Macon DA’s crime prevention program boasts most graduates yet. How it helps

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R.I.S.E graduates throw their caps in the air at the R.I.S.E graduation on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia. Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard began the Restoring Inspiration by Success in Education initiative in 2022 to support Macon-Bibb County youth impacted by adverse childhood experiences. The number of graduates, or students that completed the program, nearly doubled since 2023.

Credit: Katie Tucker / The Telegraph

This story was originally published Dec. 20.

Dozens of students graduated Thursday under Macon District Attorney Anita R. Howard’s initiative to reduce violence among the youth, which highlighted giving those students a second chance.

The Restoring Inspiration by Success in Education initiative, started by Howard in 2022, has held a growing number of teenagers and children completing their courses since its inception. She says that at the start, only 26 of its students graduated. The following year had 68 graduates and on Thursday, 122 students — which ranged from children to teenagers — graduated from the program.

The event was held at the Macon City Auditorium. 

“Today marks a culmination of a journey, one that wasn’t easy, but one that reflects strength, resilience and unwavering commitment to change,” said the director of R.I.S.E., Jeremy Raines, to the graduates.

Raines says that the knowledge, skills, and experiences the students gain through the R.I.S.E program “will serve as a foundation for everything that lies ahead.”

Before their graduation on Thursday, the students were involved crime in one way or another. Through a court mandate or a referral from their family, they got into the R.I.S.E. program. Some of the graduates were victims of crime. Through teachings and therapy, Raines mentions that they did not just learn what was in textbooks but also life skills, empathy and how to push through adversity.

“The world may try to define you from your past,” Raines told graduates Thursday. “But let me remind you, your future is in your hands. Never let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do.”

Graduates get support from local officials

Bibb County Sheriff David Davis and Mayor Lester Miller offered support for graduates, saying that local officials want to see them succeed in their future.

“I know that each and every one of you are in the R.I.S.E. program because at some point law enforcement was in your life,” said Davis. “And it may or may not been a positive experience, but I want you to know that law enforcement and the sheriff’s offices ... are here to make whatever challenging incident that may have happened in your life a positive.”

Miller briefly shared his professional experience as a law student at Mercer University, working for the district attorney’s office before he got his degree, and practicing law as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney for 30 years.

“I’ve seen folks on both sides of the spectrum,” Miller told the graduates. “Whether we were prosecuting someone for a particular crime, or whether we were defending someone to make sure that we could change their life, it’s all the same.”

Toward the end of his speech, Miller encouraged the graduates to challenge themselves to do great things and dream big. He said Bibb County and the surrounding counties “have the best and brightest students that Georgia has to offer,” but they need to be showcased.

Miller said they need to be given resources, tools and to remove the barriers and give them second chances to succeed.

“Today is your second chance to go on to do bigger and better things,” Miller said. “And we’re going to be there every step of the way.”

‘Focus on becoming your own best friend’

Justice Verda Colvin, from the Georgia Supreme Court, spoke before the graduates were given their diplomas and gave them guidance for their life after being at the R.I.S.E. Academy. She urged them not to let themselves get in the way of their own goals, and told them that chasing dreams isn’t always fun. She said they should “focus on becoming your own best friend.”

“Just know that you’re capable, you matter and you can do anything you want in life,” said the justice.

All of the graduates received vouchers to buy Christmas presents from Walmart thanks to the Merrie Christmas project, a foundation formed by Nancy and Mike Kaplan after their daughter, Merrie Kaplan, died. The foundation is dedicated to giving children in Macon presents during the holiday season since Merrie Kaplan, who had a neurodevelopmental disease called Williams syndrome, loved Christmas.

Howard said the Kaplans “decided to turn their grief into something good.”

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Macon Telegraph.