Governor recognizes achievements of prison school graduates

Jun 8, 2017 No Comments

At a recent graduation in Arkansas, there were no mortarboards and gowns allowed — those could hide weapons. Excited family members were told to calm down and be seated when their cheers got too rowdy. There were locks, gates and plenty of security, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm over the event, where 641 inmates of the state’s prison schools were graduating, and Governor Asa Hutchinson was speaking— the only graduation speech request he accepted this year.

Literacy A Crucial Tool to Stem School to Prison Pipeline

May 11, 2017 No Comments

By Christopher Zoukis

Across the U.S. fully 43% of adults read at a grade 8 level or lower — 29% can only read at an eighth grade level, and 14% can only grasp material at a fifth grade level or lower. Throughout the country, thousands of adults are functionally illiterate, which has a huge negative impact on their day-to-day lives. Early childhood is a crucial time to set the right path for literacy. An interest in reading is often determined as early as first grade, with fourth-grade reading levels being an indicator of future success. Research shows that children who struggle to read in first grade are 88% more likely to struggle in grade four. And those who struggle in fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of school.

The Choice Bus Uses Prisoner Perspectives to Discourage Dropping Out

May 4, 2017 No Comments

By Christopher Zoukis

In an effort to stem the school-to-prison pipeline and to keep kids in school, the Choice Bus was rolled out to help students understand their options in life, and how their decisions can affect their futures.

The Choice Bus is an initiative of the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, a national nonprofit created in 2007 to help educators, community leaders and other interested groups reduce the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate. Dr. Shelley Stewart named the foundation in honor of his mother, whose murder he witnessed at the hands of his father at the age of five. The tragic incident put him at risk of poverty, homelessness and dropping out of school. Had it not been for a passionate teacher, Stewart’s life may have gone in a different direction. Instead, education made all the difference in his life.

Bureau of Prisons Seeks Software to Predict Post-Release Outcomes

Apr 27, 2017 No Comments

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) hopes to find unrecognized patterns of adaptation and recidivism — which the agency terms “inmate reintegration into the community — by asking software developers to provide information about commercially available software capable of aggregating the various types of data the agency already collects. A request published by the agency

Literacy and Love: Programs Allow Parents in Prison to Read To Children

Apr 20, 2017 No Comments

So many factors can affect childhood — and adult — success. Having a parent in prison can have a profound effect on a child’s path in life.The level of involvement a parent has in their child’s life can trickle down to many areas, including literacy. A child’s ability to read can be greatly affected by

North Carolina Prisons Add Technology to Rehabilitation Toolbox

Apr 6, 2017 No Comments

Edovo tablets deliver an array of educational and life skills programming, also offer prisoners incentives in the form of rewards points for hitting milestones. There are more than 37,000 inmates in 55 prison facilities in North Carolina. Each year, more than 20,000 inmates are released. In fact, 98% of the entire country’s inmates will be released

Prison Shakespeare Programs Have Dramatic Impact on Inmates

Mar 30, 2017 No Comments

By Christopher Zoukis Prison might be the last place you would expect to see a great performance of Shakespeare. But for more than a decade, Marin Shakespeare Company in California has taught Shakespeare in several prisons, and to rave reviews. In 1989, the company launched to reinvigorate Shakespeare in Northern California, but has expanded its

Folsom Prison Programs Improve Lives Inside and Outside its Walls

Mar 16, 2017 No Comments

Programming at California’s second-oldest prison takes a holistic approach to rehabilitating — from puppies to addiction assistance. Johnny Cash may have talked about time “draggin’ on” at Folsom Prison in his ’60s-era hit song, but times at California’s second-oldest prison have changed. Folsom State Prison first opened in 1880 and has come the distance from

Nearly Half of Prisoners Lack Access to Vocational Training

Mar 9, 2017 No Comments

In the ongoing discussion of prison reform, mass incarceration, and reducing recidivism, vocational programs are often overlooked in favor of formal educational courses and other activities and programming. Maybe it is assumed that most incarcerated individuals have access to, and participate in, vocational training and prison jobs. At least, that’s what popular TV shows and

From Inmate to Inspiration: Man Helps Prisoners and Youth Turn Lives Around

Mar 2, 2017 No Comments

By Christopher Zoukis John Valverde is living proof that second chances are possible, and that the criminal justice system needs to be about more than just punishment — it should focus on rehabilitation and facilitating successful re-entry for the legions of ex-offenders who will eventually rejoin their communities. Valverde this year becomes CEO of YouthBuild

News

Governor recognizes achievements of prison school graduates

Literacy A Crucial Tool to Stem School to Prison Pipeline

The Choice Bus Uses Prisoner Perspectives to Discourage Dropping Out

Bureau of Prisons Seeks Software to Predict Post-Release Outcomes

Literacy and Love: Programs Allow Parents in Prison to Read To Children

North Carolina Prisons Add Technology to Rehabilitation Toolbox

Folsom Prison Programs Improve Lives Inside and Outside its Walls

Nearly Half of Prisoners Lack Access to Vocational Training

From Inmate to Inspiration: Man Helps Prisoners and Youth Turn Lives Around

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