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San Quentin’s Prison University Gives Inmates Freedom to Learn

San Quentin is home to the Prison University Project, the largest on-site college-in-prison program among California state prisons. Inmates in PUP earn their associate’s degree for free, with volunteer instructors from schools like Stanford and UC Berkeley.

Opponents of higher education in prison, like those who voted down a proposal in New York earlier this year, say it’s wrong to give a taxpayer-funded degree to convicts. Some are fine with providing remedial and vocational education, but draw the line at college, a commodity families sacrifice thousands of dollars to give their children.

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Graduation Day for Auburn Prison Inmates

By Keri Blakinger On Wednesday, Dec. 10, a group of 13 students looking much like any other group of graduates walked across the stage to accept their diplomas as the Class of 2014. Unlike most college graduates, though, this group was entirely comprised of prisoners, inmates at Auburn Correctional Facility, the state’s oldest prison.  The

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America’s Prisons: A Road to Nowhere

By Ben Notterman / Huffington Post Video of Henry McCollum’s release shows the exonerated death row inmate making his way through a crowd of excited onlookers and into his family’s car, where he could not figure out how to fasten his seatbelt. In his defense, many states did not begin mandating the use of seatbelts

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In Kenyan Prison, Education May Mean Freedom

By Jeri Watson / VOA News Eighteen people in central Kenya are taking the country’s secondary education test, called the KNEC. Even under normal conditions, this examination can make a student nervous. But these 18 students may feel especially fearful.  They are serving sentences in a top-security prison. And if they do well on the

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Joi C. Spraggins to Speak in Philadelpia

By Diane Sears   Dr. Joi C. Spraggins / Image courtesy LinkedIn.com

DR. JOI C. SPRAGGINS, recognized as a global legacy leadership expert in business, education, communications and civic engagement. is the founder and president of Legacy Pathways, LLC, an innovative management consulting and training firm specializing in leadership development, communications, education, health care reform, public policy and social justice. She will deliver remarks at the City of Philadelphia’s observance of the first annual International Day of Prayer for Men and Boys on Sunday, November 16, 2014 at the First Unitarian Church at 2125 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.  The City of Philadelphia’s observance of the First Annual “International Day of Prayer for Men and Boys” will be hosted by DR. SAMUEL BERNARD LACKEY, JR., at his “Sunday With Sam” program from 3:00 P.M. through 7:00 P.M.   The International Day of Prayer for Men and Boys will launch the observance by 80 nations – including the United States – of International Men’s Day on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 under the theme, “Working Together For Men and Boys.”   

A globally recognized expert in leadership, communications, diversity and workforce development, Dr. Joi® designs and implements best-practice performance models; provides program and public policy analyses; and structures sustainable public/private collaborations through Legacy Pathways. Her company is an innovative management consulting and training firm specializing in leadership development, communications, public health and safety, economic, diversity and workforce development programs, public policy analysis and supply chain regulatory compliance. Service industries include public health, education and justice reform, law enforcement, sports management, government, energy, construction and transportation. Our mission is to provide cutting-edge products, services and solutions that accelerate our clients’ leadership and global industry competitive advantage. The results create Legacy, Pathways and Footprints™ (LPF) that transform the lives of individuals, families, communities, businesses and the world. 

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Education Justice Project Hosts Symposium on Higher Education in Prison

By Estefania Florez / The Daily Illini The Education Justice Project is hosting a symposium on higher education programs in prison until Sunday. “Our mission is to build a model college-in-prison program that demonstrates the positive impacts of higher education upon incarcerated students, the family, the neighbors to which they return, the host institution – the

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Famous Prisoners: Where Are They Now?

By Dianne Frazee-Walker

Where are the legends who were seen indulging in gourmet entrees and sipping fine wines at the trendiest restaurants, but are now waiting in chow lines to dine?  Where is former billionaire Raj Rajaratnam, who swapped illegal stock trading for commissary stamp trading?

Ja Rule, the famous rapper, caught for not filing his income taxes ended-up filing for parole.

The only three piece suits these former dignitaries wear now are composed of handcuffs, leg irons, and waist chains.   

From Wall Street to movie sets and recording studios, many renowned people have gone from a posh to prison. Other notables have become renowned for the crime that landed them behind bars. 

Phil Spector 

Remember the haggard pouty-lipped Phil Spector, the rock star who produced such hits as “Da Doo Ron Ron,” and “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling?” Well, he must of lost that “loving feeling” when he was convicted of killing 40-year-old actress, Lana Clarkson. Spector allegedly shot his date after a night of drinking. 

Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, Spector was later inducted into the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran, Calif. in 2009 for 19-years to life. When Mr. Spector is eligible for parole he will be 88-years-old. 

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Applying to College With a Criminal Record

By Levi LaChapelle / Truthout Op-Ed Colleges are staging areas for economic success and personal prosperity. As sociologist Andrew Cherlin recently observed to The New York Times, “A bachelor’s degree is the closest thing to a class boundary that exists today.” Indeed, a report from the Pew Research Center shows that for the last two decades, only college graduates

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