Education — Jail and Prison Conditions — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Jail and Prison Conditions

Even if an inmate's sentence is not oppressively long, their treatment while incarcerated can still constitute subhuman treatment. Prisons are not medical facilities, but they regularly are forced to deal with mental health problems and care for elderly and terminally ill inmates. Food, if it's even edible, usually lacks enough nutrition for inmates' health to not deteriorate. Plus, with a lack of opportunities to see family, read, or gain skill sets, inmates are placed in buildings which lack any resemblance of the civilized world.

Posts in Education

Human Rights Defense Center: Kansas still unfairly bans books in prisons

“A watchdog group says the Kansas prison system unfairly censors publications despite new policy and the elimination of a banned book list. The Human Rights Defense Center has produced a list of more than 200 books and magazines that have been intercepted by administrators in recent months, including the Pulitzer Prize winner “The Overstory,” by Richard Powers, and books by John Grisham, Neil Gaiman, Toni Morrison, Nora Roberts and other popular authors. Seattle-based HRDC in May revealed the Kansas Department of Corrections maintained a list of banned books for easy reference by mailroom staff. Corrections secretary Jeff Zmuda eliminated the list amid widespread criticism when he arrived July 1.“

Topeka Capital-Journal

December 2, 2019

Access to Outside World, EducationPhillip ReevesDecember 2, 2019Topeka Capital Journal, Kansas, Human Rights Defense CenterComment

Why I Started a Book Club in the Harris County Jail

“The book clubs Drew and I started demonstrate that people in every pod in the jail have the capacity for education and enrichment, and they have an interest in learning. The clubs also improved the disciplinary climate in the pod. A high security classification should not bar participation in GED classes or other rehabilitative services. We know these programs make jails safer and reduce rates of recidivism when people reenter society. A 2018 RAND analysis found that prisoners participating in correctional education programs were 28 percent less likely to reoffend. Almost everyone locked in a cage in Harris County will someday be back in our community. We must stop purposely throwing away the key to their rehabilitation.“

Texas Observer

December 2, 2019

Education, Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesDecember 2, 2019Texas Observer, Harris County, HoustonComment

How College In Prison Turns Around Lives And Saves Taxpayers Money

“BPI is part of Bard College, a small, private university in New York State. It enrolls just over 300 students, all of them serving time inside six different New York State prisons. The show is four hours long, but the stories of individual prisoners and the program as a whole are gripping. One of the most interesting things about BPI is the very high level of the college courses taught there. Rather than remedial instruction, the students are learning about The Brothers Karamazov and high-level mathematics.“

Forbes

November 23, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesNovember 23, 2019Forbes, Bard Prison Initiative, PBS, Ken BurnsComment

College Behind Bars

“In less than two years, the number of higher education programs in prisons went from an estimated 772 to fewer than a dozen. Meanwhile, studies have continued to find higher education to be one of the most effective ways to combat recidivism: higher education in prison correlates with a 43 percent reduction in recidivism, and every dollar invested in it saves five in future corrections costs—not to mention the positive impact on in-prison behavior and the savings on public subsidies for people struggling to find jobs upon release.“

Boston Review

November 19, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesNovember 19, 2019Boston ReviewComment

GQ, Nat Geo and Cosmo are banned in Arizona prisons. A judge said the rules need to explain why.

“Wright said the banning of Prison Legal News is another way some penal institutions try to prevent inmates from knowing their rights. Under Silver’s directive, the state of Arizona and its corrections department can no longer violate prisoners’ First Amendment rights, which include the right to read — something that also impacts non-incarcerated people once prisoners are released, Fathi said.“

Washington Post

November 12, 2019

Education, Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesNovember 12, 2019Washington Post, Prison Legal News, ArizonaComment

Prison Education Project provides hope to inmates

“This endeavor is the vision of Marcia Klotz an English and Women’s studies professor. “Education offers a way to imagine a different kind of future,” Klotz said. “That’s what we signify when we come out here.” Peterson has about 10 months left on his sentence. He is looking forward to a handful of future Friday afternoon lectures. “It takes us out of the prison dynamic,” he said. “It’s a good re-introduction to society. All of us here will be going home and I want this to continue long after my release date.”“

NBC 4 Tucson

November 4, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesNovember 4, 2019NBC 4 Tucson, ArzionaComment

Prisons Are the Hardest Places to Read About Mass Incarceration

“The report details how U.S. prisons arbitrarily apply book bans in the name of institutional security. Texas, for example, bans The Color Purple but not Mein Kampf. Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow was banned in prisons in North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, and New Jersey, although those bans were reversed after they received media attention. A New York prison tried to ban a book of maps of the moon, claiming it presented an escape risk.“

Reason Magazine

September 27, 2019

Access to Outside World, EducationPhillip ReevesSeptember 27, 2019Reason MagazineComment

New Bill Educates Illinois Prisoners on Voting Rights After Release

“The bill, which takes effect in January 2020, will add mandatory workshops at both adult and juvenile prison facilities to instruct inmates that their voting rights are restored as soon as they finish out their prison sentences. Prisoners entering the last 12 months of their sentence already go through similar lessons informing them how to find housing or set up health care once they’re released. This new workshop will operate similarly, but will instead focus on civics and voting.“

WTTW Chicago

August 21, 2019

Access to Outside World, EducationPhillip ReevesAugust 21, 2019WTTW Chicago, IllinoisComment

Expand college-in-prison programs — then give participants time off their sentences

“Earned time credit has the dual effect of reducing costs and improving outcomes, shortening students’ time behind bars while harnessing the power of education to make it less likely that they will reoffend after release. In states such as Washington and Oregon, these policies have saved taxpayers millions of dollars.“

The Hill

August 13, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesAugust 13, 2019The Hill, Pell GrantsComment

Michigan prison inmates need job skills, but technology books are banned

“Inmates in Michigan state prisons who want to learn how to design a website, code a computer program or wire a house may find themselves a little light on reading material. At least 60 books related to computers, electronics and other technology are banned from state prisons for security reasons.“

Bridge Magazine

July 18, 2019

Access to Outside World, EducationPhillip ReevesJuly 18, 2019Bridge Magazine, MichiganComment

Georgia prison libraries short on books and titles, AJC analysis finds

“Such hope is in short supply at Georgia prisons. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of electronic book catalogues in 12 state prisons found wide disparities in the number and availability of reading material. Baldwin State Prison Library, for example, offers fewer than 2,000 books for about 1,000 prisoners, about one tenth the offering of comparably sized Central State Prison in Macon.“

Atlanta Journal Constitution

May 11, 2019

Access to Outside World, EducationPhillip ReevesMay 11, 2019Atlanta Journal Constitution, GeorgiaComment

Teaching in America’s prisons has taught me to believe in second chances

“Education is not only empowering for the individual, but it is also contagious. I have witnessed how education can indirectly influence the college trajectory of sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and even parents of incarcerated students. My incarcerated college students often tell stories about the conversations they have in the visiting room with their family about the books they are reading and the lessons they are learning in the classroom. Their education journey has inspired family members to start, or continue, their own journeys of education.“

The Conversation

March 18, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesMarch 18, 2019The ConversationComment

How the Federal Government Undermines Prison Education

“By 1982, there were 350 postsecondary education programs in prisons, and by the early 1990s, the number had risen to nearly 800 programs spread across some 1,300 facilities. But in 1994, Congress passed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which helped to increase the nation’s ballooning prison population while also blocking incarcerated individuals from accessing Pell Grants. It was an ill-conceived move: Access to education behind bars, and the resulting boost to employment after release, wards against recidivism, which in the U.S. runs at roughly 50 percent during the first three years after release.“

The Intercept

February 18, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesFebruary 18, 2019The Intercept, Pell GrantsComment

After pushback, Pennsylvania changing approach to books in prisons

“Since late summer, Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections has been rolling out enhanced security measures designed to stop the flow of drugs into prisons. One of those changes included restrictions on book gifts and donations. But after pushback from several inmates’ rights groups and book donors, the department is making changes once again.“

WHYY Pennsylvania

November 4, 2018

Access to Outside World, EducationPhillip ReevesNovember 4, 2018WHYY Pennsylvania, PennsylvaniaComment

Beyond Bars: Education opportunities give prisoners a chance to contribute positively

“Prisoners in uPrep are receiving an education and valuable skills. The things they are learning give them confidence and the ability to succeed as they reenter society. uPrep has “coding camp,” where inmates are learning computer programming, a skill that is in demand in the outside world.“

Utah Standard Examiner

September 24, 2018

Education, Prison ProgramsPhillip ReevesSeptember 24, 2018Utah Standard Examiner, uPrepComment

Guest column: Put education at center of prison reform

"Having worked at the Louisiana Department of Corrections for decades, retiring as state education director after 33 years, I've seen firsthand the dramatic changes that better education can bring for those who are incarcerated. Through the Correctional Education Association and American Correctional Association, I was made well aware that recidivism is one of the biggest challenges facing our local, state and federal prison systems."

The Advocate

August 29, 2018

EducationAnthony BradleyAugust 31, 2018The Advocate, Louisiana

College Degree Options Are Disappearing for Women in Texas Prisons

"The only bachelor’s degree programs available to women incarcerated in the Texas prison system are ending. By 2020, Texas A&M University-Central says it will completely phase out three four-year degree programs it offers to women at several state prisons in Gatesville, and the university hasn’t been taking new students at the lockups since spring 2017."

Texas Observer

July 12, 2018

EducationAnthony BradleyJuly 29, 2018Texas Observer, Texas

Jail education programs offer inmates life line

"Working with Workforce Solutions Alamo to determine local employer market needs, the Alamo Colleges have developed new classes. Some of the class offerings now include national certification in manufacturing quality and safety, Express-News education writer Alia Malik reported recently. Over the last four years, nearly 3,000 inmates have taken at least one of the vocational classes offered by the Alamo Colleges District."

San Antonio Express-News

May 14, 2018

Education, Prison ProgramsAnthony BradleyJuly 29, 2018San Antonio Express News, Texas, San Antonio