Thinking
Understanding how the prison system is different in Georgia
Fifty years ago many criminologists were questioning if prisons were a thing of the past because rates of incarceration where at a historic low and had been declining for many years. The average incarceration rate during the first part of the 20th century was one-tenth of one percent of the population. But as we know…
Read MoreReflections on Kelly Gissendaner
On the morning of Friday January 23, 2015, I and Reforming Arts volunteer, Katherine Perry, walked into our poetry classroom at Lee Arrendale State Prison and were greeted by the words, “they are going to kill Kelly on February 10th.” Our students did not have time to say hello, they needed to know if we…
Read More“911, Where is your Emergency?”
I have spent countless hours over the past eleven years asking that question. I work as a shift supervisor for a small emergency services agency in northwest Georgia that serves a community of about 80,000 people. Often people associate my job with a constant barrage of structure fires, armed robberies, six car pile ups with…
Read MorePerspective
There is nothing like a healthy dose of perspective. It is so easy for me to take for granted all of the privileges that make up my daily life. For example, I have endless choices of what to eat at restaurants or buy at the grocery store; the freedom to decide where I want to…
Read MoreImprovisation
Improvisation. The theatrical art of flying without a net. An art form that necessitates trust, support, and a need to tear down all of one’s figurative and emotional walls. Needless to say, I was nervous about attending the drama class at Arrendale State Prison before my first day. I had absolutely no idea what I…
Read MoreBeing Present
Then it was time to settle, time for a brief talk about alignment and posture. But technical perfection was not the goal of the day. Physical and sensory engagement was. So I moved and they followed and talking was kept to a minimum. It was a joy to look out on the group and see…
Read MoreSpending More on Prisons than Education
I came across an article today that list 10 states that spend more on prisons than education. Although I was not surprised that Georgia was on the list, as well as the usual suspects such as California and New York. I was surprised by a few of the states that were included, and a few…
Read MoreBeing Seen
The rusty cracking sound of the gate opening to reveal the sinuous desolation of prison territory was not a new endeavor. Only a small amount of time has elapsed since I last left these women laughing and witnessing each other in the imaginal realm of the theatre. The scene is the same as before, as…
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