Prison Of Peace

TO REDUCE VIOLENCE AND PROMOTE PEACEFUL CONFLICT RESOLUTION AMONG PRISON INMATES.

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021 THE ORGANIZATION OPERATED THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:SKILLS WORKSHOPSDESIGN: ALL PRISON OF PEACE WORKSHOPS ARE INTENSE AND HIGHLY INTERACTIVE, ENGAGING PARTICIPANTS IN DISCUSSIONS OF THEORY AND CONCEPT, TEACHING THEM NEW SKILLS, AND GUIDING THEM IN THE PRACTICE OF ENGAGING OTHERS IN THE APPLICATION OF THE SKILLS AND PROCESSES TAUGHT.I.CIRCLE KEEPER WORKSHOP(PREREQUISITE TO PEACEMAKER WORKSHOP)THIS FOUNDATIONAL WORKSHOP PROVIDES PARTICIPANTS WITH AN INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY/CONCEPTS OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, AS WELL AS INTENSIVE SKILL BUILDING IN THE USE OF ACTIVE LISTENING, AND THE PRACTICE OF PEACE CIRCLES AS A TOOL FOR COMMUNITY BUILDING, AS WELL AS A METHOD FOR INTERVENTION IN TIMES OF CONFLICT. IT IS DESIGNED TO BE A 16-HOUR WORKSHOP, WHICH CAN BE BROKEN UP INTO 4 MODULES IN ORDER TO ALLOW FOR SCHEDULING THAT FITS THE NEEDS OF THE PARTICIPANT GROUPS.RESTORATIVE JUSTICE: THE FIRST PART OF THIS WORKSHOP TAKES PARTICIPANTS THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PRINCIPLES, PROVIDING THEM A FRAMEWORK FOR BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF THEIR VICTIMS AND PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HARM THEY HAVE CAUSED.ACTIVE LISTENING: THE SECOND PART OF THIS WORKSHOP PROVIDES PARTICIPANTS WITH IN DEPTH LESSONS AND INTENSIVE PRACTICE IN THE SKILLS OF ACTIVE LISTENING. WE CONSIDER LISTENING TO BE THE MASTER SKILL OF COMMUNICATION. WHEN AT LEAST ONE PERSON IS LISTENING WELL, MISUNDERSTANDINGS GET CLEARED UP, RELATIONSHIPS ARE ENERGIZED, AND TIME IS SAVED. LISTENING IMPROVES ANY BUSINESS INTERACTION, WHETHER YOU'RE SETTING MILESTONES ON AN IMPORTANT PROJECT, GIVING TOUGH FEEDBACK, OR HELPING SOMEONE SOLVE PROBLEMS. BECAUSE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL TO CONSTRUCTIVE PERSONAL INTERACTIONS, THIS MODULE PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR THE PRISON OF PEACE PROGRAM.PEACE CIRCLES: THE FINAL PART OF THIS WORKSHOP, DONE ALMOST WHOLLY THROUGH THE USE OF THE PEACE CIRCLE MODEL, GUIDES PARTICIPANTS THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE CIRCLE PROCESS, TRAINS THEM IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUERIES AROUND CONCEPTS AND VALUES AS A FOUNDATION FOR ENHANCED COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECTFUL/NON-JUDGMENTAL ACCEPTANCE OF DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES.II.PEACEMAKER WORKSHOP I (ESSENTIAL PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS EPSS)(PREREQUISITE TO PEACEMAKER WORKSHOP II)BUILDING ON THE SKILLS LEARNED IN THE CIRCLE KEEPER WORKSHOP, THIS WORKSHOP IS DESIGNED TO BE AN 8-HOUR WORKSHOP, WHICH CAN BE BROKEN UP INTO 2 MODULES, OVER 2 OR 4 SESSIONS, IN ORDER TO ALLOW FOR SCHEDULING THAT FITS THE NEEDS OF THE PARTICIPANT GROUPS.AGREEMENTS: AGREEMENTS FORM THE BASIS OF A PRODUCTIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIP. WHEN AGREEMENTS ARE CLEARLY IN PLACE, PEOPLE KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO WORK SUCCESSFULLY WITH EACH OTHER AND ARE COMMITTED TO DOING SO.WHEN AGREEMENTS BREAK DOWN, SO DO RELATIONSHIPS AND THE END RESULTS. THIS MODULE GIVES PARTICIPANTS THE CHANCE TO DEVELOP SKILLS IN PLANNING, LEADING, AND FOLLOWING UP ON AGREEMENT DISCUSSIONS WITH PEERS, TEAM MEMBERS, MANAGERS, AND EMPLOYEES.RESULTS-BASED LISTENING: PROBLEMS AND ISSUES THAT INTERFERE WITH INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY ARISE ON A DAILY BASIS. IN TRYING TO DEAL WITH THESE SITUATIONS ON THEIR OWN, PEOPLE OFTEN GET STUCK AND LOOK TO OTHERS TO HELP DEFINE THE PROBLEM AND RESOLVE IT. RESULTS-BASED LISTENING IS A CONSULTING PROCESS THAT HELPS PEOPLE TO EFFICIENTLY AND CLEARLY DEFINE PROBLEMS AND DEVELOP SOLUTIONS WITH INTERNAL CUSTOMERS, MANAGERS, SUPPLIERS, PEERS, REPORTS, AND OTHERS. THE GOAL IS TO SOLVE THE RIGHT PROBLEM WITH THE RIGHT SOLUTIONTHE FIRST TIME.III.PEACEMAKER WORKSHOP II (PREREQUISITE TO MEDIATION SKILLS WORKSHOP)BUILDING ON THE SKILLS LEARNED IN THE PEACEMAKER I WORKSHOP, THIS WORKSHOP IS ALSO DESIGNED TO BE AN 8-HOUR WORKSHOP, WHICH CAN BE BROKEN UP INTO 2 MODULES, OVER 2 OR 4 SESSIONS, IN ORDER TO ALLOW FOR SCHEDULING THAT FITS THE NEEDS OF THE PARTICIPANT GROUPS. ONCE PARTICIPANTS BECOME COMFORTABLE WITH THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF PROBLEM-SOLVING, THEY ARE PREPARED TO WORK ON UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS AND THEIR TRIGGERS, IN ORDER TO LEARN HOW TO ENGAGE IN THE PROCESS OF REPROGRAMMING TRIGGER RESPONSES, ALLOWING FOR RESPONSIVE CHOICES, RATHER THAN REACTIVE BEHAVIORS. MANAGING STRONG EMOTIONS: CONFLICT AND THE STRONG EMOTION THAT COMES WITH IT ARE INEVITABLE. WHEN PEOPLE MANAGE CONFLICT WELL, THE ENERGY THEYVE HARNESSED CAN LEAD TO A NEW OUTLOOK ON PROBLEMS AND TO CREATIVE SOLUTIONS. WHEN ITS NOT WELL MANAGED, CONFLICT CAN BLOCK RESULTS, LOWER PRODUCTIVITY, AND ERODE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS. IN THE EXTREME, CONFLICT LEAVES PERMANENT INTERPERSONAL SCARS THAT IN TURN CAN HANDICAP PERFORMANCE FOR YEARS TO COME. IN LEARNING TO UNDERSTAND THE STRONG EMOTION INVOLVED IN CONFLICT, PEOPLE BEGIN TO HARNESS THEIR ABILITY TO MAKE CHOICES REGARDING THOSE EMOTIONS TO CHANGE THE OUTCOMES OF CONFLICT.USING PEACE CIRCLES FOR MORAL RE-ENGAGEMENT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION: MORAL DISENGAGEMENT IS AN UNCONSCIOUS PRACTICE THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO JUSTIFY THEIR BEHAVIOR. THIS MODULE INTRODUCES PARTICIPANTS TO THE CONCEPTS OF MORAL DISENGAGEMENT, SHOWS HOW IT HAPPENS AND TEACHES METHODS FOR THE MORAL RE-ENGAGEMENT OF OTHERS. FINALLY, PARTICIPANTS LEARN SPECIFIC STEPS FOR ENGAGING THEIR PEERS IN PEACE CIRCLES TO EXPLORE THIS CONCEPT, AS WELL AS USING THE PEACE CIRCLE PROCESS FOR RESOLVING CONFLICT.IV.MEDIATION SKILLS WORKSHOPTHE MEDIATION SKILLS WORKSHOP (32 HOURS) BUILDS ON THE SKILLS TAUGHT IN OUR CIRCLE KEEPER AND PEACEMAKER WORKSHOPS. TOGETHER, THESE FOUR WORKSHOPS QUALIFY AS A FULL BASIC MEDIATION TRAINING, WHICH IS QUICKLY BECOMING THE NATIONAL STANDARD.DESIGN: UNLIKE ANY OTHER MEDIATION TRAINING PROGRAM, WE HAVE SEPARATED THE TRAINING OF THE FIRST-PERSON (LISTENING, EPSS AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE) AND THIRD-PERSON (IMPARTIAL INTERVENTION) SKILLS. THIS STRUCTURE ALLOWS PARTICIPANTS TO PRACTICE AND ASSIMILATE THE FIRST-PERSON SKILLS AS PERSONAL DAILY HABITS IN THEIR COMMUNICATIONS AND DEALINGS WITH OTHERS BEFORE EXPECTING THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO APPLY THEM IN A THIRD-PERSON SETTING AS A NEUTRAL.CONTENT: THIS SKILLS WORKSHOP TAKES PARTICIPANTS THROUGH A WELL-DEFINED SIX-STAGE PROCESS IN UNDERSTANDING AND CONDUCTING MEDIATION FROM BEGINNING TO END, USING PRACTICAL INFORMATION AND RELEVANT INTERACTIVE SCENARIOS WHICH INTRODUCE PARTICIPANTS TO VARIOUS POTENTIAL OUTCOMES AT EVERY STEP IN THE PROCESS. IN ADDITION, THIS WORKSHOP COVERS THE VARIOUS SKILLS NEEDED BY MEDIATORS, INCLUDING REFRESHERS ON THE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES LEARNED IN OUR PREREQUISITE WORKSHOPS, AS WELL AS DISCUSSIONS REGARDING ETHICAL CONDUCT OF MEDIATORS AND EXPLANATIONS OF INTEREST-BASED CONFLICT RESOLUTION DESIGNED TO ADDRESS THE DEEP NEEDS AND INJUSTICES UNDERLYING CONFLICT.