Maximum Security Education

How Some Inmates Are Getting A Top-Notch Education Behind Bars

(CBS) 
The majority of students at Bard are white and privileged, like Max Kenner, who came up with the idea of the Bard prison program when he was a student in the 1990s. He had been volunteering in prisons and knew the inmates were hungry for an education, but few opportunities were available to them.

"I did not encounter one single superintendent who wasn’t enthusiastic about the possibility of starting a college within that prison," says Kenner, who visited numerous prisons.

Asked if it is hard to get professors to teach in the program, Kenner tells Simon, "No one has once taught for us and not wanted to do it again."

Professor Tabetha Ewing teaches European history at Bard College, and last fall she also started teaching the same European history course to the prisoners.

How did she feel when she found herself in a room with prisoners and no guard?

"As soon as we shut the door and we began working, it was the most amazing experience," Ewing says. "We had an immediate rapport. And they took themselves and the work so seriously that I didn’t have a moment to consider the absence of a guard."

"Did you have to make the course easier for the prisoners than you did for the students at Bard?" Simon asks.

"Once I was there three weeks, I just made it harder," she says. Ewing had to make the course harder, she told Simon, because the inmates studied harder.

The student-inmates have a room where they can study if they have free time during the day. Computers there, by the way, do not have Internet access. But much of their studying is done at night in their cells, surrounded by a constant din.

It may be hard to feel sympathy for criminals. It’s also hard to get studying done here.

Travis Darshan acknowledges his cell does not make for an ideal study situation, but he says he manages by trying to block the noise out. "And when I begin to read, I try to focus in on my studies. And you kind of go into another world," he says. "You know, instead of hearing that noise, you just block it out. The distractions aren’t available when your mind is centered on what you’re reading."

Asked how the prisoners have surprised him, Bard College president Botstein says, "The most amazing thing, I have to say, the most shocking and absolutely unbelievable thing is that it takes radical incarceration, the loss of all hope to engender a genuine love of learning."

The Bard prison program isn't just at Eastern Correctional Facility—it is in four prisons in New York state and has about 120 students overall. Higher education in penitentiaries used to be common, but in 1994 Congress eliminated federal funding for prisoners to go to college and many programs folded. The issue was: why give free college educations to convicts when so many students who haven’t committed crimes can’t afford it?

"It's a fair argument but we treat inmates for medical reasons, we treat inmates for drug addiction, why aren’t we treating inmates for educational needs?" says Commissioner Brian Fisher, the head of corrections for New York state.

Fisher says every study he's read shows that inmates given a college education are less likely to commit crimes once they are released. "Education changes people. And I think that’s what prisons should do. Change somebody from one way of thinking to a different way of thinking," he says.

"It's a very liberal view of incarceration," Simon remarks.

"I don’t think so. I think it’s the logical view of incarceration. Going to prison is the punishment. Once in prison, it’s our obligation to make them better than they were," Fisher explains.

And, he told 60 Minutes, inmates in college programs are easier for the prison system to manage. They tend not to stir up trouble by fighting and arguing, although when Simon and the team ran into a group of inmates in the prison yard, they were arguing about Rousseau and Machiavelli.

Listening to them talk, one could easily have been in a college quad rather than a prison yard. They spend their free time like so many undergraduates, exercising their intellectual muscles, debating century-old notions of ethics, morality and philosophy.

[morganswharf]

Wadewallin, the point is that inmates of a federal or state prison do not get a free college education. Congress effectively defunded post-secondary prison education 13 years ago, and states have failed to make up the difference. Because of this Legislation, and complete loss of funding, colleges have shut down their education departments for prisoners. Bard College is now the exception. However, the GI Bill does offer free education for military, especially those who served twenty years or fought in a war.

[toast73]

Honestly, I think the fact that higher education has become so unaffordable may have more to do with government priorities (22% of our federal tax dollars go to "defense") rather than educational programs being offered in prison.

[toast73]

There are very few people that are truly paying for their own education. Whether they are dependent on their parent's financial support, they are getting financial aid, or they are simply attending a state supported (i.e. taxpayer funded) institution most of us receive help in one way or another. To say that someone can waste their time in school because they "are paying for it" does not really tell the whole story. Still, for the most part, college students are young and have many distractions so it cannot be expected that they will always see the value of an education. That is part of growing up. We are allowed to make mistakes.
But.... am I the only one who is heartened to see some individuals who seem to truly embrace learning? Isn't there some good in this story. Can't we all at least see something good in these prisoners doing something positive in their life? I'm sure most did not grow up in the the best of circumstances.

[wadewallin]

It's great to know that one can obtain a free college education by going to prison. To all of us that served twenty plus years in our military or fought in a war must pay your way. Only in America does a criminal have more rights then the rest of society. My first semster of college I did receive a grant for $92.00, and my tuition & fees and two BOOKS for two classes were closer to a thousand dollars. I just want to say thanks, you made my week.

[morganswharf]

The United States Goverment should resume its policy of releasing a fraction of Pell Grants to qualified incarcerated Americans. An extremely modest public investment would create a massive response from private, non-profit educational and religious organizations. Such a policy would sharply cut rates or recidivism and save the United States millions of dollars.
Secondary education is not necessarily about learning a trade, it is about learning of new ways to think. Eloquently put by Reshawn Hughes, an inmate, "While at Bard, I learned that freedom was something much different than just a physicality, a space of physical existence. Freedom had a lot do with your ability to think. Freedom had a lot to do with your ability to communicate with others. To see the world in a different view".

[morganswharf]

Nearly one and a half million individuals are housed in adult correctional facilities in the United States. Prison-based education is the single most effective tool for lowering recidivism (relapse of criminal behavior). Many of the federal and state goverment studies of recidivism and correctional education have included a particular focus on the cost-savings of such programs compared to other forms of crime prevention. Among the study results was the finding that all sub-groups of Correctional Education completers for FY 1993-1994 had positive return on investment ratios. The combined Costs-Consequences Analysis ratio reported at $1.66 return for every $1.00 invested. The highest return was for academic completers, with $3.53 returned for $1.00 public investment. This report illustrates the overwhelming consensus among public officials that post-secondary education is the most successful and cost-effective method
of preventing crime.

[morganswharf]

Of the $5.3 billion awarded in Pell grants in 1993, about $34 million were awarded to inmates. This represents less than 1/10 of one percent of the total grant awards. The Pell grant awarded per inmate was less than $1,300. Pell grants are given to education providers, not to inmates, to pay for the inmates' educational expenses. Death row inmates and inmates serving life sentences without parole were not eligible for Pell grants. Despite the position of policy experts within the federal and state government, Legislature has dismantled correctional higher education.

[pippermouse]

tanman I'm so sorry for your loss and your ability to endure life because some loser changed it forever for you. The post before you talks about "replacing" vengence with blah blah blah.....it's an absolute joke isn't it. I think people who feel this way should be the ones who are in charge of baby sitting these so called reformed and "newly educated" and make sure that they actually have changed their lives. How in the dark are these people? Just because someone is now articulate and look like they have changed - doesn't mean that they have. If you buy that nonsense than I pity you. Like I said before (and the bleeding hearts won't addresse the victims side of things)unless violence affects these people - they will never ever have a clue as to what they are talking about. When these college education criminals pull the trigger or use their knives, they will be able to tell the police if they are caught - that they have a college degree now. Sounds good to me!

[tanman619]

I was very saddened to watch this story, 39 years ago my father was murdered in his grocery store. A senseless murder, 3 men with the intention of robbery, killed him for less than $100. My mother was left with 3 young children on her own. She was told by the States Attorney that in order to keep the 1 murderer in jail each and every year that he was up for parole we would have to make the trip to object to this. As I grew older we still made the trip, one year while there we found out that this man was in the college band, and receiving an education. How sad that my mother struggled to provide for us, no state financial aid nothing. We were never notified when this man was going to be released only afterwards informing us he was out. It is sad that you have more rights and benefits as a criminal than a victim or family member or a victim.

[jeged]

I think you couldn%u2019t find a better example of how the worst in society become completely transformed than what happens at Bard College. Here, prisoners go from being just common thugs to intelligent, articulate, thoughtful men. Yet what remains puzzling is that government is reluctant to expand such programs throughout the country. The results of the %u2018Bard College Experiment%u2019 have clearly shown very positive results, indicating that higher education is something that should be offered to any inmate who demonstrates a sincere desire to learn, even if they only wish to take philosophy courses.
Being that any level of government represents people, it falls back on %u2018the people%u2019 then when access to higher education is not provided in the prison system. Bard College has shown that education raises the personality of a person. Thus without it, the prisoner has nothing to develop himself with, and will likely continue being a common criminal. It%u2019s not surprising then that %u201Chalf of all ex-cons end up right back in the penitentiary%u201D, and the financial burden of this failure of course must be born by every tax-paying American. If Americans are truly fed up with the apparent ineffectiveness of their prisons, a change of attitude toward prisoners themselves must take place. We have to get rid of our %u2018vengeance-mentality%u2019 and replace it with a desire to see prisoners become truly rehabilitated, instead of just punished.

[pippermouse]

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah.............sounds like the educated responses from the bleeding heart section just goes on and on and on. I HOPE that some of these poor young boys who committed their crimes at a very young age come and personally visit YOU and your family members in the very near future. Maybe then and only then will you really actually "get it".

[pippermouse]

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah.............sounds like the educated responses from the bleeding heart section just goes on and on and on. I HOPE that some of these poor young boys who committed their crimes at a very young age come and personally visit YOU and your family members in the very near future. Maybe then and only then will you really actually "get it".

[spolos]

This 60 minutes segment showed how it%u2019s possible to help within the system and work to change the system. Most people think prisoners deserve to be miserable and don't care how miserable they are. Many have no idea how flawed the prison system is. The system supposedly monitors itself, but there has been in many cases no effective oversight. We need to persuade legislators that prison should be about rehabilitation. People who work in prison should not be allowed to further punish inmates. We need to promote the fact that every year 60,000 people are released from prison and 40,000 return. We have a strong message to representatives that we as taxpayers want penitentiaries to be what they were established to be %u2013 a place where penitence can lead to an improved life. In order to help inmates find their way back to a life beyond prison, we need to start on the first day of incarceration. We need to embrace the possibility of true correction and rehabilitation. Education is critical.

[emilinka]

Well I think a lot of people here are missing the point, which sadly reflects the anti-scientific, anti-reality-based mindset that has trickled down from Pennsylvania Avenue. Education reduces recidivism rates like nothing else. That's a fact that many lose sight of in their drive to punish and demonize. The fact is that many of the prisoners were very young when they committed their crimes; many of them are non-violent felons (even if by classification, the driver of a car involved in a robbery will be considered "a violent offender".) Criminal policy ought to be about deterrence and rehabilitation. The majority of people deserve a second-chance. We should consider by the US has the highest incarceration rates in the world, yet the majority of people consider themselves in some way religious. Another fact about prison education is that the children of imprisoned individuals (who are statistically most vulnerable to joining the incarcerated population) benefit from the example set by their parents. It is a terrific thing to make the most of your life with so little in the way of hope. It is exemplary, in a society that bemoans seasonal depression and pops pills for every little problem. No one is good or evil even if one's deeds might have heinous consequences.

[emilinka]

Well I think a lot of people here are missing the point, which sadly reflects the anti-scientific, anti-reality-based mindset that has trickled down from Pennsylvania Avenue. Education reduces recidivism rates like nothing else. That's a fact that many lose sight of in their drive to punish and demonize. The fact is that many of the prisoners were very young when they committed their crimes; many of them are non-violent felons (even if by classification, the driver of a car involved in a robbery will be considered "a violent offender".) Criminal policy ought to be about deterrence and rehabilitation. The majority of people deserve a second-chance. We should consider by the US has the highest incarceration rates in the world, yet the majority of people consider themselves in some way religious. Another fact about prison education is that the children of imprisoned individuals (who are statistically most vulnerable to joining the incarcerated population) benefit from the example set by their parents. It is a terrific thing to make the most of your life with so little in the way of hope. It is exemplary, in a society that bemoans seasonal depression and pops pills for every little problem. No one is good or evil even if one's deeds might have heinous consequences.

[emilinka]

Well I think a lot of people here are missing the point, which sadly reflects the anti-scientific, anti-reality-based mindset that has trickled down from Pennsylvania Avenue. Education reduces recidivism rates like nothing else. That's a fact that many lose sight of in their drive to punish and demonize. The fact is that many of the prisoners were very young when they committed their crimes; many of them are non-violent felons (even if by classification, the driver of a car involved in a robbery will be considered "a violent offender".) Criminal policy ought to be about deterrence and rehabilitation. The majority of people deserve a second-chance. We should consider by the US has the highest incarceration rates in the world, yet the majority of people consider themselves in some way religious. Another fact about prison education is that the children of imprisoned individuals (who are statistically most vulnerable to joining the incarcerated population) benefit from the example set by their parents. It is a terrific thing to make the most of your life with so little in the way of hope. It is exemplary, in a society that bemoans seasonal depression and pops pills for every little problem. No one is good or evil even if one's deeds might have heinous consequences.

[emilinka]

Well I think a lot of people here are missing the point, which sadly reflects the anti-scientific, anti-reality-based mindset that has trickled down from Pennsylvania Avenue. Education reduces recidivism rates like nothing else. That's a fact that many lose sight of in their drive to punish and demonize. The fact is that many of the prisoners were very young when they committed their crimes; many of them are non-violent felons (even if by classification, the driver of a car involved in a robbery will be considered "a violent offender".) Criminal policy ought to be about deterrence and rehabilitation. The majority of people deserve a second-chance. We should consider by the US has the highest incarceration rates in the world, yet the majority of people consider themselves in some way religious. Another fact about prison education is that the children of imprisoned individuals (who are statistically most vulnerable to joining the incarcerated population) benefit from the example set by their parents. It is a terrific thing to make the most of your life with so little in the way of hope. It is exemplary, in a society that bemoans seasonal depression and pops pills for every little problem. No one is good or evil even if one's deeds might have heinous consequences.

[emilinka]

Well I think a lot of people here are missing the point, which sadly reflects the anti-scientific, anti-reality-based mindset that has trickled down from Pennsylvania Avenue. Education reduces recidivism rates like nothing else. That's a fact that many lose sight of in their drive to punish and demonize. The fact is that many of the prisoners were very young when they committed their crimes; many of them are non-violent felons (even if by classification, the driver of a car involved in a robbery will be considered "a violent offender".) Criminal policy ought to be about deterrence and rehabilitation. The majority of people deserve a second-chance. We should consider by the US has the highest incarceration rates in the world, yet the majority of people consider themselves in some way religious. Another fact about prison education is that the children of imprisoned individuals (who are statistically most vulnerable to joining the incarcerated population) benefit from the example set by their parents. It is a terrific thing to make the most of your life with so little in the way of hope. It is exemplary, in a society that bemoans seasonal depression and pops pills for every little problem. No one is good or evil even if one's deeds might have heinous consequences.

[recallgwbush]

If it weren't for education, then convicts would only go back to the same life. No one makes a living anymore without a degree. I disagree that convicts love living in jail. I think it may be a reachable clubmed for some as they have no responsibility for food, utilities, home, transportation, etc. But no I don't agree that it is what some feel to be a desire of life. I do agree that it is a result of our changing society making things of need more and more out of reach.

[pakaal]

"Most cons do NOT want another way of life"
Posted by toldyouso21

In your post you go from generalization to generalization. It seems to me your idea is to take away these opportunities from all, just because some (and I dispute your statement "most" since you can't back that up) cons abuse the system. I know of a number of companies here who have intentionally hired ex-felons to give them a second chance. Sure, many of these people may be lifetime criminals, but many are not. They are already punished twice in most states (imprisonment and then permanent loss of right to vote). What do you think you're teaching them when you deny them the chance to better their lives while in prison? Sounds to me like you want to punish them yet again.