By The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Wyandotte County law enforcement officials have endorsed a plan that calls for investing in early childhood education as a way to cut down on crime and prison costs. Sheriff Don Ash, District Attorney Jerry Gorman, and jail administrator Jeffrey Fewell endorsed a proposal from the Obama administration
By Diane A. Sears Image courtesy D. A. Sears
Fourteen years ago, immediately after the launch of IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD(R), something very profound happened. I began receiving letters from young men — Our Sons. Their letters enclosed brilliantly crafted essays and soulful poems. They asked me to publish them. And I did. In exchange for their essay or poem, they received a free copy of IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD(R). A number of these young men continued to send essays and poems. And they sent letters. These were young men — Our Sons — from, among other places, New York, California, Texas, Alabama, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Indiana. So, what was profound about receiving poetry, essays, and letters from these young men? Each letter had a similar introductory sentence: “I am 23 and I have been incarcerated since I was 18. Will you publish my essay? Can I get a free copy of your publication? “ or “I am 28 and I have been incarcerated since I was 16. I’m sending you a poem I’d like you to publish.” Many of these young Men — Our Sons — are Fathers — Fathers of daughters and sons. They do not tell me how or why they embarked upon a path that led them to a maximum security correctional facility. Nor do I ask. But I do have questions: What is going on with Our Sons? What is going on in Our Sons’ homes, schools, and communities? And how do we fix whatever is going on that is driving Our Sons down the path to prison with all deliberate speed?
While an odd thought to present, ever since the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) implemented the TRULINCS computer system — and followed it with the MP3 player program — the FBOP has appeared to be on the right track in terms of communicating with the federal inmate population. This idea has presented itself through more
Initial Designation at a Federal Bureau of Prisons Facility Federal prisoners are not given a choice in which prison they are first designated to. This designation is made by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) in Grand Prairie, Texas. Initial designation determinations are based upon a number of factors.
Pensacola, FL (PRWEB) August 06, 2013
Dr. Howard Liebman, CEO and Superintendent of Smart Horizons Career Online Education (SHCOE), announces that the school district will soon expand its operations as an official provider of online education for inmates in Florida prison facilities. The Florida Department of Corrections (FLDOC) named SHCOE as an official provider of online education for inmates in Florida prison facilities in February of 2012, and the program went live at the Madison Correctional Institution in April and at the Lowell Annex in May of that year. These programs were the first online secondary education programs at any correctional facility in the United States and have produced 68 graduates to date. Image courtesy online-high-school.findthebest.com
Now, preparations are underway for an impending expansion into five additional facilities.
“From the time we received our AdvancED/SACS accreditation in 2011, we had this goal of serving inmates in correctional facilities,” Dr. Liebman said. “I believe our leading-edge online program offers an effective approach to lowering recidivism and preparing inmates to rejoin society in a productive manner. SHCOE’s goal is to be the leading provider of education and career training for corrections facilities across the country.”
By Christopher Zoukis
The New York-based Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) is one of the largest prison-based higher education programs of its kind. While serving their prison sentences, participants study rigorous coursework and work toward earning college degrees. The program offers access to higher education to both incarcerated men and women who want to pursue their education and increase their chances of finding a good job and enjoying a more rewarding life upon their release. In this way, the program’s mission is to employ education as a vehicle for change—changing people’s futures and the criminal justice system itself. Image courtesy www.jjay.cuny.edu
Introduction to the Bard College Prison Program
According to the program’s website, the initiative “enrolls incarcerated women and men in academic programs that lead to degrees from Bard College” (bpi.bard.edu/faqs/). Courses are instructed by faculty from Bard College as well as other area colleges at five participating prisons. Participants work to earn Associate of Arts or Bachelor of Arts degrees. The program offers classes in the arts, humanities, mathematics, and sciences and offers general education coursework that fulfills degree requirements. An important feature of the program is that coursework is not altered for the prison population. “Incarcerated students are held to identical academic standards as conventional undergraduates at Bard College. The substance of the courses is not tailored to the incarcerated students and is the same as offered on the main Bard campus.” In this way, incarcerated students receive the same education as if they attended classes outside of prison.
Phillips State Prison has fostered various academic programs that lead to a general education diploma. Historically, this prison’s programs have included remedial literacy, special education, and basic adult education. It has recently moved beyond the high school education arena, however, to provide college-level courses. Located in Buford, Georgia, Phillips State Prison is the site of
By Dianne Frazee-Walker It was the morning of May 23rd, 2012. Sharletta Evans and her older son, Hurd, wereapprehensive when they walked into the prison to meet the man who murdered her three-year-old son and Hurd’s little brother 17 years ago. Raymond Johnson stood up from where he was sitting and solemnly lowered his head in
Academics and something more—that’s what this initiative is about; yet that something is the defining feature of this program that is working to endow prisoners with more than just academic skills when they leave prison behind them and return to South Carolina’s streets. The South Carolina Prison Initiative Program is a partnership between the state’s prison system and Columbia International University. The something that defines this initiative is its faith-based component that provides inmates with spiritual tools they need to make a genuine life change. Image courtesy ciu.edu
Columbia International University Prison Initiative
According to the university’s website, “The mission of the initiative is to train inmates to live in accordance with biblical principles and to equip them for the unique ministry opportunities available to them because of their incarceration.” Along with general academic subject matter, prisoners are instructed in general ministry skills. Essentially, the program seeks to empower participants so that they may positively empower others upon their release. Inmates who participate in the initiative’s accredited Associate of Arts program designed particularly for them are equipped to embrace the ministering opportunities that may be open to them upon their eventual release from prison. According to CIU, 95 percent of all the inmates in the South Carolina prison system will be released at some point.
Inmate Eligibility
Not all inmates are interested or eligible to participate in this program. According to CIU, “The program will be offered only to inmates who meet and maintain high standards of personal conduct” and the school’s “standards for academic achievement.” That said, this program provides an alternative for qualifying inmates; rather than do nothing to improve their skills while incarcerated, they can work toward a brighter future by learning viable skills that can effectively help them change their lives and reduce the risk of returning to the lifestyle or behaviors that caused them to go to prison in the first place.
By EMILY DERUY Right now, taxpayers spend up to $70 billion each year to house the nation’s two to three million prisoners. That works out to about $31,000 per inmate. One would think that with such a stiff price tag, we’d be doing a better job of rehabilitation. The truth is that the prison system
We have profiled every prison within the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Learn about each prison’s location, security level, educational and recreational offerings, and much more.
Elizabeth Franklin-Best P.C.
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