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An Interview with David Evans, CGA Alumnus
How did you get involved with CGA? I was working at the prison’s “print shop.” This was my work detail. One of my co-workers, Kane Miller, would take Wednesdays off every week and go to some “literature class.” I thought that was interesting, but I knew they wouldn’t let both of us stay out…
Different Reentry Approaches: Part 1 by Michael Clark
The numbers are clear. Incarceration rates are high (810 per 100,000 as of 2019) and have grown for decades. The number of prisons in each state is growing (1,833 state prisons, 110 federal prisons in 2020 versus 1,584 state prisons, and 84 federal prisons in 2000). The amount of money spent has significantly increased in…
Meet the CGA Interns
Name: Lola Cleavaland (She/Her) School: Emory University Major: Political Science and Economics “I had the pleasure of interning for Common Good Atlanta for almost two years while studying at Emory University. I worked with CGA in multiple capacities as a peer tutor in the classroom and an assistant site director researching pedagogy in prison classrooms.…
Words Matter by Patrick Rodriguez
“Put your hands behind your back!” “Stop right there, inmate!” “Everyone on the ground!” “You have 3 minutes to eat. Hurry up! Let’s go!” “Wake up. It’s time to go to court!” “I have Mr. Rodriguez here for the crimes listed. Mr. Rodriguez, were you using those drugs? Mr. Rodriguez, were you selling those drugs?”…
Path Toward Peace by Michael Clark
One of the first questions people ask me when they find out I went to prison is: “How did you feel when you got out?” I often wonder if people expect me to tell them how great I felt about my newfound freedom. But the truth is my first year out of prison was quite…
The Post-Pandemic Path by Michael Clark
It is with immense honor and gratitude that I find myself writing this column for the community that has supported and become a second family to me over the past year. My journey with Common Good Atlanta started last year after I applied and got rejected from the college I previously attended. I wanted to…
Congratulations Class of 2020!
On March 4, 2021, the team and faculty of Common Good Atlanta gathered via Zoom to honor and celebrate the participants and graduates of the 2020 Clemente Course in the Humanities at Metro Reentry Facility. Before the guests joined in on the event, the graduates were patiently seated, dressed in their caps and gowns in…
COMMON GOOD ALUMNI FEATURED IN POETRY MAGAZINE
The February 2021 issue of Poetry Magazine is dedicated to poetry + art by incarcerated people, formerly incarcerated people, and families, loved ones and educators. This new issue features poems written by three Common Good Atlanta alumni, Janine Solursh, Jennifer Demott, and Pam Cochran. Read More FORGOTTEN PORTRAITS BY JANINE SOLURSH Suddenly nobody knows where…
Seeking Friendly Justice: A Response to Mary Sharif’s Aristotle Courses
According to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, justice is associated with the people who are just. Aristotle’s philosophy asks readers to consider what friendship looks like and how friendliness affects both our reasoning and our sense of social equality. At the same time, friendship allows us to answer an unconventional but civil question: are we friendly advocates…
Lifer’s Graduation Speech
By Jason, Common Good Atlanta student How do you explain the casual way in which you threw away your life? Answering that question honestly took years of struggling with my own failings. It was not easy, and I did not enjoy it. But I had to. That was the question I had to answer for…
