By Associated Press The Michigan Department of Corrections is working on several efforts to teach community college courses and vocational training in-house to a small number of inmates near parole. The effort comes after years without funding for prisoners to access higher education, The Detroit News reported Monday, and Michigan is joining a pilot project
Most legal observers would agree that when two respected jurists attack each other’s rationale in published opinions, there’s probably a good reason for it. Sometimes it’s a case in which the stakes are high, as in the death penalty appeal where Judge Stephen Reinhardt for the Ninth Circuit called the opinion of colleague Alex Kosinski
Critics of the criminal justice system have no shortage of issues to examine. Whether an academic analyzes inequalities in death sentencing or a social activist protests drug laws, it seems the entire spectrum of criminal justice is in need of reform. From who and why police are arresting particular individuals and how courts administer justice
To explain precisely what UNICOR is and how it functions Prison Law Blog offers the following information. This information is from the Bureau of Prisons website: bop.gov. It provides the best and most succinct explanation of UNICOR. What Is UNICOR? “Federal Prison Industries (commonly referred to as FPI or by its trade name UNICOR) is a
A week ago, Yanira Maldonado, a 42 year-old-mother of seven, was sitting in a Mexican jail not knowing if she would return home or be exported to Mexican prisons the rest of her life never to be found by her family.
Yanira was arrested 2 weeks ago when Mexican authorities stopped the bus she and her husband were traveling in on their way home from her aunt’s funeral to Goodyear, a suburb of Phoenix. The bus was stopped at a military check-point 90 miles from the Mexican border. Military police ordered all passengers off the bus and rushed onto the vehicle. Photo courtesy kmbc.com
Hours earlier, Maldonado and her husband Gary were the last passengers to board the bus. Yanira sat in seat 39 and Mr. Maldonado sat in seat 40.
When Mexican officials searched the bus they found 12 pounds of Marijuana neatly packaged and taped under seats 39 (Yanira’s seat) and seat 42 located directly behind her seat.
The passenger sitting in seat 42 fled the scene. Gary Maldonado, Yanira’s husband, who was sitting next to her in seat 42 was escorted by police for questioning. Yanira, not wanting to leave her husband’s side begged officials to allow her to come along and translate since her husband does not speak Spanish. Yanira is a naturalized American born in Mexico. The police decided to release Mr. Maldonado and arrest Yanira.
A simple online search will reveal a plethora of prison education programs designed to equip prisoners with skills for life after prison. From community-based organizations to universities, there has been a growing consensus that releasing people from prison back into society without any training or education is likely to result in repeat offenses and subsequent
UNICOR — also known as Federal Prison Industries, Inc. — is a government-owned corporation operated within the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). It utilizes factory plant managers who oversee inmate workers to produce products and provide services. For the most part, UNICOR products and services are utilized to lower costs for state and federal agencies,
The Prison Law Blog, a property owned and operated by Middle Street Press, is proud to announce its entry into the publishing realm. Books. Simply stated, Middle Street Press aims to publish books that are needed, irrespective of a profit motive. Let’s face it, not all books are money makers, but just because a book
Teachers often receive credit for taking part in a profession that ensures a more prosperous future for young people. Educating children is seen as an investment for tomorrow, even if modest teachers often laugh at the idealized perception of their chosen careers. Educators engaged in nontraditional forms of teaching, however, can sometimes be forgotten. Since
By Christopher Hannigan
Tutor: “This is time for work.”
Student: “You’re not my father.”
Tutor: “You’re not my boss!”
Student: “I don’t give a f@#k about math! This is prison!”
This is an actual verbal exchange between an inmate tutor and student in a one-on-one tutoring session at FCI-Petersburg. So, whose job is it? Is it the teacher/tutor’s job to make sure the student is learning or is it the student’s job? This is in an adult education setting – which carries inherent differences from a youth education setting – hence the issues are even more complex than usual. As an adult, individuals should have developed an understanding of personal responsibilities, priorities, and work ethics. Admittedly, the prison dynamic provides a rather unique role conflict which is not easily remedied. Image courtesy allthingslearning.wordpress.com
Let me first clarify. I am stating there is a difference between responsibilities and teaching. Responsibility speaks to the state of being accountable or having control over the learning process. While the act of teaching is the transmitting of knowledge and learning is the acquisition and retention of the knowledge. So, for the remainder of this article, active and passive will refer to the responsibility rather than to the act of teaching.
Let’s take the active scenario. The teacher has the materials already laid out and ready to go before the student arrives. There is a lesson plan in effect and the homework assignment is already prepared. The teacher engages the student first, prompting him or her for answers. The teacher pursues the student in completing the assignments and will drag the student along, kicking and screaming, if need be. This is the teacher that will seek the student out to get an explanation of why a class or homework assignment wasn’t completed or why there were poor results. Clearly, this type of teacher is investing a great amount of time, energy, and emotion into the student’s education.