By John Ungerleider, Ed.D., and Melissa (Mel) Dawson, MFT
Successful reentry requires more than vocational training and release planning. Many incarcerated people also need opportunities to develop the interpersonal skills, emotional awareness and accountability that support long-term success after release. At Southern State Correctional Facility (SSCF), restorative reentry education programs seek to build those skills while fostering a more positive environment inside the institution.
Building community inside prison
On a Friday afternoon in the SSCF gymnasium, 15 men gather in a circle for a call-and-response song: “Everywhere I look…(Everywhere I look)...I see a brother there…(I see a brother there).”
They are preparing for the first public performance of their music group. One of the songs was written by a participant. As they rehearse, they encourage one another, build confidence and take pride in performing together.
Nearby, other participants are cleaning up after the quilting group. Several have come directly from poetry group, where they shared original work. Throughout the afternoon, the atmosphere is focused, supportive and collaborative.
SSCF Volunteer Coordinator Anthony “Gio” Giordano, recipient of the 2025 Department of Corrections Public Service Recognition Award, describes many of the men who participate as “high performers” — individuals committed to making productive use of their time in prison and preparing for successful reentry. Although participation is voluntary, the benefits extend beyond those directly involved. Participants practice communication, accountability and healthy social interaction that improve the institutional environment while developing skills that will serve them after release.
“These groups change the whole atmosphere in here. We go about things differently. As soon as they call us over on the loudspeaker, people in our group look at each other. It’s a shared experience where people can dig deep instead of staying on the surface.” — B
Building community before release
Greater Falls Community Justice Center (GFCJC), like many community justice centers, operates Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSAs) that assist formerly incarcerated individuals during their first year after release. Those circles can begin during the final six months of incarceration, creating continuity between institutional programming and community reintegration.
The organization is also expanding restorative reentry education programs designed to strengthen healthy relationships, improve communication and establish positive social patterns before release.
“Socializing is not easy in here, and group is another avenue to do that in a healthy way. There’s a lot of bad interaction. This is the most helpful thing in here — having real-life interactions, not just prison interactions.” — C
Melissa “Mel” Dawson, GFCJC’s lead facilitator at SSCF and a former family therapist, has watched the program evolve over the past several years. “Three years ago, we started doing restorative justice training at the facility, and that grew into grief circles, peer reentry circles where we teach skills for living in community, and Radical Accountability Dialogue. That program came directly from the men themselves and focuses on taking real accountability for the harm they’ve caused. I also lead a music class, and together we’ve written songs about accountability and redemption.”
Correctional staff have noticed the difference. “I can tell the difference since Mel has been coming here. The guys are different, and it makes my job easier,” said a correctional officer.
Why restorative reentry education matters
Restorative justice focuses on recognizing the harm caused by crime, addressing the needs created by that harm and encouraging accountability while restoring dignity, trust and healthy relationships. Restorative reentry education builds on those principles by helping participants develop the interpersonal skills needed for successful reintegration. [1, 2]
Programs are conducted using restorative circles, where participants speak one at a time in a structured format designed to encourage inclusion, respectful listening and equal participation.
The broader goal is to strengthen skills that research has associated with successful reentry, including: [3]
- Emotional regulation
- Healthy communication
- Reading social cues
- Maintaining healthy relationships
- Creative problem-solving
- Seeking positive support
- Personal accountability
These “soft” skills are reinforced through group discussions, one-on-one coaching, reflective exercises and arts-based programming that explores grief, trauma, accountability and personal growth.
1. Reentry support
A weekly reentry support group gives participants a place to discuss their goals, frustrations and plans for returning to the community. Men share challenges, identify barriers and receive practical guidance from both facilitators and peers. Individual coaching complements the group sessions by helping participants refine release plans and strengthen communication with caseworkers and probation officers.
“I hadn’t been part of a group in 30 years, and this has helped me open up. I never would have done that without group.” — J
Rather than focusing only on release logistics, these sessions encourage participants to think critically about the relationships, habits and support systems they will need after incarceration.
2. Peer restorative circles
Participants who have completed restorative justice training help facilitate weekly peer circles alongside Dawson and Marie Py of Interaction. Together, they explore topics that challenge participants to examine their beliefs, behaviors and relationships.
Discussions include:
- Accountability
- Healthy masculinity
- Anger management
- Emotional support
- Prosocial behavior
- Boundary setting
- Conflict resolution
- Respectful relationships
The restorative circle structure encourages every participant to speak and listen with equal respect, creating opportunities to practice the communication skills needed both inside prison and after release.
“I used to sit in the back of the room and never participate, but somehow the group leaders changed that. Accountability wasn’t something I believed in. I was always pointing at someone else. Now I see my part in what happened. I’ve learned to respond instead of react.” — G
Participants say the experience helps rebuild trust while preparing them for life beyond prison.
“I was in the first prison circle, and it became a wonderful transition when I was released three months later and found myself with very little support.” — W
3. Trauma-informed grief circles
Many participants enter prison carrying unresolved grief and trauma. Dawson facilitates trauma-informed grief circles that help men understand how unprocessed loss may influence emotions, relationships and decision-making.
The groups examine how many men are conditioned to suppress grief, often expressing it through anger or other unhealthy coping mechanisms. Participants learn healthier ways to recognize, process and communicate difficult emotions.
“The work with Mel has changed my life. I’ve been in some very dark places, and the techniques she taught me will stay with me for the rest of my life. She also gave me permission to talk about traumas I’d carried silently for most of my life.” — J
Listening to others’ experiences also helps participants develop empathy and strengthen their ability to support one another.
“This group has helped me process my emotions and grief and improve my mental health. We simply call it men’s group.” — T
4. Radical Accountability Dialogue (RAD)
One of the program’s most intensive offerings is Radical Accountability Dialogue (RAD), a peer-led group for men whose offenses resulted in the loss of life. The program grew organically from the peer circles, where participants expressed a desire to explore accountability at a deeper level.
Working alongside Dawson and Py, participants developed the RAD model themselves. Members voluntarily challenge and support one another while confronting the full impact of the harm they caused.
“Today, one man in the RAD group was able to tell the story of taking a life — something he had never shared before,” said Py. “It’s incredibly difficult to show up and be that vulnerable. Sometimes quilting or playing guitar brings people into the circles where these remarkable transformations happen, for them and for us.”
Participants emphasize that accountability is not simply acknowledging responsibility for a crime. It involves understanding the lasting impact on victims, families and communities while committing to meaningful personal change.
“This group has helped me explore who I am, who I want to become and how to grapple with my past. It’s teaching me to live with guilt while still living with purpose.” — Q
The discussions also prepare participants to complete the accountability statements required for admission into Vermont Department of Corrections Risk Intervention Services programming.
Another participant described the program this way:
“I’ve learned the only way we can heal is through true accountability. I’ll never have access to my victims, and they may never want to speak with me. But I don’t want to forget what I’ve done. I want to make amends by living a life that helps others, both here and after I’m released.” — A
5. Arts programs: Poetry, music and quilting
Creative expression is woven throughout the restorative reentry education program. Poetry, music and quilting provide participants with opportunities to reflect, collaborate and communicate in ways that complement the more structured restorative justice programming.
Poetry
Each month, poet and editor Mike Fleming facilitates a poetry workshop where participants read original work aloud. The sessions encourage creativity while giving participants an opportunity to share deeply personal experiences in a supportive setting.
One participant reflected on the freedom found through writing:
I’m always free. My mind takes me anywhere I want to go.
I have a pen, four walls and a door to my cell...
I can be there in my mind anytime I want to come or go…
Freedom to write. I don’t even have to be polite. Free to choose the words I use. —H
Another explored the burden of living with a criminal record:
Records play, records spin, they go round and round to play again.
A scratch, a skip, a crack, a chip are things across a record skin.
Moments held and minutes traced, I wish this record would erase or break.
Am I this piece of paper that holds all my mistakes?...
This is one record I won’t allow to start over, or resurface.
I’m not a man with a record but one with a purpose. —N
Music
The music group is open to anyone in the facility’s general population. Led by Dawson and musician Ben Carr, participants learn basic music theory, rhythm and call-and-response singing while collaborating on original songs and performances.
The emphasis is not musical perfection but shared participation and teamwork.
“I look forward to music class all week. It’s the only time I truly feel free to express myself.” — M
One participant adapted the melody of the sea shanty “Wellerman” into an original song about hope and redemption. Its chorus later became part of the prison quilt project:
Hear, hear the convict’s cry
The spirit that will never die
A freedom that no gold can buy
The dream we can’t let go. — Q
Quilting
The Prison Quilt Project gives participants another creative outlet while connecting the prison community with the broader public. Rather than producing traditional quilts, participants create a large collaborative artwork using bold colors and individual imagery.
The completed quilt has been displayed in libraries and museums before returning to SSCF, accompanied by a recording of the group’s original song.
One participant described his contribution:
“I painted a phoenix breaking free from captivity and emerging in full glory. That’s my hope for all of us. The burning feathers spread across the quilt, connecting everyone’s pieces in a shared vision of transformation and freedom.” — O
The quilting, poetry and music programs provide more than artistic expression. Together, they create opportunities for participants to build trust, practice communication and experience positive peer relationships in ways that reinforce the broader goals of restorative reentry education.
Creating a culture that supports successful reentry
At Southern State Correctional Facility, Greater Falls Community Justice Center facilitators work alongside correctional staff to create a comprehensive approach to reentry preparation. The programming combines restorative justice, peer support, grief work and creative expression to help participants strengthen the personal and interpersonal skills needed for life after release.
The work also appears to influence daily life inside the facility. Participants describe stronger relationships with peers, greater emotional awareness and a renewed sense of purpose. Correctional staff report a more positive atmosphere and improved interactions among participants.
Ultimately, the men who choose to participate are investing in more than their release plans. They are working to better understand the harm they caused, develop healthier ways of relating to others and contribute positively to their prison community while preparing for life beyond incarceration.
Whether through restorative circles, accountability work, grief processing or creative expression, each program shares a common goal: helping participants build the skills, relationships and sense of responsibility that support lasting reintegration.
References
- Zehr H. The Little Book of Restorative Justice. Good Books; 2015.
- Evans K, Vaandering D. The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education. Good Books; 2022.
- Zhang R, et al. Successful Reentry: A Community-Level Analysis. Harvard Institute of Politics Criminal Justice Policy Group; 2019.
About the authors
John Ungerleider, Ed.D., is director of the Greater Falls Community Justice Center. He has led domestic violence accountability and parenting programs for men, restorative practices initiatives in schools and youth peacebuilding programs in the United States and internationally. He previously taught peace and conflict studies at several universities and has written extensively about dialogue and conflict resolution.
Melissa (Mel) Dawson, MFT, leads restorative justice and reentry programs at Southern State Correctional Facility. A family therapist for more than 20 years, she specializes in trauma-informed care, restorative practices and grief work. Dawson is committed to helping individuals restore dignity, accountability and healthy relationships while preparing for successful reintegration into their communities.
The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent Southern State Correctional Facility or the Vermont Department of Corrections.