Former GCC Executive Director and current GCC Collaborator, John Lash, reflects on his time serving as a Circle Keeper and Restorative Justice educator over the first 5 cohorts of the Principles over Passion Program (PPP) at the Athens Clarke County Jail. PPP is led by Shane Sims, GCC Board Member and People Living in Recovery Executive Director. PPP is a structured 8-week course that supports jail inmates in recovery as they prepare for release as well as offering ongoing support once released. Participants live together in one cell block without oversight from a correctional officer. They participate in workshops ranging from addiction recovery, re-entry planning, artistic expression, workforce readiness, restorative justice and more.

Reflections on our work in 2025 and beyond.

Introduces GCC's partnership with the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities.

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A recent piece from The New Yorker which highlights Leigh Goodmark, a professor at the University of Maryland who advocates for the decriminalization of domestic violence. Though this sounds like a radical position, the article shows statistics that suggest there is merit in an approach that does not involve mass incarceration.

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Schools that implemented Restorative Practices saw a staggering 35% reduction of student arrests in school, and a 15% reduction in out-of-school arrests (the University of Chicago Education lab).

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The Bronx community center is one of 16 organizations in New York City receiving a combined $6.5 million over the next year for programs to bolster public safety using restorative justice — a philosophy that aims to build community and mediate arguments through conversation, rather than through discipline or criminal charges. It’s sometimes used as a way for crime victims and perpetrators to make peace. But it can also be used as a tool to help people feel comfortable having difficult discussions. Some New York City school administrators, court officials and nonprofits are already using restorative justice to mediate disputes.