Susan Russo was incarcerated in California’s Valley State Prison for Women with a sentence of life with no possibility of parole. But she had a vision for help in making the prison a place of peace. She wrote countless letters to various community mediators until Laurel Kaufer got a letter. She showed it to her colleague Doug Noll, and the two of them began an intensive education program inside California prisons to teach communication and conflict transformation skills and develop mediation leaders within the prison population.
Prison of Peace has expanded to 5 correction facilities in California. Over 500 Peacemakers and Mediators have graduated from the course, engaging over 15,000 fellow inmates in various peacemaking and mediation processes. Over 125 graduates have been released from custody with a 0% recidivism rate.
The program begins intentionally with those with long-term sentences, with preference given to those sentenced to life with no parole. This both transforms some of the hardest participants and develops a leadership core that will be around for a long time. They progress with intensive 12 to 18-week courses through levels from Peacemaker to Mediator to Mentor to Certified Trainer. “This is an environment filled with conflict and violence. There is a dire need and want for change,” said Susan Russo, “Mediation interests all of us because we are lifers and long-termers hoping to make a difference in teaching our peers that there is a better way.”
Click here to visit the Prison of Peace website for a fuller description of their work and impact.
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