From Conflict to Convergence: Coming Together to Solve Tough Problems

CHAPTER 10Really Hear Everyone

Daren Swenson, vice president at the private prisons provider CoreCivic, and Marc Howard, professor of government and law at Georgetown University and an advocate for prison reform, spoke throughout the series of meetings put together as part of Convergence's Reentry Ready project. They took time to hear more about each other's experiences, focusing on the thing they both wanted: better support for people returning from corrections facilities to their community. Over time, Marc said, “I felt that he seemed committed … [and] that increased to the point where I felt, You know, we're actually on the same page here. We agree.”

When Daren had extended an open invitation to anyone interested in visiting a CoreCivic facility to see how the company looked after the residents, Marc took note. That was something he'd like to do, he thought. So as he planned a trip to Nashville to tour college campuses with his daughter, he got in touch with Daren. “Would it be possible to meet up and potentially visit a facility?” he asked. Daren happily arranged the tour, and he also later asked after Marc's daughter's college applications. They hadn't become close friends, but their mutual trust was growing and leading to an ongoing conversation.

Marc, with the vice dean of Georgetown's business school, had cofounded the Georgetown Pivot Program, a reentry program providing classes and work experience to formerly incarcerated people. After attending a suite of skills-focused, ...