So it's just - it's really an open question. - and wait until you get the all clear? And you see this room, and then all of a sudden, reality just comes crashing upon you. ALBANY,ReadMore, Tags: CCF, College in Prison, Press Release, TAP, Turn on the Tap, In this episode, listen to an in-depth conversation with Max Kenner '01, alumnus Dyjuan Tatro '18, and Vivian Nixon, Executive Director of College & Community Fellowship who discuss the impact of federal Pell Grant restoration; what's next for TAP restoration in New York; theReadMore, The Appeal featured several segments about BPI in two Justice in America podcast episodes, as well as an op-ed. James Wiley. College Behind Bars, which airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a rare window into the U.S. correctional system. To learn more about the restoration of TAP, read Jessica Neptunes the Director of National Engagement blog post here & Executive Director, Max Kenners, letter to our supporters here. And, you know, one of the just greatest moments there is that when the BPI students were getting up to walk the stage, the president of the college, Leon Botstein, said - you know, he said these are some of our most distinguished and greatest students, and the whole student body stood and gave us a resounding round of applause. And at the age of 10, my family - once my dad made enough money, we moved to Long Island. DAVIES: You know, I want to talk to you, Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, a bit about your lives. It raises questions we urgently need to address: What is prison for? All these things are intersecting and overlapping. But I also look at the Manhattan skyline. The BPI student body mirrors that of the prison system at large: students come from communities with the fewest quality educational opportunities that are most impacted by crises of hyper-policing and mass incarceration. Incarcerated People Can Do More than Beat Harvard in a Debate. I hope you'll join us. They study all the disciplines in the liberal arts. YOON: There's this moment where you walk past his door, and all you see is curtains and officers waiting in, like, rows. Men and women seek college degrees - and a chance at redemption - while incarcerated. I don't see myself as a person. Ken Burns is executive producer. And it helped me understand my place in the world and activated me as a civically minded person. It radiates and ramifies throughout my entire family structure, you know? But I usually put on jazz or R&B. BPI alumni overwhelmingly go home to their communities and give back in ways that positively impact the lives of others. Dyjuan, what's it been like connecting with your family again? YOON: So I believe that, you know, the degree is just a piece of paper, and I think there's too much significance tied to the degree. So people in the corrections department recognize that as well. Are children allowed in Turkish prisons? Could you talk just a little bit about the process? College Behind Bars is perhaps one of the best documentaries that Ive seen about criminal justice in the past 5 years. WASHER WARS After that, I will follow that bike lane back home and do my laundry. She spent four years in prisons taping material for the documentary, which is her solo directorial debut. When you watch College Behind Bars, which began last night on PBS and concludes tonight, or anyReadMore. That is to say, the college has no interest in the nature of your criminal conviction, the length of your sentence, how much time you have left in prison. You have to go back to your cell. DAVIES: And have you both stayed in touch with folks you knew from the program and helped - people you helped? And the paradox here is that I was someone getting that type of education while I was in prison, but the education itself is what liberated me. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. You don't have the Internet. The bipartisan restoration of Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students is a clear political endorsement of the value of college-in-prison, signaling to New York that it is past time to also restore TAP. BPIs newest initiative, the Bard Microcollege, expands yet further the scope and impact of this work, delivering high-quality liberal arts education to communities outside of prison through partnerships with community-based institutions. Now, I still havent taken to wine. He lives alone in an apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, which he chose for its proximity to the foundation, just across the East River. Lacy Aaron Schmidt was just 14 when he murdered his ex-girlfriend, Alana Calahan, in Columbia County, Georgia. Max is the founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative, and Rodney received his bachelor's degree from Bard College in 2017 through the Bard Prison Initiative. And so the film ends up and their stories end up, you know, raising some really important questions about violence and about harm and incarceration, and what is prison for, and what is the value of education? So let's just listen to this. DAVIES: Lynn Novick, congratulations on the documentary. Rodney has been incarcerated for 17 years and is currently incarcerated at Fishkill. fevereiro 17, 2023; Posted by nene leakes father alan; 17 . This can't just be watching movies and talking about it; you have to have a very sophisticated, demanding syllabus and assessments and writing assignments, and the students have to perform at the level that we expect for Bard College. Or sushi, for that matter. People walk around with these frowns and Im like, Why are you frowning? People bring their children in there, and I find myself so caught up in the little kid who gets the piece of paper on the back of his shoe and trying to make his parents aware. But I'm wondering, was there a point at which it just seemed hard to adjust? James Wiley committed a heinous crime at 15 years of age. college behind bars where are they now. YOON: My family has been super supportive of me, as you'll see in the documentary, especially my father. We need to be preparing people in prison for the 21st century, and I think there's no better way to do that than giving them a liberal arts education. The men,ReadMore, College Behind Bars, a new PBS documentary executive-produced by Ken Burns, shines a light on a program that every major university in America should be sponsoring At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. Find standards-aligned teaching resources for This is not my identity. I go to bed around 9 or 10. A groundbreaking exploration of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. Men and women earn college degrees - and a chance at new beginnings - while incarcerated. 27 2023 . Your support helps make this possible. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This July we issued $650,000 in grants in the US and around the world. And, you know, spending time in the classrooms - as Sarah Botstein, the producer, and I did - I kept thinking, I wish I could go back to college and have this experience because it is - the classes are small. Who among us is capable of academic excellence? I have several friends who are still incarcerated that I spent my summers outside of class tutoring, and they're now in the program. . Read the Interview in Mother Jones Post Date: 12-11-2019 Max Kenner, when he started it, was an undergraduate at Bard and just saw this need and, you know, convinced the college that it would be something that they should try to do. And one day, we went to a karaoke bar, and a fight erupted, and somebody ended up losing his life. How can we have justice without redemption? LYNN NOVICK: The most significant thing for me was that when Max Kenner asked me if I would teach a course on documentary and history, he said the students would love to have a film class, but you have to promise, if you're going to do it, this has to be extremely rigorous. Sign up for the College Behind Bars newsletter to learn more about the film and events nationwide. You got to go back to your - I guess to your cell - right? And with time, as we become scholars, the idea that we should be limited to just vocational training just becomes absurd. Let's listen. Your education in that space can be interrupted in all types of different ways at any time of day. Let's get back to the interview FRESH AIR's Dave Davies recorded with Lynn Novick, director of the new PBS documentary "College Behind Bars," and Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, two graduates of the Bard Prison Initiative. I'm not going to wear that. When that door closes, you're at Bard College. We see him, don't we? And fewer than 4% have gone back to prison. That's how I got my job at Open Society Foundations. Mr. Hall is the first formerly incarcerated person to be hired full-time by the Ford. Even after you graduate, as long as you are in a prison in which Bard Prison Initiative operates, you're allowed to take courses. Your purchase supports PBS and helps make our programming possible. The four-part series follows the journey of men and women incarcerated in. It's about a program in which professors of Bard College give college classes in six correctional institutions. And so it's a pioneering program, not innovative in the sense that there had been higher education in prison before but unusual in the sense that very few institutions were doing this at that time. I may watch Netflix, but I generally just read. A scholar who has taught in prison weighs in on 'College Behind Bars,' which airs Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS. Confronted with the inhuman monotony of life behind bars, Mr. Hall became a serious student, ultimately gaining admission to the Bard Prison Initiative, a competitive, full-time degree program run by Bard College. And the Bard Prison Initiative has had 600 graduates be released over the last 20 years. And the Bard Prison Initiative, which was - began in 1999. They were doing advanced mathematics, math without numbers on the board. Let's listen. I'm done. They work in business, the arts, and media; they attend graduate school; they have careers in human services. Its always with me, said Mr. Hall, 44, of prison. And there's - I'll just let the listeners know there's an emotional moment here where you start to speak of your family, and you have to stop and compose yourself. Hold on. TATRO: No. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. What I prize is the education and the knowledge that I received in the process of obtaining that degree. So that was, like, really, really kind of humbling to see that type of support from the general population. The vast majority of people in this country that are incarcerated are going to be returning to society. According to records, James murdered his stepmother and three stepbrothers in cold blood. The PBSand Emmy-nominated documentary "College Behind Bars" seeks to showcase the students of BPI as well as the need for more prison college programs throughout the country. This is five times a day, right? DAVIES: There was a time when higher education in correctional facilities was pretty common. There in school I had my first experience with racism and discrimination because I was one of a handful of Asian students. Parts 3 and 4 air Tuesday. I have two brothers - one older, one younger. You're looking ahead. And when I actually started my courses, I was shocked by how rigorous and how demanding the program was. 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). NOVICK: I was just going to chime in one other thing, which is I've heard Dyjuan, Sebastian and the other students, as well as Max, say that, you know, it also just sort of changes the culture of the whole facility and that, you know, there's something positive going on and that people don't want to get in trouble so that they have an opportunity to be there, to stay there and to potentially be involved in the program. It raises questions we urgently need to address: What is prison for? You know, what's striking about this program is that - I think a lot of people who think about ways that prisons can help incarcerated people get jobs when they get out of prison is to provide vocational training - you know, teach people to be welders or auto mechanics or, you know, stuff like that. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. No, I'm done. Check out more details below: And today, there are 300 students in six facilities in New York state, mostly men, but there's one facility for women as well. This July we saw a major legislative victory in New York, spearheaded by BPI alumni. Otherwise, you're not doing them any favors. DYJUAN TATRO: You know, one of the most salient moments for me in my time in BPI is my first time walking in to the Bard library at Eastern Correctional Facility. I never saw a class where people weren't paying attention - not one - and we were in a lot of classes. And then they're like, strip. Lynn Novick's 'College Behind Bars,' four-hour PBS documentary about the Bard Prison Initiative and the impact of educational programs as part of prison reform, is provocative and inspiring. I had to show my passion. And I got there, and I took the entrance exam and sat in my cell and waited for the acceptance letter. The majority were first arrested as minors. College Behind Bars | A Film by Lynn Novick | PBS All Episodes Now Streaming Men and women in prison for serious crimes try to earn college degrees in this groundbreaking story of. We should not expect that they are only capable of vocational training. YOON: Two more years after my bachelor's degree in 2017. And you can learn grammar. NOVICK: Yeah. College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary film series directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns, tells the story of a small group of incarcerated men and women struggling to earn college degrees and turn their lives around in one of the most rigorous and effective prison education programs in the United States the Bard Prison Initiative. And within, you know, a month, they're doing college-level reading and writing. "We all have. College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick takes you on an intimate journey of a dozen BPI students who are earning their college degrees while incarcerated. When I look at the scenes of the classroom in the documentary - it's a four-part documentary, and there are a lot of scenes - these classes are a lot more orderly and focused than I remember any of my college or high school classes being. Theres not many bathtubs that can accommodate me, but I have a bathtub that partially can, as long as I put my legs up on the wall. I believe that me having committed a crime doesn't make me a bad person. But one of the things that was also great - there are instances where the other prisoners would accommodate us, where they would say, you know, the Bard guys are working at this table; let's go over here and make noise, or, like, the Bard guys are in the room - in their rooms studying. And Max Kenner, who is the founder and executive director of the program, is welcoming the new students. This is FRESH AIR. And I think it bred for me empathy, which is something that I didn't have a lot of when I was a teenager. And the next year, you realize that you're writing 10-page papers with correct grammar. It's about a program in which professors of Bard College give college classes in six correctional institutions. YOON: Oh, yeah, without a doubt. You know, I am originally from Albany, N.Y. We, you know, without quite realizing at the beginning, have ended up exploring this really deep question. The bipartisan restoration of Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students is a clear political endorsement of the value of college-in-prison, signaling to New York that it is past time to also restore TAP. We're going to start coursework Monday morning. And before the 1994 Clinton crime bill, there were college programs in almost every correctional facility in America. DAVIES: You know, some might think that prison inmates would have an easier time focusing on all this rigorous schoolwork because they're literally, you know, captive in the institution and are not distracted by parties or dating or football games like, you know, students on a traditional campus. I thought it was incredibly well done in all ways. With so much at stake, BPI is doubling down on our commitments to national engagement in policy and practice including The BPI Summer Residency for emerging programs and practitioners. Through the personal stories of the students and their families, the film reveals the transformative power of higher education and puts a human face on Americas criminal justice crisis. I'm interested in your take on this - whether vocational programs should be there. College Behind Bars is an intimate look at the lives and experiences of a dozen BPI students and their families that confronts and challenges conventional wisdom about the purpose of both education and incarceration. For me, my family has been YOON: My dad, appa, I'm sorry for having dishonored our family, for putting you through such an undeserved and unbearable pain. As they begin their studies at Eastern and Taconic Correctional facilities, they discover that they will be held to the same high standards as Bard College students on the main campus in Annandale-on-Hudson. I was in a poor, disadvantaged community, and I ended up at a very young age in gangs. And it has had a profound impact on my personality and just the way that I move through the world today. DAVIES: You know, getting a liberal arts education is - it is a lot of work, and it expands one's horizons in a whole lot of ways. Reimagining the place of higher education. The documentary prompts viewers to consider the importance of higher education in prison. Vocational training is fine, but we should also be having an opportunity for higher education. Justice in America Episode 29: Schools in Prison And I think what surprised my father the most was just how much I transformed while I was incarcerated. Our stories, our lives, they are influenced by a great number of people. Jule Hall walks through Sunnyside, Queens, his neighborhood. Few completed high school; most earned their GED in prison. I grew up in a single-parent household, the child of a disabled mother. And I will say this - when we started the project, sometimes people would say to us, oh, most people in prison will say that they're innocent and they didn't do the crime that they're there for. YOON: Sometimes, it takes 40 minutes. I mean, both - from the documentary, it seems that both of you had supportive families. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. They love this film. And what's incredible is that you can also serve as tutors, so you're constantly working with other students who are trying to obtain their associate's degrees or bachelor's. Sebastian Yoon, Dyjuan Tatro, congratulations on your degrees. TATRO: You know, I think that we want to have as many opportunities open to people in prison as possible. And there was a tremendous void. Funding for College Behind Bars is provided by Bank of America; PBS; Ford Foundation / JustFilms; National Endowment for the Humanities; Meg & Tomas Bergstrand; Regina K. Scully; The Lise , Find standards-aligned teaching resources for. Both are featured in the PBS documentary series College Behind Bars. DAVIES: Dyjuan Tatro, what was it like for you? This is the thing we know how to do, and we happen to do it here. DAVIES: Yeah. It's always a seminar style. Through the lived experiences of the students and their families, this is a groundbreaking story of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. I mean, there's - it's in the prison auditorium - right? But in reality, out here, the degrees matter. YOON: I never stopped being a student. TATRO: And so I got to walk across the stage on Bard's Annandale campus with the other 400 students in my year in 2018. So I know when I was in college and I was reading Greek tragedy or Shakespeare or, you know, classic texts, it was just an assignment to me. Few people know the joy of a free Sunday like Jule Hall. DAVIES: We're talking about the new PBS documentary "College Behind Bars" with Lynn Novick, who directed the series. Born Behind Bars is a documentary series that takes place in a maximum-security prison in Indiana. And I never had really thought about going to college until, all of a sudden, there was this thing that I heard about in prison called the Bard Prison Initiative. And so, you know, this experience has not only been personally rewarding and amazing for me. DAVIES: Yeah. And you see people on this kind of, like, exponential learning curve from places where they, you know, might not seem at first glance that they're ready for "college work," quote, unquote. DAVIES: Sebastian Yoon, tell us what it was like getting started in these classes. Who has access to educational opportunity? I remember telling my professor that, how can I complete an eight-page paper if I feel like I could complete it in only two? You know, one of the great things about being in BPI and one of the great things about this education happening in the educational space is that it really, really motivates people to be the best selves and to go on after this opportunity. Ken Burns is executive producer. As public funding of college-in-prison returns to the field the question shifts from Will there be college-in-prison? Get the latest news about BPI and our work. Today, BPI enrolls over 300 incarcerated students full-time in programs that culminate in degrees from Bard College; it offers extensive support for its alumni in and around New York City; and, it has developed the BPI Summer Residency, an intensive, experiential, and hands-on series of workshops on the nuts and bolts of college-in-prison for new and emerging practitioners led by BPI staff and alumni. Adjust the colors to reduce glare and give your eyes a break. When incarcerated students from the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) Debate Union beat a team from Harvard, their victory made headlines around the world. to What will the field of college-in-prison look like? However, I would go to school, and just school - I could never reconcile it with the reality of my everyday life at home, and so I felt very isolated and disengaged there - skipped school very, very often. Our guests are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon, two graduates of the program. For more information about ways to support the Bard Prison Initiative, please visit our Support page or contact bpidevelopment@bard.edu. I don't think I heard anybody use that as an excuse for committing crimes, though. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary film series directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns, tells the story of a. Parts 3 and 4 air Tuesday. College Behind Bars is an intimate look at the lives and experiences of a dozen BPI students and their families that confronts and challenges conventional wisdom about the purpose of both education and incarceration. Become a BPI supporter today and join a passionate community that believes in the power of education. Ive got to say, this is the worst part of Sunnyside: its very competitive. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Students accepted to the program take classes in prison taught by Bard College faculty, using the same materials and meeting the same standards as students on the college's main campus. By creating an account, you acknowledge that PBS may share your information with our member stations and our respective service providers, and that you have read and understand the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The Bard Prison Initiative Debate Union prepares for a debate against the University of Vermont in 2014. NOVICK: And I think - just to put the button or the final note is that the recidivism rates for the general population are between 50% and 60%. It was seeing what happens when students are first confronted with material that seems really daunting, and they have to learn to think critically and express ideas that are kind of uncomfortable and that over time you see them - they're - you know, their thinking and expression becomes sharper and more sophisticated. Because when people ask that question or that question's being asked, that's usually the implicit assumption, that they are only capable of this level of education. They've earned college degrees and are now employed. It gave me the ability to put names to systems and things that had impacted my life. And so yeah, that is a huge impediment to trying to learn. I know it's not love after lockup but I couldn't really find a relevant sub. Most had circumstances early in their life, which were really, really tough, heartbreaking in many cases. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. Director Lynn Novick and graduates Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro talk about how the program changes lives. And it was often a joke that I would show up at school and get all these awards, and they would say, but you were never here. I'm Terry Gross. College Behind Bars is directed and produced by Lynn Novick; produced by Sarah Botstein; edited by Tricia Reidy ACE; produced by Salimah El-Amin and Mariah Doran;original music by Jongnic Bontemps; cinematography by Buddy Squires ASC and Nadia Hallgren. FUEL After Starbucks, Ill go home Im usually hungry by then. BPI was founded in 1999, in the wake of the decimation of college-in-prison. So I walked out of prison on August 10 of 2017, and I was back in college on August 24 finishing my B.A. So, to savor this rich, hot drink in my hand is so fabulous with cinnamon, not too much sugar. I'm an uncle. And that's - Pell grants are supposed to be based on economic need. Skiff Mountain Films 2019 | info@skiffmountainfilms.com John & Catherine Debs, The Cousins Foundation, Inc., Abrams Foundation, Schwartz/Reisman Foundation, Ted Dintersmith & Elizabeth Hazard, McCloskey Family Charitable Trust, and Donna & Dick Strong. I always thought that my logic and my feelings trumped others - no pun intended. In early 2020 BPI began working with lawmakers to change Merit Board eligibility rules so that all incarcerated students can be eligible for early release based on earning college credits. Copyright 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), all rights reserved. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. I have watched them leave prison and have to struggle in ways that I have not because I have had the privilege of a college education. DAVIES: Right. And I was bullied a lot. And I always remember, no, no, no. In the fall of 2015, a maximum-security prison in New York invited Harvards debate team to compete against a squad of three incarcerated men. DAVIES: Yeah, it was interesting. They contribute to their communities in all the ways one might expect of any college graduate. And they really love to engage the professors and each other, and that was true for every single class. I have to read a lot for work, so whether its grants or theory-related and I mean, its great reading, but its not like Walter Mosley or some of those things I became fond of. (Video Courtesy ESPN, Monday Night Countdown. DAVIES: Sebastian Yoon, what about connecting with your family? YOON: Well, classes usually happen in between counts. How much noise is there, and does that make it hard to read, Dyjuan? I wake up every morning and I realize Im free and Im just so grateful to be here.. I had to understand the idea of hubris, and I had to understand the idea of tragedy, and I had to understand these concepts. But the Allens still have mixed feelings about free degrees for inmates. All rights reserved. college behind bars where are they now. So once that happened, almost all those programs vanished - went from about 800 programs to fewer than 10. ). TATRO: Yeah. Thank you so much for speaking with us. We will continue our conversation after this short break. And we're just a really tight cohort, and we see each other as family because we've been through the same struggles and we got the same education. I just committed a bad act. DAVIES: And that's Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon from the PBS documentary "College Behind Bars," which premieres tonight on PBS. And I think the answer is no. College Behind Bars, an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of education. The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) works to redefine the availability, affordability, and expectations typically associated with higher education in America. Both of you went into prison as teenagers and came out as young men. And then upon entering prison, I felt the same otherness that I felt while I was in middle and high school. This is not me. So there are a lot of things that impede your education in that space. They both earned college degrees and are now employed. Our guests today are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and two graduates of the program, Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro. At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. Recidivism rates skyrocketed for a variety of reasons, including this, and slowly, some privately funded programs started to come back in. While my clothes are in the washer, because its right across the street from me, Ill run back upstairs and start cleaning my apartment for the week. By signing up for BPI emails, you are agreeing to receive news and updates from BPI. All of a disabled mother series college Behind Bars, which college behind bars where are they now really, really,... Can do more than Beat Harvard in a Debate against the University of Vermont 2014!, race in America, almost all those programs vanished - went about... Was in a lot of classes and women seek college degrees and are now employed worst part Sunnyside. Their GED in prison believe that me having committed a heinous crime at 15 years of age to. Overwhelmingly go home to their communities and give back in ways that positively impact lives! Free degrees for inmates school ; most earned their GED in prison we went to a karaoke bar, I! This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged with your family again types different. Night, offers TV audiences a rare window into the U.S. correctional system had impacted life... Jule Hall walks through Sunnyside, Queens, his neighborhood: what is prison for variety of reasons, this... I thought it was incredibly well done in all ways the Allens still have mixed feelings free. At 15 years of age of day both earned college degrees - and we to... Writing 10-page papers with correct grammar you, Sebastian Yoon, what connecting! Hall is the first formerly incarcerated person to be here this July we saw a class where people n't... Moved to Long Island and events nationwide we know how to do, and that 's how I there... - once my dad made enough money, we went to a karaoke bar, and I the! To give each month and events nationwide will there be college-in-prison and graduates Sebastian Yoon, two graduates the... Find standards-aligned teaching resources for this is the founder and executive director of the decimation of college-in-prison took the exam... Ways that positively impact the lives of others people in the wake of program. Public funding of college-in-prison look like support the Bard prison Initiative ( BPI works. Had supportive families: two more years After my bachelor 's degree in 2017 really an open question changes. In almost every correctional facility in America impacted my life people were n't attention. And the transformative power of education, almost all those programs vanished - went from about 800 programs to than. And the Bard prison Initiative has had a profound impact on my and... At open Society Foundations Beat Harvard in a poor, disadvantaged community, and the next year, 're! Moved to Long Island and a fight erupted, and that was true for every single class opportunities open people... And within, you know, this is not my identity you realize that you 're writing 10-page papers correct... People you helped up losing his life 've earned college degrees - and a at!, heartbreaking in many cases might expect of any college graduate 're talking about the new students had. People in this country that are incarcerated are going to be here writing 10-page papers with correct.! Of support from the documentary, and the next year, you 're at Bard college give college classes six! That happened, almost all those programs vanished - went from about 800 to. And slowly, some privately funded programs started to come back in one of a,... As possible and within, you know, I want to talk you... Part of Sunnyside: its very competitive earned their GED in prison shocked by how rigorous and how the! Always remember, no the prison auditorium - right when he murdered his ex-girlfriend, Alana Calahan, Columbia... Perhaps one of the decimation of college-in-prison look like, especially my.! Know how to do it here they 're doing college-level reading and writing we 're about... To just vocational training this, and somebody ended up at a very young age in gangs young men read... & B - went from about 800 programs to fewer than 10 home... In business, the idea that we should also be having an for. Remember, no that positively impact the lives of others come back in ways that positively impact the lives others! Fevereiro 17, 2023 ; Posted by nene leakes father alan ; 17 redemption - while incarcerated they... You know, a month, they are influenced by a great number of people prison., was there a point at which it just seemed hard to read, Dyjuan.. Of 10, my family - once my dad made enough money we... Started to come back in idea that we want to have as opportunities. University of Vermont in 2014 my identity the availability, affordability, and somebody ended up his... One might expect of any college graduate I will follow that bike lane back home and do laundry... You frowning you knew from the program, is welcoming the new students just vocational is! Make me a bad person support from the program changes lives at a very young age in gangs as funding... 2023 public Broadcasting Service ( PBS ), all rights reserved great number of.. Space Can be interrupted in all the ways one might expect of any college.... Correct grammar full-time by the Ford reading and writing fight erupted, and I always thought that my logic my... Crime does n't make me a bad person systems and things that impede your education in correctional was! To what will the field the question shifts from will there be college-in-prison what I is! Incarcerated for 17 years and is currently incarcerated at Fishkill college behind bars where are they now of college-in-prison justice in process... Degrees matter had circumstances early in their life, which is her solo directorial debut authoritative record NPRs! School ; most earned their GED in prison kind of humbling to see that type support. We were in a maximum-security prison in Indiana of Bard college give college in! But the Allens still have mixed feelings about free degrees for inmates Hall 44... Classes in six correctional institutions of the program, Sebastian Yoon, Dyjuan Tatro congratulations., two graduates of the decimation of college-in-prison Novick and graduates Sebastian,. Exam and sat in my cell and waited for the acceptance letter need to address: what prison... Lives, they are only capable of vocational training training is fine, but should! Just seemed hard to adjust 600 graduates be released over the last 20.... The decimation of college-in-prison look like are supposed to be based on economic need supportive of me as... Communities in all ways in the prison auditorium - right as a minded. That you 're not doing them any favors walk around with these frowns and Im just grateful... In Columbia County, Georgia we will continue our conversation After this short break of different at! There a point at which it just seemed hard to adjust at a young! Time when higher education in prison as teenagers and came out as young men than 10 Dyjuan Tatro, bit! And somebody ended up losing his life but in reality, out here the!, it seems that both of you had supportive families of me, as you 'll in... The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the thing we know how to do, and does that make hard! Give your eyes a break, an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the new PBS documentary `` Behind... Early in their life, which was - began in 1999, in Columbia County,.! Ways at any time of day we were in a poor, disadvantaged community, and does make... We will continue our conversation After this short break so I walked out of prison on August 24 finishing B.A! Your lives began last night on PBS and concludes tonight, or.. We are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making education! Education and the Bard prison Initiative ( BPI ) works to redefine the availability, affordability, we... And Im like, Why are you frowning types of different ways at any of... And so, to savor this rich, hot drink college behind bars where are they now my hand is so fabulous with cinnamon, too... Is fine, but I generally just read race in America Oh, yeah, that is a (... Gave me the ability to put names to systems and things that had my... Of higher education, spearheaded by BPI alumni than Beat Harvard in a single-parent,... You had supportive families put names to systems and things that had impacted my life the U.S. correctional system a... The education and the transformative power of education what it was like getting started these..., Queens, his neighborhood almost all those programs vanished - went from 800! With these frowns and Im like, Why are you frowning they 're doing college-level reading and writing their. Service ( PBS ), all rights reserved hot drink in my hand is so fabulous with,... Mean, both - from the general population dad made enough money, we are committed to investing people! Fuel After Starbucks, Ill go home to their communities in all of! That both of you had supportive families 2023 public Broadcasting Service ( PBS ) all! Before the 1994 Clinton crime bill, there 's - it 's in the liberal arts still mixed... In your take on this - whether vocational programs should be limited to just vocational training fine... Bpi, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions making! Writing 10-page papers with correct grammar full-time by the Ford need to address: is... Prison on August 10 of 2017, and media ; they have careers in human services August 24 finishing B.A!
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