Pennsylvania stands alone as DOC recipient of federal grant

Nov 12, 2015 No Comments

This week the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections was awarded one of nine “Improved Reentry Education (IRE)” awards of $1 million each from the US Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education. The program itself is mandated to support “demonstration projects in prisoner re-entry education that develop evidence of reentry education’s effectiveness” and

“Each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built.”

Nov 5, 2015 No Comments

Those are the words of young Brooklynite, Vidal Chastanet, describing on Humans of New York (HONY) how his teacher, Nadia Lopez, explains the importance of education for individual and social well-being. While we generally focus on prison education initiatives on this blog, we would be remiss not to mention the continuation of a story that

Towards a sustainable model of prison education funding

Oct 15, 2015 No Comments

Cornell University has been one of the most important players in prison education of late, stepping up to fill the major gaps created by stripping access to Pell Grants for prisoners back in 1994 and providing accessible degree and diploma programs to inmates across the state. The Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) has received a

Prison debate team fells an intellectual giant

Oct 8, 2015 No Comments

It’s not all that often we get the chance to post a strictly “feel good” article on here, so when one comes along I’m going to jump on it. This past week Harvard University’s renowned debating team fell to a surprising opponent: prisoners from the Bard prison initiative! The team was comprised of members of The

“Inside-Out” is a “right-side up” approach to prison education

Sep 25, 2015 No Comments

Some years ago an inmate at SCI Gratford Prison Pennsylvania conceived of an entirely new approach to prison education, designed not only to enlighten its participants intellectually but socially as well. Through its implementation, it’s succeeded in providing prisoners with hope and breaking down barriers between social groups. Called “Inside-Out classes,” an inmate by the

Mr. Smith went to prison, and what did he learn?

Sep 10, 2015 No Comments

A new memoir has been released from a former candidate for the Democratic party turned inmate, and its timely release is poised to bring another voice to the current debate on prison reform and, in particular, the lack of education available in American penal institutions. Jeff Smith spent a year in prison for conspiracy for

We need to “Ban the Box”

Aug 27, 2015 No Comments

Stephanie George is serving as a stark reminder that despite recent prison reform announcements, we cannot be complacent and that the struggle for reintegration does not end outside prison walls. George had been given a life sentence for “letting her former boyfriend keep drugs in their Florida home” and assisted in his facilitation of dealings.

Pell Grants Extended to Support Prison Education

Aug 24, 2015 No Comments

In the spring of 2015, the Obama Administration announced that it would allow colleges at select prisons to provide face-to-face instruction to select prisoners. Titled The Second Chance Pell Pilot Program, it will assist released prisoners “get jobs, support their families and turn their lives around,” according to the Department of Education. The program, which

New prison-oriented tablet released

Jul 30, 2015 No Comments

JPay has just released a new tablet, the JP5mini, an Android-based tablet that’s specifically designed to deal with some of the rigors of use in the prison setting. Its purchase cost to inmates is $69.99, and there are additional per-use fees with it. Its casing is more durable than the typical tablet’s, its firmware is locked

UK Justice Secretary calling for improved prison education

Jul 24, 2015 No Comments

In a recent speech, newly-appointed UK Secretary of State for Justice, MP Michael Gove echoed what so many prison reform advocates have been saying for decades: education is key to reducing recidivism. In doing so, he appears to be demonstrating a commitment to making prison education a top priority in his portfolio. Gove has called

News

Pennsylvania stands alone as DOC recipient of federal grant

“Each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built.”

Towards a sustainable model of prison education funding

Prison debate team fells an intellectual giant

“Inside-Out” is a “right-side up” approach to prison education

Mr. Smith went to prison, and what did he learn?

We need to “Ban the Box”

Pell Grants Extended to Support Prison Education

New prison-oriented tablet released

UK Justice Secretary calling for improved prison education

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