. If these excerpts from the 1984 student-produced PLAP newsletter, Good Timez, are any indication, “free food for the mooching” has long been a PLAP priority. And today’s dedicated PLAPers have carried on the tradition with pride. Much needed nourishment can always be found by trolling the hallowed halls of HLS in between classes and activities, the hunt made all the more rewarding in the new Wasserstein Caspersen Student Center. One thing does appear to have changed since 1984 – the quality of foraged food. Students these days are enjoying much more than just the pilfered donut (a recurring theme in Good Timez).

As PLAP’s Internal Relations Coordinator and HLS Free-Food Aficionado Roozbeh Alavi (JD ’13) explains, the art of finding free food is a strategic combination of planning ahead, doing the research, and being in the right place at the right time. Using the Calendar @ Law and past experiences as a guide, Roozbeh can easily determine which HLS events are likely to offer the best food, with minimal commitment. His best advice to students seeking sustenance during study breaks: “Skip the talk; get the food.” What’s not to like about a free lunch?

More musings on free food from the PLAP archives. Plus an invite to pester Daria in her new home. (Good Timez, 1984)