One young man nailed it:\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re already working together \u2014\u00a0we\u2019re working together to do evil. Give us a good enough reason and we can work together to do good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nBasically we’ve got these kids on lockdown because of poor behavior and then we\u2019re expecting them to behave better. When they don\u2019t, they rarely if ever get back the privileges they lost and more is taken away, so the\u00a0 issues remain or oftentimes get even worse. Kids are restless and get in trouble when they have nothing to do, and these escalating problems are taxing a severely understaffed system and fueling more violence.<\/p>\n
This is a brand-new approach. If they show us they can do positive things, good things will happen for them and they can earn privileges back. Maybe it’s pizza. Or hygiene products like lotion. Or the return of their state-issued tablets.\u00a0I tell them I can’t promise them everything, but I do commit that I will fight for them and work with the warden on their behalf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“How do we know you’re going to come back,” one asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch what I do more than what I say,\u201d I replied.\u00a0I had only known him for ten minutes and this teen was already struggling with abandonment issues and experiencing separation anxiety. No one has ever come through for many of these kids.<\/p>\n
The contract I signed with the DJJ is for the next year, and I then will be working with centers across Georgia where about 1,000 kids are currently locked ups.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re coming home one day soon. The question is, in what shape will they return?<\/p>\n
\u201cThis needs to be in every state prison and I\u2019m going to push the governor to make that happen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nAs I watched the lawmakers before me nod their heads and say things like the above, I was moved and energized thinking about the possibilities ahead. They were embracing what I had been building and teaching \u2014 it gave me so much hope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was testifying before a Georgia House committee looking at the Georgia Department of Corrections, talking about the “Punishment vs. Reward” model for prison reform and was so encouraged by their engagement and response.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t just validation. We have a real shot.\u00a0“I\u2019m going to push to get this program throughout the state,” said one lawmaker.\u00a0This is support, not just acknowledgement.\u00a0<\/p>\nThere have been times when I wondered why I didn’t quit, why I was doing this.<\/p>\n
I’m so glad I didn’t.<\/p>\n
Let’s do this thing. It’s time.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/image.png” title_text=”image” _builder_version=”4.11.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DJJ embraces POPP programs; testimony inspires lawmakers’ support\u00a0 What a tremendous time for the Power of Peace Project. Under a twelve-month agreement with the\u00a0Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), I’ll be working in Georgia’s toughest\u00a0 juvenile facility\u00a0for the next year.\u00a0Commissioner Tyrone Oliver and members of the board of the DJJ voiced support for our “Reward over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"
On Sunday Jan 10th, 2016, Kit was invited to take part in the festivities at the King Center for Nonviolence in Atlanta to honor Dr. King\u2019s 87th birthday. Kit\u2019s latest release Peace \u201cBehind the Wire: A Nonviolent Resolution\u201d was featured and the King Center held a book signing for Kit, along with Dr. Bernice King\u2019s latest book release. The Power of Peace Project was discussed on a special panel in Freedom Hall and other King family members also participated. The King Center now carries \u201cPeace Behind the Wire\u201d in their bookstore. The Dream Lives and the March Continues.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-page-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26393"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26402,"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26393\/revisions\/26402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitcummings.com\/beta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}