OPP uses a custom-designed NVC Education Program curriculum designed to help prison and post-release program participants:
- Develop empathic understanding of themselves and others
- Identify needs and make non-violent requests
- Increase self-respect and confidence
- Express anger and other emotions non-violently
- Develop effective life skills (managing perceptions, making effective decisions, and communicating in positive ways), and
- Foster positive relationships with correctional staff, service providers, family members, and employers
Specialized classes at Oregon State Penitentiary also prepare inmates for meeting with victims seeking restorative justice, meeting with parole boards, and other transition topics.
Program Calendar
In most of OPP’s locations, NVC classes are offered year-round.
The program we offer at Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) is a 15-month long program comprised of four 12-week quarters beginning in mid-September, January, and April. A new cohort begins each quarter. There are one- to two-week breaks between quarters in December and late March, and a 3-month break from mid-June until mid-September. Peer Trainers participate in dedicated Teacher Training classes for 3 to 4 weeks during the month of July. At OSP there are no regular classes in July, August, or early September.