Prison of Peace

About Prison of Peace

Prison of Peace is an award-winning non-profit organization that trains life and long-term incarcerated people in maximum security prisons to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. Our goal is to transform the mindset of individuals from serving a life sentence to a life of service. Prison of Peace was founded in 2009 by Doug Noll and Laural Kaufer, working with inmates at Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla, California. As of 2021, 3500+ have graduated from Prison of Peace programs with 700 released from custody. It is currently offered in 14 jail facilities in California and one in Connecticut. Internationally, our colleagues are operating Prison of Peace in Italy and Greece. Before participating in the program, 60% of prisoners reported having low communication skills, and 73% reported an inability to manage strong emotions. After participating in the program, 95% reported having high communication skills, 84% reported a significantly enhanced ability to manage strong emotions and 99% reported that the workshop introduced them to new skills for use in solving problems or conflicts in their lives and/or communication. Prison of Peace is designed to equip individuals to rediscover their humanity, become aware of their own emotions, and begin to understand and reflect the emotions of others. In learning peace-making and mediation skills, individuals are taught how people evade personal accountability and how to morally re-engage those who have become morally disengaged. As a by-product, many inmates have re-engaged themselves, consciously reflecting on and aligning their actions to moral values, principles and ethical standards. We’ve also seen a reduction in violence within the prison communities we have worked with, and personal arguments have reportedly reduced in quantity and intensity, with many being averted.

View contact profiles from Prison of Peace