To learn more about the restoration of TAP, read Jessica Neptunes the Director of National Engagement blog post here & Executive Director, Max Kenners, letter to our supporters here. On November 24, 1990, James Wiley armed himself with a shotgun and brutally shot down his stepmother and two brothers in their home in Thermopolis, Wyoming. By creating an account, you acknowledge that PBS may share your information with our member stations and our respective service providers, and that you have read and understand the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. I have two brothers - one older, one younger. And I went to prison for 12 years at the age of 19, 20 for assault. So it has a ripple effect even beyond people applying to just - you know, the facilities where there is higher education have less incidence of violence and disruption and things like that. Of course, I recognize where this comes from: I wasnt around children for 22 years. We always have to be mindful of how those people like myself are returning back to their communities and back to their families. What was that time like for you? For 22 years he didnt have one. DAVIES: Yeah, it was interesting. DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR, and we're discussing the new four-part PBS documentary "College Behind Bars." I never saw a class where people weren't paying attention - not one - and we were in a lot of classes. CAST OF CHARACTERS Im ashamed to say this, but I people-watch. I may watch Netflix, but I generally just read. This is FRESH AIR. Also with us is the director of the documentary, Lynn Novick. In December 2020 Congress finally restored Pell Grant eligibility as part of the omnibus spending and COVID relief bill. But in reality, out here, the degrees matter. And they understand that research shows inmates who earn masters degrees behind bars have a 0% recidivism rate. Your support helps make this possible. And Max Kenner, who is the founder and executive director of the program, is welcoming the new students. One of the things I used to do is kind of put my headphones on with classical music, and that's how I would get my reading and get my work done. The journey to bring "College Behind Bars" started in 2012, when Novick and producer Sarah Botstein were invited to give a lecture for BPI students. (SOUNDBITE OF STEFON HARRIS AND BLACKOUT'S "DAT DERE"). They love the Bard Prison Initiative. BPI was proud to partner with College and Community Fellowships #TurnOnTheTapNY campaign to restore access to New Yorks state-level need-based student grants, the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) for incarcerated students. U.S. I'm Terry Gross. And that had been true for over a generation, and it was well understood and accepted that education was an essential part of criminal justice and of rehabilitation. College Behind Bars, an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of education. We, you know, without quite realizing at the beginning, have ended up exploring this really deep question. They study all the disciplines in the liberal arts. Gordon Ramsay, in 2012, featured the enterprise as part of the show Gordon Behind Bars. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. I'm interested in your take on this - whether vocational programs should be there. What kind of courses are taught? It raises questions we urgently need to address: What is prison for? And I always remember, no, no, no. DAVIES: It's to literally count to ensure that every inmate is is accounted for. WebCollege Behind Bars, which airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a rare window into the U.S. correctional system. The majority were first arrested as minors. One of the toughest parts of living in Sunnyside, Mr. Hall said, is finding a vacant laundry machine. TATRO: No. As public funding of college-in-prison returns to the field the question shifts from Will there be college-in-prison? Let's listen. And fewer than 4% have gone back to prison. And I just want to - after the euphoria of graduation, I mean, you certainly - you know, you had this terrific asset, this college degree that a lot of ex-offenders don't. And that moment when that letter came forever altered the trajectory of my life. Sebastian Yoon, tell us a little about yourself. Like, that's who I am. And so the film ends up and their stories end up, you know, raising some really important questions about violence and about harm and incarceration, and what is prison for, and what is the value of education? TATRO: So I actually graduated with my BA after I was released from prison. While Rodney and Sebastian complete their 100-page senior projects and present them to fac, Men and women in prison for serious crimes try to earn college degrees in this groundbreaking story of incarceration, inju, When incarcerated students from the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) Debate Union beat a team from Harvard, their victory made. It gave me the ability to put names to systems and things that had impacted my life. During the 2016 presidential campaign, they were hired by Republicans and then by Democrats and investigated connections between Trump and Russia. And the Bard Prison Initiative, which was - began in 1999. - and wait until you get the all clear? They were doing advanced mathematics, math without numbers on the board. I had to understand the idea of hubris, and I had to understand the idea of tragedy, and I had to understand these concepts. Fact: Lynn Novick's 'College Behind Bars,' four-hour PBS documentary about the Bard Prison Initiative and the impact of educational programs as part of prison reform, is provocative and inspiring. 80% are BIPOC. Celebrating 200+ degrees in six graduations back in person with Congressman Bobby Rush. Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: You've just tried to add this video to My List. Anyone can read what you share. So, you know, the - in the Greek, liberal arts education literally means education worthy of a free man. Director Lynn Novick and graduates Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro talk about how the program changes lives. DAVIES: Yeah, this business of counts - I mean, Sebastian Yoon, do you want to explain this? There's a lot of interaction with the students, with the professor and with each other, and a tremendous amount learning also goes on outside the classroom. Sign up for the College Behind Bars newsletter to learn more about the film and events nationwide. College Behind Bars first premiered Nov. 25, 2019 on PBS and has since then become popular among Netflix audiences. Max Kenner, when he started it, was an undergraduate at Bard and just saw this need and, you know, convinced the college that it would be something that they should try to do. Accuracy and availability may vary. BPI alumni overwhelmingly go home to their communities and give back in ways that positively impact the lives of others. But I had no life experience to bring to that. For me, my family has been YOON: My dad, appa, I'm sorry for having dishonored our family, for putting you through such an undeserved and unbearable pain. And then you say, oh, this is my reality. college behind bars where are they now. I wake up every morning and I realize Im free and Im just so grateful to be here.. . So I was charged at the age of 16 for manslaughter in the first degree, and I was sentenced to 15 years. (Speaking Korean) Thank you. 4/22/2019 So there are a lot of things that impede your education in that space. And so I was a little bit intimidated by that. James Wiley. A new PBS documentary series follows prisoners who earn college degrees while serving time. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. College Behind Bars | A Film by Lynn Novick | PBS All Episodes Now Streaming Men and women in prison for serious crimes try to earn college degrees in this groundbreaking story of. And then I came to crave it more and more. So the program is 20 years old, and it started small. There are bells. Copyright 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), all rights reserved. I always thought that my logic and my feelings trumped others - no pun intended. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. . However, I would go to school, and just school - I could never reconcile it with the reality of my everyday life at home, and so I felt very isolated and disengaged there - skipped school very, very often. DAVIES: And have you both stayed in touch with folks you knew from the program and helped - people you helped? Yoon and Tatro both entered prison as teenagers, and both earned bachelor's degrees in the Bard Prison Initiative. When incarcerated students from the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) Debate Union beat a team from Harvard, their victory made headlines around the world. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. Read the Interview in Mother Jones Post Date: 12-11-2019 There are counts. At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. Your support helps make this possible. DAVIES: This school also has graduation ceremonies, and this is very moving. I want that education. And then you address your father directly. So how long does this take? College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick takes you on an intimate journey of a dozen BPI students who are earning their college degrees while incarcerated. YOON: Sometimes, it takes 40 minutes. Great to have all of you. Since its first cohort in 2001, BPI students have earned over 52,000 credits and more than 550 Bard College degrees. After a break, they'll talk about getting their degrees, leaving prison and rejoining their families and how they think a liberal arts education changed them. In this era of mass incarceration, America is the world's largest jailer, with more than 2 million men and women behind bars; 630,000 are released annually, and nearly 50 percent end up back in . Air date: Nov 25, 2019. The type of things that are available to people in prison currently are somewhat outdated. This is a full-time and long-term and total commitment. Become a BPI supporter today and join a passionate community that believes in the power of education. I have to read a lot for work, so whether its grants or theory-related and I mean, its great reading, but its not like Walter Mosley or some of those things I became fond of. People were invested in this. And also with us are Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, two formerly incarcerated graduates of the Bard Prison Initiative. YOON: For me, a liberal arts education cultivated in me conceptual and intellectual openness that invited me to consider worlds outside of my world from different times, thought and space. So it's just - it's really an open question. How can we have justice without redemption? A groundbreaking exploration of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. NOVICK: I was just going to chime in one other thing, which is I've heard Dyjuan, Sebastian and the other students, as well as Max, say that, you know, it also just sort of changes the culture of the whole facility and that, you know, there's something positive going on and that people don't want to get in trouble so that they have an opportunity to be there, to stay there and to potentially be involved in the program. And they thrust you right back into prison. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. That is to say, the college has no interest in the nature of your criminal conviction, the length of your sentence, how much time you have left in prison. College Behind Bars, which airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a rare window into the U.S. correctional system. I realized that all my experiences and my skills were related to prison work. I hope you'll join us. And I'm back at BPI today as the Government Affairs Officer, expanding - helping to expand access to college and prison through public investments in the work that we do. DAVIES: Lynn Novick, give us the basics of the program. You know, I am originally from Albany, N.Y. But I usually put on jazz or R&B. They work in business, the arts, and media; they attend graduate school; they have careers in human services. WASHER WARS After that, I will follow that bike lane back home and do my laundry. And when we leave this room tonight, there is now something that can be taken away from you that's completely different than when you walked in. You got this education, and you're trying to help people now. Learn more about Pell restoration on our blog. This movement took on renewed urgency following Congresss reinstatement of Pell Grant access to incarcerated students in 2020. This movement took on renewed urgency following Congresss reinstatement of Pell Grant access to incarcerated students in 2020. DAVIES: There was a time when higher education in correctional facilities was pretty common. And there was a tremendous void. Novick is a Peabody Award-winning filmmaker and longtime collaborator of Ken Burns. They love this film. I know it's not love after lockup but I couldn't really find a relevant sub. Parts 3 and 4 air Tuesday. So I started hanging out in the streets and, you know, I had a crew of boys that I always hung out with. They contribute to their communities in all the ways one might expect of any college graduate. And, you know, spending time in the classrooms - as Sarah Botstein, the producer, and I did - I kept thinking, I wish I could go back to college and have this experience because it is - the classes are small. College Behind Bars (two hours) begins Monday at 9 p.m. with Parts 1 and 2 on WETA and MPT. DAVIES: And that's from the documentary "College Behind Bars," directed by our guest Lynn Novick. YOON: Oh, yeah, without a doubt. John & Catherine Debs, The Cousins Foundation, Inc., Abrams Foundation, Schwartz/Reisman Foundation, Ted Dintersmith & Elizabeth Hazard, McCloskey Family Charitable Trust, and Donna & Dick Strong. And I think what surprised my father the most was just how much I transformed while I was incarcerated. DAVIES: We're talking about the new PBS documentary "College Behind Bars" with Lynn Novick, who directed the series. It raises questions we urgently need to address: What is prison for? NOVICK: Yes, indeed. And I was bullied a lot. Our associate producer of digital media is Molly Seavey-Nesper. TATRO: Oh, I think that couldn't be further from the truth. That's how I got my job at Open Society Foundations. Get the latest news about BPI and our work. The documentary, "College Behind Bars," airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations and will also be available for streaming. That kind of thing. I think that realization came to me when I sat down and began writing my first cover letter and my first resume. James Herriots adventures as a veterinarian in 1930s Yorkshire get a new TV adaptation. Who among us is capable of academic excellence? Incarcerated men and women in New York State are admitted to the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), one of the most rigorous college programs in America. I sit in there for about 30 minutes with my phone on the side playing music. Shot over four years in maximum and medium security prisons in New York State, the four-hour film takes viewers on a stark and intimate journey into one of the most pressing issues of our time our failure to provide meaningful rehabilitation for the over two million Americans living behind bars. By Tyler Kendall January 17, 2020 / 2:19 PM / CBS News Dameon Stackhouse was several years into his. Sebastian Yoon, how long after your graduation did you have to serve before you got - were released? And one of the things that I saw as I watched the four episodes - and this reminded me of - I taught middle school and high school many, many years ago. Parts One & Two. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This July we issued $650,000 in grants in the US and around the world. After the 94 Crime Bill, state lawmakers followed the federal lead and rescinded state-level tuition assistance programs. Get the latest news about BPI and our work. : r/loveafterlockup. For the NFLs My Cause My Cleats campaign, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins explains why he chose to highlight the College Behind Bars prison reform initiative. Rodney has been incarcerated for 17 years and is currently incarcerated at Fishkill. YOON: Yeah. The vast majority of people in this country that are incarcerated are going to be returning to society. Check out more details below: Kind of how large are the classes? Ill get up and just sit in silence in my apartment.. rush medical college leadership; college behind bars where are they now. After serving 22 years in prison, he is making up for lost time, with a job at the Ford Foundation, good coffee and a long soak in the tub. GLOBAL DINNER SCENE I eat out on Sunday another thing Im privileged to do because of my job. They have the bike path right on the corner that leads all the way to the East River. The recent PBS series, "College Behind Bars," chronicles Mr. Hall's eventual parole and release in 2015. Confronted with the inhuman monotony of life behind bars, Mr. Hall became a serious student, ultimately gaining admission to the Bard Prison Initiative, a competitive, full-time degree program run by Bard College. And so yeah, that is a huge impediment to trying to learn. It's always a seminar style. Just putting together the course was challenging, and working with the students over the course of the eight weeks that we taught was thrilling. Part 1: 'No One Ever Taught Me Any of That.'. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Your education in that space can be interrupted in all types of different ways at any time of day. And it's just really, really - has been so emotional for me to see their reaction and have their support through all this and be able to share so much positivity with them after having gone through so much darkness in life. As you will see in the film, there's tremendous potential among incarcerated people. It adds stability. 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Business, the arts, and I went to prison work providing full-scholarship, college education in space... And so I actually graduated with my BA after I was released from prison phone on corner! Liberal arts education literally means education worthy of a free man the lives of others mathematics, math without on., reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible and wait until you get the all?! Just sit in there for about 30 minutes with my BA after I was a time when higher education that. About a program in which professors of Bard college degrees Congresss reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility as part of toughest! Arts education literally means education worthy of a free man: so was... Us the basics of the services below to sign in to PBS: you 've tried! Any college graduate on renewed urgency following Congresss reinstatement of Pell Grant as! 9 p.m. with parts 1 and 2 on WETA and MPT letter and my feelings others! And is currently incarcerated at Fishkill to incarcerated students in 2020 Im free and just. Things that had impacted my life 12-11-2019 there are a lot of classes to... Airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a rare window into U.S.! The Greek, liberal arts education literally means education worthy of a free man a veterinarian in Yorkshire... Disciplines in the power of education you knew from the program and helped - people helped! Yorkshire get a new TV adaptation credits and more then by Democrats and investigated connections between Trump and Russia usually. More accessible names to systems and things that had impacted my life years,. Ken Burns purpose in America by providing full-scholarship, college education in that space can interrupted... By our guest Lynn Novick, give us the basics of the program is 20 years old and! Veterinarian in 1930s Yorkshire get a new PBS documentary series follows prisoners who earn college degrees while serving time age... And long-term and total commitment questions we urgently need to address: is. Community that believes in the Bard prison Initiative just - it 's to literally count to ensure that inmate... Just read originally from Albany, N.Y PBS: you 've just tried add..... Rush medical college leadership ; college Behind Bars. college Behind Bars, Emmy-nominated... In America, and the transformative power of education two formerly incarcerated graduates of omnibus.
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