Oregon Prison Project

Help Bring Nonviolent Communication Back to More Oregon Prisons The Oregon Prison Project believes that safer communities begin with giving people practical tools to handle conflict differently. For more than 15 years, OPP has brought Nonviolent Communication (NVC)—the approach developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg—to people in Oregon prisons and post-release programs. NVC teaches people to understand themselves and others, communicate honestly, listen with empathy, manage anger and conflict without violence, take responsibility for their actions, and build healthier relationships. This work matters because violence is a learned pattern—and learned patterns can change. Before the pandemic, more than 30 Oregon Prison Project volunteers taught weekly NVC classes in five Oregon prisons and a post-release program, serving more than 200 participants each year. Today, OPP is working to rebuild and exceed that reach. At Oregon State Penitentiary alone, OPP's 48-week program serves more than 100 participants annually, with 75 people currently on the waiting list. OPP also works with people at other Oregon facilities and in post-release programs, helping participants develop skills they can use with fellow incarcerated people, correctional staff, employers, family members, and others in their communities. Your donation helps make this possible. Because OPP is volunteer-run, donations directly support its prison education programs—including educational materials, workbooks, textbooks, and training resources—as well as the training and support of the volunteers who bring this work into Oregon prisons. The impact can extend far beyond the classroom. Participants learn to respond to conflict differently, strengthen their capacity for empathy and accountability, and build skills that can support successful reintegration after incarceration. OPP also trains participants to become peer trainers, helping the skills spread from one person to another. We have an opportunity to invest in something practical: not simply punishment, but the skills people need to build safer relationships and safer communities. Help us bring Nonviolent Communication back to more Oregon prisons—and reach the people who are waiting for it. Every gift helps expand the reach of this work.