NOVICK: Yes, indeed. So that was, like, really, really kind of humbling to see that type of support from the general population. It's always a seminar style. 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 because the coffees so bad, we overcompensate with sugar or creamer. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Who has access to educational opportunity? College Behind Bars, which airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a rare window into the U.S. correctional system. GROSS: FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. 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. The recent PBS series, " College Behind Bars ," chronicles Mr. Hall's eventual parole and release in 2015. YOON: And it was a very interesting moment for me where I realized that the education that I was receiving in prison was the same education that I would receive had I gone to college out there. Great to have all of you. The Bard Prison Initiative Debate Union prepares for a debate against the University of Vermont in 2014. 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. it is the only time that they can trust they . And they really love to engage the professors and each other, and that was true for every single class. I'm not going to wear that. Mr. Hall is the first formerly incarcerated person to be hired full-time by the Ford Foundation, where he works as a program associate, developing strategy and analyzing data for grants to advance, gender, racial and ethnic justice. And throughout this process, we're constantly talking with each other, helping each other out because on, like, the outside here, you have the Internet; our peers become the Internet. - with, you know, caps and gowns and photos and parents in the audience. Celebrating 200+ degrees in six graduations back in person with Congressman Bobby Rush. After the 94 Crime Bill, state lawmakers followed the federal lead and rescinded state-level tuition assistance programs. 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. This July we saw a major legislative victory in New York, spearheaded by BPI alumni. 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. That degree really means something when they leave this program with their degree from Bard. According to records, James murdered his stepmother and three stepbrothers in cold blood. I know it's not love after lockup but I couldn't really find a relevant sub. 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. DAVIES: Yeah. Ill take care of the preliminaries, brush my teeth, get dressed, and I shoot straight to the Starbucks two blocks away. The type of things that are available to people in prison currently are somewhat outdated. I have two brothers - one older, one younger. YOON: I would say that all my friends right now are my peers from the BPI program, and our network is really growing. DAVIES: Wow. And I got there, and I took the entrance exam and sat in my cell and waited for the acceptance letter. I have several friends who are still incarcerated that I spent my summers outside of class tutoring, and they're now in the program. You know, that is not the type of thing you expect to be happening in a prison. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. There are bells. ). Men and women seek college degrees - and a chance at redemption - while incarcerated. Hes a regular at the local Starbucks, where he takes his coffee with cinnamon, not too much sugar.. We should not expect that they are only capable of vocational training. 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. Sometimes, it could take six hours. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Read the Interview in Mother Jones Post Date: 12-11-2019 And I wondered - I couldn't help but wonder when I went - when I submitted this application, would they see this and give me a chance for an interview had I not been able to write that I received a Bard bachelor's degree? College Behind Bars first premiered Nov. 25, 2019 on PBS and has since then become popular among Netflix audiences. TATRO: Sure. This is five times a day, right? It was just a really, really moving moment to be celebrated on the main Bard campus in that way by all these amazing young people. DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR, and we're discussing the new four-part PBS documentary "College Behind Bars." In one of our most power episodes ever, BPIs founder Max Kenner and recent graduate Sebastian Yoon join Adam this week to discuss howReadMore, One graduate, featured in a new PBS documentary, shares the ups and downs of earning a degree behind bars. BPI transforms wealth, power, and purpose in America by providing full-scholarship, college education in the most unlikely places. Im trying to act younger than my age, so I sometimes listen to trap music. Were they all like that, Lynn? I'm Terry Gross, and this is FRESH AIR. We can remove the first show in the list to add this one. TATRO: You know, this - I'm the first person in my family who's ever gone to college. 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. So when we start talking about what is best for people in prisons, Lynn said we should include them in that conversation. 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. 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). Virtually none return to prison. Dyjuan, you want to share something? They love this film. Men and women earn college degrees - and a chance at new beginnings - while incarcerated. What I prize is the education and the knowledge that I received in the process of obtaining that degree. I go to bed around 9 or 10. They study math, as Dyjuan said, languages, history, literature, art, science, philosophy, economics, public policy, you know, public health. Your purchase supports PBS and helps make our programming possible. And the Bard Prison Initiative has had 600 graduates be released over the last 20 years. 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. A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Once I put something in my stomach, I bike ride. Leath on "Born Behind Bars" Those interviewed in the video say Leath truly cared about the babies and their mothers in the nursery. 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. I mean, anybody who watches this film will think, gosh, I don't know if I could handle this stuff. Others that have to do, you know, kind of routine prison jobs instead of being in class - was there jealousy or resentment? 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. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations and will be available for streaming. But for the men gathered on this October afternoon, it. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. DAVIES: This school also has graduation ceremonies, and this is very moving. rush medical college leadership; college behind bars where are they now. And today, there are 300 students in six facilities in New York state, mostly men, but there's one facility for women as well. It radiates and ramifies throughout my entire family structure, you know? They come to us for essay-writing classes and math tutoring so that they can prepare to get into the program themselves. Dyjuan, what's it been like connecting with your family again? While I have little tastes for things, I dont make an elaborate breakfast. And that's - Pell grants are supposed to be based on economic need. And I think we should just start being really clear about the scale of the commitment, first of all, that we're making to you and, secondly, that we expect of you. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. We can remove the first video in the list to add this one. Our guests are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon, two graduates of the program. And I think the answer is no. A scholar who has taught in prison weighs in on 'College Behind Bars,' which airs Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS. 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. Who among us is capable of academic excellence? My father was in Vietnam, came home drug-addicted and has never really recovered from that. And they understand that research shows inmates who earn masters degrees behind bars have a 0% recidivism rate. 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. But I thought what just happened in the auditorium was also reality. Hold on. Now he wants to help kids avoid prison. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Adjust the colors to reduce glare and give your eyes a break. Colleges or universities partnering in the Consortium. 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. Men and women in prison for serious crimes try to earn college degrees in this groundbreaking story of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. Tell me how the experience compared with what you expected. 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. YOON: Oh, yeah, without a doubt. 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 documentary prompts viewers to consider the importance of higher education in prison. (SOUNDBITE OF ROBBEN FORD AND BILL EVANS' "PIXIES"). My family loves Bard College. Your support helps make this possible. How can we have justice without redemption? For the NFLs My Cause My Cleats campaign, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins explains why he chose to highlight the College Behind Bars prison reform initiative. There's a lot of interaction with the students, with the professor and with each other, and a tremendous amount learning also goes on outside the classroom. Well, you know, for a number of the graduates - and this was true of Sebastian, not Dyjuan - there was this - there's this terrible paradox where, you know, the fact that you are completing your college degree and graduating doesn't mean that you are released from prison. I'm interested in your take on this - whether vocational programs should be there. When Bard Prison Initiative Students Debated Harvard. There's an extreme amount of noise in prisons. I sit in there for about 30 minutes with my phone on the side playing music. 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. All Rights Reserved. YOON: Oh. Please consider giving a gift to support BPIs groundbreaking work to redefine college access in America and to counter the harm of mass incarceration. 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. And I'm back at BPI today as the Government Affairs Officer, expanding - helping to expand access to college and prison through public investments in the work that we do. Adult learners are, you know, much more mature and have life experience. 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. By signing up for BPI emails, you are agreeing to receive news and updates from BPI. 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