document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. NOVICK: And I think - just to put the button or the final note is that the recidivism rates for the general population are between 50% and 60%. You know, what's striking about this program is that - I think a lot of people who think about ways that prisons can help incarcerated people get jobs when they get out of prison is to provide vocational training - you know, teach people to be welders or auto mechanics or, you know, stuff like that. DAVIES: Dyjuan Tatro, what was it like for you? DAVIES: We're talking about the new PBS documentary "College Behind Bars" with Lynn Novick, the director, and with Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, two formerly incarcerated graduates of the Bard Prison Initiative. The documentary prompts viewers to consider the importance of higher education in prison. We're going to start coursework Monday morning. Like, that's who I am. Just putting together the course was challenging, and working with the students over the course of the eight weeks that we taught was thrilling. Read the Interview in Mother Jones Post Date: 12-11-2019 But that means a lot that weren't - probably some applied and did not get in. It was seeing what happens when students are first confronted with material that seems really daunting, and they have to learn to think critically and express ideas that are kind of uncomfortable and that over time you see them - they're - you know, their thinking and expression becomes sharper and more sophisticated. Great to have all of you. And one of the reasons that we had to focus so hard and have that - the discipline that we had in this program is so that we could focus on the work and get the work done in a place where there's a lot of stress, pressure and distractions. Read BPIs open letter here. They worked with former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, whose dossier was leaked and published. MAX KENNER: Welcome to Bard College. TATRO: Having a liberal arts education has made me a much deeper thinker. By signing up for BPI emails, you are agreeing to receive news and updates from BPI. You know, that is not the type of thing you expect to be happening in a prison. The documentary, "College Behind Bars," airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations and will also be available for streaming. How can we have justice without redemption? I mean, I think there are a lot of powerful stories in these documentaries of these students. DAVIES: We're talking about the new PBS documentary "College Behind Bars" with Lynn Novick, who directed the series. TATRO: Oh, I think that couldn't be further from the truth. You can just see this intellectual blossoming. So just to have normal kind of conversation, people have to literally yell back and forth. Both are featured in the PBS documentary series College Behind Bars. This is when you, Sebastian Yoon, are speaking at the graduation. Yoon and Tatro both entered prison as teenagers, and both earned bachelor's degrees in the Bard Prison Initiative. danville jail mugshots; marlin 1898 stock; DAVIES: Right. YOON: Oh, yeah, without a doubt. And today, there are 300 students in six facilities in New York state, mostly men, but there's one facility for women as well. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. I finished my degree in the spring of 2018. DAVIES: There was a time when higher education in correctional facilities was pretty common. DAVIES: And if you're in class when it's time for a count, what happens? All rights reserved. According to records, James murdered his stepmother and three stepbrothers in cold blood. College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary film series directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns, tells the story of a small group of incarcerated men and women struggling to earn college degrees and turn their lives around in one of the most rigorous and effective prison education programs in the United States the Bard Prison Initiative. I was - I had to show them that I was smart enough to be part of this group. Once enrolled, BPI students engage with the college full-time, embarking on a course of study that is ambitious and matches the breadth and intensity of any undergraduate learning experience. 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. You don't have the Internet. CAST OF CHARACTERS Im ashamed to say this, but I people-watch. Prison has the worst coffee, oh, my goodness thats one of the things I think anybody would tell you. 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. And what were the circumstances that that landed you in this prison? Adult learners are, you know, much more mature and have life experience. I just committed a bad act. I'm Terry Gross. Today, BPI enrolls over 300 incarcerated students full-time in programs that culminate in degrees from Bard College; it offers extensive support for its alumni in and around New York City; and, it has developed the BPI Summer Residency, an intensive, experiential, and hands-on series of workshops on the nuts and bolts of college-in-prison for new and emerging practitioners led by BPI staff and alumni. He started his college education behind bars. Yoon and Tatro earned college degrees taking rigorous courses taught by Bard College faculty in a maximum-security prison. All these things are intersecting and overlapping. Men and women in prison for serious crimes try to earn college degrees in this groundbreaking story of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. The recent PBS series, " College Behind Bars ," chronicles Mr. Hall's eventual parole and release in 2015. Who has access to educational opportunity? As public funding of college-in-prison returns to the field the question shifts from Will there be college-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. And I never had really thought about going to college until, all of a sudden, there was this thing that I heard about in prison called the Bard Prison Initiative. They've earned college degrees and are now employed. 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. Well, you know, for a number of the graduates - and this was true of Sebastian, not Dyjuan - there was this - there's this terrible paradox where, you know, the fact that you are completing your college degree and graduating doesn't mean that you are released from prison. how to remove headrest chrysler 200; super license points tracker 2022; did bette davis play the piano in deception; fiat ducato motorhome for sale on ebay; where is curly bill buried DAVIES: And the crime that got you in was that you shot someone in retaliation for an attack on you and your sister, right? 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. I want that education. DAVIES: Lynn Novick, congratulations on the documentary. I'm an uncle. But while I was receiving that education, as I said, it was liberating. TATRO: Sure. So how long does this take? Our guests are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon, two graduates of the program. This is not me. College Behind Bars is directed and produced by Lynn Novick; produced by Sarah Botstein; edited by Tricia Reidy ACE; produced by Salimah El-Amin and Mariah Doran;original music by Jongnic Bontemps; cinematography by Buddy Squires ASC and Nadia Hallgren. Roberta Shorrock directs the show. DAVIES: Sebastian Yoon, what about connecting with your family? YOON: Yeah. The series follows the inmates as they give birth and raise their children behind bars. FUEL After Starbucks, Ill go home Im usually hungry by then. And I want to play a clip here. TATRO: And so I got to walk across the stage on Bard's Annandale campus with the other 400 students in my year in 2018. The faculty generally find this experience so energizing because of that exact thing - that they have to sort of - if they're teaching a course on the Bard campus and in BPI, they actually have to make the BPI version a bit harder, get more assignments and, you know, up the reading because the students are just so eager for the material and expect so much. YOON: There's this moment where you walk past his door, and all you see is curtains and officers waiting in, like, rows. After the 94 Crime Bill, state lawmakers followed the federal lead and rescinded state-level tuition assistance programs. Ill fix me a scrambled egg with a cinnamon raisin bagel in my toaster. A new PBS documentary series tells the story of one program that's offering a rigorous liberal arts education inside maximum security prisons with encouraging results. Everyone that we got to know well took full responsibility for what happened and explained the context in which it happened and how they are reckoning with it today. Incarcerated men and women are admitted to the Bard Prison Initiative, a rigorous college program, where some make great strides while others . It's about a program in which professors of Bard College give college classes in six correctional institutions. to What will the field of college-in-prison look like? TATRO: You know, this - I'm the first person in my family who's ever gone to college. BPI alumni overwhelmingly go home to their communities and give back in ways that positively impact the lives of others. By signing up for BPI emails, you are agreeing to receive news and updates from BPI. 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. When incarcerated students from the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) Debate Union beat a team from Harvard, their victory made headlines around the world. And you can learn grammar. The type of things that are available to people in prison currently are somewhat outdated. Theres Filipino food, theres Indian cuisine, theres Turkish cuisine, theres Asian food, theres Greek restaurants, theres a diversity. And, you know, we came to feel that it was important for them to - and they also felt it was important for them to explain themselves, how they see themselves, where they've been, where they are, through the lens of the education that they've been getting and their perspectives that have shifted over time. I hope you'll join us. A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Once I put something in my stomach, I bike ride. Congratulations. DAVIES: Yeah, it was interesting. You know, one of the great things about being in BPI and one of the great things about this education happening in the educational space is that it really, really motivates people to be the best selves and to go on after this opportunity. It's two different systems, right? college behind bars where are they now. Siena Poll Today Showed Huge, Bipartisan Majorities For Programs That Lower Barriers to Incarcerated New Yorkers Re-Entering Society I have several friends who are still incarcerated that I spent my summers outside of class tutoring, and they're now in the program. This can't just be watching movies and talking about it; you have to have a very sophisticated, demanding syllabus and assessments and writing assignments, and the students have to perform at the level that we expect for Bard College. As they begin their studies at Eastern and Taconic Correctional facilities, they discover that they will be held to the same high standards as Bard College students on the main campus in Annandale-on-Hudson. We will hear Sebastian Yoon first and then we'll hear Dyjuan Tatro. DAVIES: It's to literally count to ensure that every inmate is is accounted for. I'm going to ask each of you to give me your first impressions here. Through the lived experiences of the students and their families, this is a groundbreaking story of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. They become the support system that we need to rely on. He lives alone in an apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, which he chose for its proximity to the foundation, just across the East River. Now, I still havent taken to wine. Your support helps make this possible. google mountain view charge cash app; wect news bladen county; college behind bars where are they now; college behind bars where are they now. I was a very precocious child. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. Hold on. I have to really compete with mostly older women to get my clothing washed. Gordon Ramsay, in 2012, featured the enterprise as part of the show Gordon Behind Bars. DAVIES: Yeah. I mean, you both entered prison as teenagers, right? I'm a math major, went on after that to do some project management and data collection for a tech company and then started thinking about how I could get back in the world. Parts One & Two. I had to understand the idea of hubris, and I had to understand the idea of tragedy, and I had to understand these concepts. You know, Lynn Novick, I believe this project grew out of your own experience teaching a course, right? We see him, don't we? That's how I got my job at Open Society Foundations. GLOBAL DINNER SCENE I eat out on Sunday another thing Im privileged to do because of my job. Are children allowed in Turkish prisons? Who among us is capable of academic excellence? Lacy Aaron Schmidt was just 14 when he murdered his ex-girlfriend, Alana Calahan, in Columbia County, Georgia. And so, you know, I think we always need to consider that we're not talking about people in prison getting a degree in isolation, you know? Part 1: 'No One Ever Taught Me Any of That.'. Reimagining the place of higher education. Add College Behind Bars to your must watch list! And also with us are Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, two formerly incarcerated graduates of the Bard Prison Initiative. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. There's an extreme amount of noise in prisons. And, you know, just being in a classroom setting where I was sitting down with people from different backgrounds, listening to their stories and their ideas and you start to appreciate that despite the differences that we have, there are so much more similarities among us. And I think the answer is no. Ill get up and just sit in silence in my apartment.. I had to write that I swept and mopped floors. TATRO: You know, I'm not taking it back to my cell and going to sleep with it. I have watched them leave prison and have to struggle in ways that I have not because I have had the privilege of a college education. The Residency leads to an ongoing community of practice that builds on over a decade of cultivating a nationwide network of leading universities and colleges in the field, through the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison. Our guests are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon, two graduates of the program. YOON: So I believe that, you know, the degree is just a piece of paper, and I think there's too much significance tied to the degree. In 2016, BPI was proud to join the first cohort of sites receiving experimental eligibility through Second Chance Pell. They study all the disciplines in the liberal arts. They contribute to their communities in all the ways one might expect of any college graduate. We're in the business of education. So the program is 20 years old, and it started small. DAVIES: And your dad went through some really tough times, sent you to Korea when you were little 'cause he was trying to find a way to keep things together. And so I was a little bit intimidated by that. And they are first eligible for an associate degree, and then if they can that, they can apply to get a bachelor's degree. How Jule Hall, Graduate of the Bard Prison Initiative, Spends His Sundays, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/nyregion/jule-hall-college-behind-bars-pbs.html. Please consider giving a gift to support BPIs groundbreaking work to redefine college access in America and to counter the harm of mass incarceration. YOON: Well, classes usually happen in between counts. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. DAVIES: You know, some might think that prison inmates would have an easier time focusing on all this rigorous schoolwork because they're literally, you know, captive in the institution and are not distracted by parties or dating or football games like, you know, students on a traditional campus. DAVIES: Yeah. College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary film series directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns, tells the story of a. This past is constantly being resurrected. In his senior project, BPI student Rodney Spivey-Jones 17 traces the long history of struggle against anti-Black racism in America. Also with us is the director of the documentary, Lynn Novick. 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. Tell me how the experience compared with what you expected. Otherwise, you're not doing them any favors. Part of our job is to provide grants and support to other organizations and individuals who are working towards social justice reform. Max is the founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative, and Rodney received his bachelor's degree from Bard College in 2017 through the Bard Prison Initiative. WASHER WARS After that, I will follow that bike lane back home and do my laundry. In four years of study they become scholars, shatter stereotypes, reckon with their pasts, and prepare to return to society. TURN ON THE TAP NY PRAISES GOVERNOR HOCHUL FOR INCLUDING TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR INCARCERATED NEW YORKERS IN BUDGET rush medical college leadership; college behind bars where are they now. Colleges or universities partnering in the Consortium. Ive got to say, this is the worst part of Sunnyside: its very competitive. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations and will be available for streaming. 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