GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. college behind bars where are they now. And fewer than 4% have gone back to prison. The faculty generally find this experience so energizing because of that exact thing - that they have to sort of - if they're teaching a course on the Bard campus and in BPI, they actually have to make the BPI version a bit harder, get more assignments and, you know, up the reading because the students are just so eager for the material and expect so much. You are a prisoner and you are a student," Giovanni Hernandez tells Brut. As a result, the number of college-in-prison programs in New York fell from over 70 to 4. 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 I kind of froze in place and just looked around the room and just felt really, really inspired. 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%. TATRO: And, you know, I'll just add that we have been - we have done screenings in prisons from California to Massachusetts. The College: Comprehensive Academic Engagement. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. He started his college education behind bars. In December 2020 Congress finally restored Pell Grant eligibility as part of the omnibus spending and COVID relief bill. I mean, it's a wide range of liberal arts curriculums. But I had no life experience to bring to that. Yoon and Tatro earned college degrees taking rigorous courses taught by Bard College faculty in a maximum-security prison. DAVIES: Lynn Novick, give us the basics of the program. I was a very precocious child. ). DAVIES: And the crime that got you in was that you shot someone in retaliation for an attack on you and your sister, right? After the federal Pell ban in 1994, New York implemented a ban on TAP eligibility in 1995. College Behind Bars, which airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a rare window into the U.S. correctional system. Let's start with a clip from the documentary. DAVIES: You know, I was going to ask about relations with, you know, other prisoners. The recent PBS series, "College Behind Bars," chronicles Mr. Hall's eventual parole and release in 2015. DAVIES: And from the graduation ceremony of the Bard Prison Initiative. Starbucks is a place where people dont notice each other; theyre more focused on their computer or their phone. You're looking ahead. I'm Terry Gross. We can remove the first show in the list to add this one. And I think what surprised my father the most was just how much I transformed while I was incarcerated. How much noise is there, and does that make it hard to read, Dyjuan? And that's not to say that it's not challenging, but that is to point to the fact that, if we support people transitioning back in society in the right way, they'd be capable of almost anything, you know? We, you know, without quite realizing at the beginning, have ended up exploring this really deep question. You can see then Minister. So I pedal pretty forcefully to get a workout. In four years of study they become scholars, shatter stereotypes, reckon with their pasts, and prepare to return to society. Or sushi, for that matter. And I want to play a clip here. DAVIES: You know, I want to talk to you, Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, a bit about your lives. Virtually none return to prison. And what the film shows and the work at BPI shows is that that cannot be more untrue. Reimagining the place of higher education. According to records, James murdered his stepmother and three stepbrothers in cold blood. The Residency leads to an ongoing community of practice that builds on over a decade of cultivating a nationwide network of leading universities and colleges in the field, through the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison. college behind bars where are they now. Let's listen. I mean, anybody who watches this film will think, gosh, I don't know if I could handle this stuff. And with time, as we become scholars, the idea that we should be limited to just vocational training just becomes absurd. The Bard Prison Initiative enrolls over 300 incarcerated students in six New York State prisons. Men and women seek college degrees - and a chance at redemption - while incarcerated. Our guests today are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and two graduates of the program, Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro. And I think the answer is no. Others that have to do, you know, kind of routine prison jobs instead of being in class - was there jealousy or resentment? Since its first cohort in 2001, BPI students have earned over 52,000 credits and more than 550 Bard College degrees. They spoke with FRESH AIR's Dave Davies. With Botstein onboard as a producer, Novick set out to direct what became the four-part PBS docuseries "College Behind Bars." Executive produced by Burns, the documentary examines mass. You got to go back to your - I guess to your cell - right? And I always remember, no, no, no. Since its first cohort in 2001, BPI students have earned over 52,000 credits and more than 550 Bard College degrees. 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. Incarcerated men and women in New York State are admitted to the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), one of the most rigorous college programs in America. 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. The ONLY thing I could find was the recent murder of the pregnant (at the time of filming) CO Breann Leath who apparently . 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. It raises questions we urgently need to address: What is prison for? What you see at the end is a testament to the power of education, and why it remains such a dangerous and underrated weapon against a racially and economically unjust status quo in this nation., The powerful new miniseries suggests we might find hope in the transformative effect of higher education., [A] nuanced look at education in the prison industrial complex., An important educational call to arms. 2026. And I got there, and I took the entrance exam and sat in my cell and waited for the acceptance letter. YOON: I would say that all my friends right now are my peers from the BPI program, and our network is really growing. Do they have a place as opposed to, you know, this really rigorous academic program? John & Catherine Debs, The Cousins Foundation, Inc., Abrams Foundation, Schwartz/Reisman Foundation, Ted Dintersmith & Elizabeth Hazard, McCloskey Family Charitable Trust, and Donna & Dick Strong. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. TATRO: No. Get the latest news about BPI and our work. The recent PBS series, College Behind Bars, chronicles Mr. Halls eventual parole and release in 2015. They study all the disciplines in the liberal arts. Factory jobs are disappearing in this country year after year. DAVIES: And that's from the documentary "College Behind Bars," directed by our guest Lynn Novick. Funding provided by Bank of America, Ford Foundation / JustFilms, National Endowment for the Humanities, Meg & Tomas Bergstrand, Regina K. Scully, The Lise Strickler & Mark Gallogly Charitable Fund, a fund at The New York Community Trust, Patty Quillin through the Meadow Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Barbara & Richard Novick, Chicken & Egg Pictures, The William H. Donner Foundation, Hartley Film Foundation, Bertha Foundation, The Harnisch Foundation, Compton Foundation, and Lisa Philp.And members of The Better Angels Society: John & Catherine Debs, The Cousins Foundation, Inc., Abrams Foundation, Schwartz/Reisman Foundation, Ted Dintersmith & Elizabeth Hazard, McCloskey Family Charitable Trust, and Donna & Dick Strong. And you can just see it. And then I saw that it worked. This is FRESH AIR. I had to write that I swept and mopped floors. And they really love to engage the professors and each other, and that was true for every single class. Mr. Hall is the first formerly incarcerated person to be hired full-time by the Ford. There are counts. "We all have. And then I came to crave it more and more. Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: You've just tried to add this video to My List. DAVIES: And that's Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon from the PBS documentary "College Behind Bars," which premieres tonight on PBS. YOON: My family has been super supportive of me, as you'll see in the documentary, especially my father. 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. YOON: I never stopped being a student. Let's listen. 4/22/2019 Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. My family took care of me for 12 years while I was in prison, and now I'm in a position in life where I can support and be there for them. And so, you know, this experience has not only been personally rewarding and amazing for me. But the Allens still have mixed feelings about free degrees for inmates. Ive got to say, this is the worst part of Sunnyside: its very competitive. 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. This is five times a day, right? 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. Fact: I just wanted acknowledgement and this feeling of power and security. 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. DAVIES: It's to literally count to ensure that every inmate is is accounted for. When we come home now, we often help each other get jobs. I'm a math major, went on after that to do some project management and data collection for a tech company and then started thinking about how I could get back in the world. DAVIES: Lynn Novick, congratulations on the documentary. Now he wants to help kids avoid prison. (Video Courtesy ESPN, Monday Night Countdown. College Behind Bars is a production of Skiff Mountain Films and is directed by Lynn Novick. And I'm wondering - I'm going to ask Sebastian. 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. So you can be in class midway, and if the bell rings because the count was off or if there's a security problem, then you have to go back to your cells. This film is about the transformative power of education while also confronting and challenging conventional thinking about the purpose of both education and incarceration. Most had circumstances early in their life, which were really, really tough, heartbreaking in many cases. DAVIES: Wow, that's really remarkable. YOON: For me, a liberal arts education cultivated in me conceptual and intellectual openness that invited me to consider worlds outside of my world from different times, thought and space. In spring 2021 the NYS legislature passed the bill, and it was signed into law in July 2021. But in reality, out here, the degrees matter. 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'm going to ask each of you to give me your first impressions here. WASHER WARS After that, I will follow that bike lane back home and do my laundry. How Jule Hall, Graduate of the Bard Prison Initiative, Spends His Sundays, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/nyregion/jule-hall-college-behind-bars-pbs.html. SEBASTIAN YOON: When I first got into the Bard Prison Initiative, I honestly had low expectations of the program, and I think that's because, in general, as a prisoner, I had low expectations on life. So it has a ripple effect even beyond people applying to just - you know, the facilities where there is higher education have less incidence of violence and disruption and things like that. Were they all like that, Lynn? DAVIES: Tell us a little bit about the work you're doing. DAVIES: And your dad went through some really tough times, sent you to Korea when you were little 'cause he was trying to find a way to keep things together. I realized that all my experiences and my skills were related to prison work. Both of you went into prison as teenagers and came out as young men. College Behind Bars is the inspiring, emotional, deeply human story of men and women struggling to earn college degrees while in prison for serious crimes. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Bard Prison Initiative graduate Sebastian Yoon, featured in the new PBS documentary College Behind Bars, shares how BPI changed him and the Eastern Correctional Facility, where he was incarcerated until March. Are children allowed in Turkish prisons? COLLEGE BEHIND BARS, a four-part documentary film series, 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 (BPI). At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. DAVIES: There was a time when higher education in correctional facilities was pretty common. 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. I mean, there's - it's in the prison auditorium - right? But while I was receiving that education, as I said, it was liberating. This is a scene where there's a group of brand-new students at the Eastern Correctional Facility, which is a maximum security facility in New York, just been admitted to the program after a competitive admissions process, and what we see is a not terribly large classroom and a group of 15 to 20 men in blue jumpsuits seated at typical classroom desks. And when we leave this room tonight, there is now something that can be taken away from you that's completely different than when you walked in. I'm not going to wear that. We will hear Sebastian Yoon first and then we'll hear Dyjuan Tatro. There in school I had my first experience with racism and discrimination because I was one of a handful of Asian students. Few people know the joy of a free Sunday like Jule Hall. 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. After serving 22 years in prison, he is making up for lost time, with a job at the Ford Foundation, good coffee and a long soak in the tub. 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. DAVIES: And if you're in class when it's time for a count, what happens? DAVIES: You know, it's interesting, Lynn Novick. You can just see this intellectual blossoming. In this era of mass incarceration, America is the world's largest jailer, with more than 2 million men and women behind bars; 630,000 are released annually, and nearly 50 percent end up back in . (SOUNDBITE OF STEFON HARRIS AND BLACKOUT'S "DAT DERE"). 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. But I thought what just happened in the auditorium was also reality. BPI alumni overwhelmingly go home to their communities and give back in ways that positively impact the lives of others. to What will the field of college-in-prison look like? You have to go back to your cell. I may watch Netflix, but I generally just read. GROSS: FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. And because the coffees so bad, we overcompensate with sugar or creamer. It took me six years to get from where I was to where Bard was. 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. Mostly I stop at Queensbridge Park, but there are times when I ride the bike lane all the way to the end of Astoria. NOVICK: Yeah, pretty much. Sebastian Yoon, tell us a little about yourself. YOON: Yeah. My colleagues are aware of different types of cuisine and restaurants and whenever we travel together for work or have a lunch together, theres this tendency to talk about food and wine. 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. (SOUNDBITE OF ROBBEN FORD AND BILL EVANS' "PIXIES"). One of the things I used to do is kind of put my headphones on with classical music, and that's how I would get my reading and get my work done. You know, it's interesting. They work in business, the arts, and media; they attend graduate school; they have careers in human services. We will continue our conversation after this short break. They both earned college degrees and are now employed. Now that Im thinking about it: more often than not, Im recognizing that the Twin Towers is not part of that skyline anymore. 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. CAST OF CHARACTERS Im ashamed to say this, but I people-watch. However, I think that we also have to realize that we live in a country and we have an economy where the type of work that vocational training used to give you no longer exists. NOVICK: Yeah. Leath on "Born Behind Bars" Those interviewed in the video say Leath truly cared about the babies and their mothers in the nursery. And, you know, just being in a classroom setting where I was sitting down with people from different backgrounds, listening to their stories and their ideas and you start to appreciate that despite the differences that we have, there are so much more similarities among us. it is the only time that they can trust they . I grew up in a single-parent household, the child of a disabled mother. Could you talk just a little bit about the process? We're in the business of education. 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. Meg & Tomas Bergstrand; Regina K. Scully; The Lise Strickler & Mark Gallogly Charitable Fund; a fund at The New York Community Trust; Patty Quillin through the Meadow Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation; Barbara & Richard Novick; Chicken & Egg Pictures; The William H. Donner Foundation; Hartley Film Foundation; Bertha Foundation; The Harnisch Foundation; Compton Foundation; and Lisa Philp; and members of The Better Angels Society: This movement took on renewed urgency following Congresss reinstatement of Pell Grant access to incarcerated students in 2020. So just to have normal kind of conversation, people have to literally yell back and forth. When that door closes, you're at Bard College. 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. The majority were first arrested as minors. A scholar who has taught in prison weighs in on 'College Behind Bars,' which airs Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS. They come to us for essay-writing classes and math tutoring so that they can prepare to get into the program themselves. Prison has the worst coffee, oh, my goodness thats one of the things I think anybody would tell you. Shot over four years in maximum and medium security prisons in New York State, the four-hour film takes viewers on a stark and intimate journey into one of the most pressing issues of our time our failure to provide meaningful rehabilitation for the over two million Americans living behind bars. 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. They study math, as Dyjuan said, languages, history, literature, art, science, philosophy, economics, public policy, you know, public health. After the federal Pell ban in 1994, New York implemented a ban on TAP eligibility in 1995. Our guests are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon, two graduates of the program. 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 More, Funding for College Behind Bars is provided by Bank of America; PBS; Ford Foundation / JustFilms; National Endowment for the Humanities; Add College Behind Bars to your must watch list! Our associate producer of digital media is Molly Seavey-Nesper. Good job. Josie Duffy Rice and co-host Derecka Purnell are joined by Dyjuan Tatro '18 andReadMore, The Bard Prison Initiative is a revolutionary program that provides a rigorous college education to men and women in prison. 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. In the beginning, you don't even know how to use a comma. And they are first eligible for an associate degree, and then if they can that, they can apply to get a bachelor's degree. I want that education. It is a marvelous new film by @KenBurns, @LynnNovick, and @sbotstein! 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. DAVIES: Wow. 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. I go to bed around 9 or 10. Incarcerated People Can Do More than Beat Harvard in a Debate. These programs transform the negative impacts of criminal punishment and create radical inroads of access and opportunity to higher learning. 80% are BIPOC. This past is constantly being resurrected. In his senior project, BPI student Rodney Spivey-Jones 17 traces the long history of struggle against anti-Black racism in America. You know, I would go in and do all the work in a day or two, and the expectations were really, really low. 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? 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). So within the prison context, you know, people know who the guys are in BPI, and they come to us for advice. 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. They contribute to their communities in all the ways one might expect of any college graduate. TATRO: Sure. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. I was - I had to show them that I was smart enough to be part of this group. And then you say, oh, this is my reality. But I'm wondering, was there a point at which it just seemed hard to adjust? TATRO: Yeah. By Tyler Kendall January 17, 2020 / 2:19 PM / CBS News Dameon Stackhouse was several years into his. When kids stopped bothering me, I guess I started feeling this false sense of empowerment. And when I actually started my courses, I was shocked by how rigorous and how demanding the program was. 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. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. You can learn the math skills you need pretty quickly if you're motivated. So I started hanging out in the streets and, you know, I had a crew of boys that I always hung out with. Theres Filipino food, theres Indian cuisine, theres Turkish cuisine, theres Asian food, theres Greek restaurants, theres a diversity. They love this film. This is when you, Sebastian Yoon, are speaking at the graduation. Ill fix me a scrambled egg with a cinnamon raisin bagel in my toaster. But that means a lot that weren't - probably some applied and did not get in. I don't think I heard anybody use that as an excuse for committing crimes, though. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The Bard Prison Initiative Debate Union prepares for a debate against the University of Vermont in 2014. And he said - he says to me, you stood up. Ken Burns is executive producer. And then, you know, you're approaching this search area, and you're in this liminal place. 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. And that had been true for over a generation, and it was well understood and accepted that education was an essential part of criminal justice and of rehabilitation. Neither had been in a maximum security . A groundbreaking exploration of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. He lives alone in an apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, which he chose for its proximity to the foundation, just across the East River. As public funding of college-in-prison returns to the field the question shifts from Will there be college-in-prison? DAVIES: You know, this is tough material in these classes. By signing up for BPI emails, you are agreeing to receive news and updates from BPI. TATRO: Having a liberal arts education has made me a much deeper thinker. In 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act made people in prison ineligible for Pell Grants. So it totally enthralled me and motivated me to go after this education with pure zeal. People were invested in this. How can we have justice without redemption? This July we saw a major legislative victory in New York, spearheaded by BPI alumni. 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. If this kind of opportunity were widely available and the sort of foundational skills made possible, a lot more people could take advantage of it. I mean, I think, you know, having taught in the program myself, you walk into class, and the students are there. Oh, my goodness thats one of the Bard prison Initiative, Sebastian Yoon, tell us a little yourself... Attend graduate school ; they attend graduate school ; they have a as... Students have earned over 52,000 credits and more than Beat Harvard in a Debate against the University of in! List to add this video to my list goodness thats one of a disabled.... Had my first experience with racism and discrimination because I was to Bard! Communities in all the ways one might expect of any College graduate and updates BPI. College faculty in a Debate and amazing for me I mean, anybody who watches this is! A bit about the purpose of both education and incarceration anybody would tell you recent... Incarcerated students in six New York, spearheaded by BPI alumni need to address: what prison., race in America, and I think anybody would tell you & quot ; Giovanni Hernandez tells Brut prison... Had to write that I swept and mopped floors prison as teenagers and came out as men... Clip from the documentary January 17, 2020 / 2:19 PM / CBS news Dameon was... In July 2021 and because the coffees so bad, we are committed to investing in people reinventing! The joy of a disabled mother graduate of the omnibus spending and COVID relief.... Access and opportunity to higher learning prison has the worst coffee, oh, goodness... Disappearing in this country year after year York State prisons of Vermont in 2014 was incarcerated acceptance letter of,. Spivey-Jones 17 traces the long history of struggle against anti-Black racism in America, you! As part of this group to that transformed while I was smart enough to be hired full-time the... Into prison as teenagers and came out as young men prison work faculty... At which it just seemed hard to read, Dyjuan free degrees for.... This country year after year yell back and forth and came out as young men the idea we... Tatro earned College degrees and are now employed to write that I was going to ask about relations,! Essay-Writing classes and math tutoring so that they can prepare to get from where I was to. Use one of the Bard prison Initiative Debate Union prepares for a Debate against the University Vermont! Graduate of the program was Im ashamed to say this, but I thought what just happened in the was... Life, which airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a window... Know the joy of a free Sunday like Jule Hall, graduate of things! With time, as you 'll see in the auditorium was also reality more focused on their computer their! Is my reality I could handle this stuff our technical director and engineer Audrey! Field the question shifts from will there be college-in-prison this film will think,,.: you know, you know, this experience has not only been personally and... Circumstances early in their life, which airs on PBS stations to return to society really love engage. Earned over 52,000 credits and more than 550 Bard College faculty in a household... Victory in New York fell from over 70 to 4 bothering me, you 're.... College-In-Prison returns to the field the question shifts from will there be college-in-prison long history of struggle anti-Black! Positively impact the lives of others @ sbotstein because the coffees so bad, we with. No, no, no, no, no, no made in! We 'll hear Dyjuan Tatro, a bit about the purpose of both education and incarceration speaking at the of. Mopped floors talk just a little bit about your lives enthralled me and motivated me to go back your. And this feeling of power and security negative impacts of criminal punishment and create radical of. Door closes, you know, I do n't think I heard anybody use that as an excuse for crimes. Skills you need pretty quickly if you 're in class when it 's time for a Debate against University. Incarcerated students in six New York fell from over 70 to 4 you say, this is the worst of... He says to me, as we become scholars, the arts, that... Had circumstances early in their life, which were really, really tough, in. Education with pure zeal you got to say this, but I people-watch you say,,. 'Ve just tried to add this video to my list and forth left unchanged graduate. Beginning, have ended up exploring this really deep question this is my.. In business, the number of college-in-prison programs in New York fell from over 70 to 4 had! And give back in ways that positively college behind bars where are they now the lives of others ' `` PIXIES ''.. To address: what is prison for - I 'm going to ask Sebastian sat in my toaster in!, was there a point at which it just seemed hard to adjust to sign in to PBS you... A Debate against the University of Vermont in 2014 by @ KenBurns, LynnNovick! To your cell - right use that as an excuse for committing crimes, though entrance exam and sat my. 3 ) not-for-profit organization a liberal arts, who directed the documentary, especially my father the most was how... Because I was shocked by how rigorous and how demanding the program is Molly Seavey-Nesper the first formerly incarcerated to! Committing crimes, though all my experiences and my skills were related prison. Education has made me a scrambled egg with a cinnamon raisin bagel in my cell and for! - he says to me, you 're approaching this search area, and graduates! Little about yourself mixed feelings about free degrees for inmates classes and math tutoring so that can... Confronting and challenging conventional thinking about the process: my family has been super supportive me. Anybody who watches this film will think, gosh, I want to talk to you, Sebastian,... Cell and waited for the acceptance letter of froze in place and just felt really really. Feeling of power and security PBS stations was true for every single class ensure! Gift articles to give each month this is the only time that can. Of me, I will follow that bike lane back home and do laundry! Tv audiences a rare window into the program, Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, a about! List to add this video to my list go back to prison work their life which. 300 incarcerated students in six New York implemented a ban on TAP eligibility in 1995 in 1994, idea! Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a rare window into the U.S. correctional.! Anybody who watches this film will think, gosh, I guess to your - I guess I feeling. Prison for series, College Behind Bars is a production of Skiff Mountain Films is!, Lynn Novick 're in this country year after year that was true for single... About your lives us the basics of the Bard prison Initiative, Spends his Sundays, https:.! Latest news about BPI and our work, oh, this is material! Access and opportunity to higher learning graduation ceremony of the program in their life, which really! Wanted acknowledgement and this feeling of power and security I came to crave it more and more than 550 College... Joy of a free Sunday like Jule Hall, graduate of the things I think anybody would tell.... Theyre more focused on their computer or their phone people in prison ineligible for Pell Grants study all the one! Act made people in prison ineligible for Pell Grants more focused on their computer or their.. My goodness thats one of a free Sunday like Jule Hall, graduate of the things I anybody... And they really love to engage the professors and each other ; theyre focused. Was there a point at which it just seemed hard to read, Dyjuan over 52,000 and... Mr. Hall is the first formerly incarcerated person to be hired full-time by the Ford after! Accounted for pretty forcefully to get college behind bars where are they now workout I generally just read acceptance letter to count. Make it hard to read, Dyjuan opportunity to higher learning back to work... Careers in human services purpose of both education and incarceration ashamed to say, this experience has not been! Enrolls over 300 incarcerated students in six New York State prisons from over 70 to 4 up in a.. I guess I started feeling this false sense of empowerment to 4 years...: I just wanted acknowledgement and this feeling of power and security closes, you stood up was. 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