Biography
Gregory Joseph Marcinski was born on December 2, 1976, on a snowy morning in New York City. His early childhood was spent in Greenwich Village, where he lived with his parents, Gregory and Christine, in a small apartment near Washington Square Park. After several years, the family moved across the Hudson River to Jersey City when his father found work in Hoboken. Gregory spent most of the 1980s there and attended Catholic school.
By the early 1990s, life grew more difficult. His father lost his job, and the family relocated to a cramped one-bedroom apartment in North Bergen. Home life was already turbulent, marked by parental struggles with addiction and constant conflict. In 1993, hoping to escape the chaos, Gregory moved in with his paternal grandparents. His grandmother Josephine was warm and nurturing, but his grandfather John was a strict, temperamental man. In trying to flee one troubled environment, Gregory found himself in another.
Seeking independence, Gregory moved to Brick Township, New Jersey. There, he worked, began college, and volunteered with the local First Aid and Fire Company. He earned his Emergency Medical Technician credentials from Jersey Shore University Medical Center. By the late 1990s, he had launched a small business recharging toner cartridges and selling office equipment, later expanding into computer networking for small businesses. Outwardly, he was building a future, but inwardly he struggled with immaturity, low self-esteem, anger, and depression.
On April 18, 2000, Gregory was arrested and sent to Kentucky for arraignment. He remained there in limbo for nearly a year. During this period, U.S. politics shifted with the election of President George W. Bush and the appointment of Attorney General John Ashcroft, who expanded use of the federal death penalty. To avoid facing capital charges in two trials, Gregory pled guilty in New Jersey and, in March 2002, received his sentence. The following month he began serving time at USP Lewisburg in Pennsylvania.
Prison life was harsh. Gregory endured multiple assaults, eventually spending 14 months in solitary confinement for his own protection. In 2004, he entered the CODE residential program at USP Allenwood, where a chief psychologist recognized his potential and recommended him for transfer to the Habilitation Program at FCI Butner in North Carolina. There, Gregory thrived. He completed the program in 2006 and later transferred to FCI Fairton in New Jersey. After another transfer to USP Canaan, where he again faced violence, he was moved to FCI Otisville in September 2007, where he remains to this day.
At Otisville, Gregory has turned his years into a story of growth and service. He serves as lay leader of his faith community, teaching classes and leading services when clergy are absent. He has taught GED preparation, Latin, and other subjects, and earned a Department of Labor apprenticeship as a Teacher’s Aide. He facilitates the Victim Impact Program and serves as a Mental Health and Suicide Watch Companion.
Education remains central to his journey. Gregory earned an Advanced Catechist Certificate from Catholic Distance University in 2025. He is also a B.A. candidate in sociology at Adams State University and currently studying journalism through the Prison Journalism Project. His reporting and storytelling earned him the Stillwater Award for Best News in 2025.
Gregory has also been instrumental in creating opportunities for others: he helped establish a Toastmasters Gavel Club, a Legion of Mary Praesidium, and a Patrician Society, serving in officer roles and currently as president and chairman. His professional memberships include the National Association of Parliamentarians, the Electronics Technician Association – International, and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Gregory’s efforts have been recognized with three letters of commendation from wardens, multiple Toastmasters awards, and numerous certificates of appreciation. More importantly, his years of teaching, leadership, and service reflect a hard-won transformation. From turbulent beginnings and painful missteps, Gregory has built a life of purpose defined by faith, education, and a commitment to giving back more than he once took away.
