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PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. In 2016, BPI was proud to join the first cohort of sites receiving experimental eligibility through Second Chance Pell. This movement took on renewed urgency following Congresss reinstatement of Pell Grant access to incarcerated students in 2020. SEBASTIAN YOON: When I first got into the Bard Prison Initiative, I honestly had low expectations of the program, and I think that's because, in general, as a prisoner, I had low expectations on life. According to records, James murdered his stepmother and three stepbrothers in cold blood. 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. WebCollege Behind Bars, which airs on PBS Monday and Tuesday night, offers TV audiences a rare window into the U.S. correctional system. In August 2022, BPI joined colleagues across the field in issuing public comments in response to the Department of Educations proposed regulatory language. 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. You know, Lynn Novick, I believe this project grew out of your own experience teaching a course, right? And then I came to crave it more and more. These programs transform the negative impacts of criminal punishment and create radical inroads of access and opportunity to higher learning. 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. So, to savor this rich, hot drink in my hand is so fabulous with cinnamon, not too much sugar. With so much at stake, BPI is doubling down on our commitments to national engagement in policy and practice including The BPI Summer Residency for emerging programs and practitioners. He worked 11-hour shifts, so he was mostly at work. I was - I had to show them that I was smart enough to be part of this group. The documentary, "College Behind Bars," airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations and will also be available for streaming. DAVIES: And the crime that got you in was that you shot someone in retaliation for an attack on you and your sister, right? And she said, well, welcome to college. When I look at the scenes of the classroom in the documentary - it's a four-part documentary, and there are a lot of scenes - these classes are a lot more orderly and focused than I remember any of my college or high school classes being. With Botstein onboard as a producer, Novick set out to direct what became the four-part PBS docuseries "College Behind Bars." Executive produced by Burns, the documentary examines mass. In spring 2021 the NYS legislature passed the bill, and it was signed into law in July 2021. Our associate producer of digital media is Molly Seavey-Nesper. I may watch Netflix, but I generally just read. Men and women seek college degrees - and a chance at redemption - while incarcerated. 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 then they're like, strip. Funding for College Behind Bars is provided by Bank of America; PBS; Ford Foundation / JustFilms; National Endowment for the Humanities; Meg & Tomas Bergstrand; Regina K. Scully; The Lise More, Funding for College Behind Bars is provided by Bank of America; PBS; Ford Foundation / JustFilms; National Endowment for the Humanities; Even after you graduate, as long as you are in a prison in which Bard Prison Initiative operates, you're allowed to take courses. And then this changed in the . I never saw a class where people weren't paying attention - not one - and we were in a lot of classes. You are a prisoner and you are a student," Giovanni Hernandez tells Brut. And Max Kenner, who is the founder and executive director of the program, is welcoming the new students. They've earned college degrees and are now employed. My father was in Vietnam, came home drug-addicted and has never really recovered from that. And that's - Pell grants are supposed to be based on economic need. That was not our experience at all. YOON: Two more years after my bachelor's degree in 2017. So when we start talking about what is best for people in prisons, Lynn said we should include them in that conversation. Novick directed the four-part documentary "College Behind Bars," which airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. And the paradox here is that I was someone getting that type of education while I was in prison, but the education itself is what liberated me. But I thought what just happened in the auditorium was also reality. And before the 1994 Clinton crime bill, there were college programs in almost every correctional facility in America. Born behind bars. Yoon and Tatro both entered prison as teenagers, and both earned bachelor's degrees in the Bard Prison Initiative. (SOUNDBITE OF MARCUS ROBERTS' "IT'S MARIA'S DANCE"). college behind bars where are they now. 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. After the 94 Crime Bill, state lawmakers followed the federal lead and rescinded state-level tuition assistance programs. DAVIES: Dyjuan Tatro, what was your graduation experience like? Now, I still havent taken to wine. It raises questions we urgently need to address: What is prison for? I mean, I think, you know, having taught in the program myself, you walk into class, and the students are there. And you can just see it. Leath on "Born Behind Bars" Those interviewed in the video say Leath truly cared about the babies and their mothers in the nursery. . Its always with me, said Mr. Hall, 44, of prison. And I said, that's what I'm going to do, and I was in a different facility at that time - easier said than done. Parts 3 and 4 air Tuesday. Parts One & Two. After graduation, there were like, 30, on each side of the shower room just waiting for you. CAST OF CHARACTERS Im ashamed to say this, but I people-watch. Celebrating 200+ degrees in six graduations back in person with Congressman Bobby Rush. Congratulations. I was a very precocious child. But I usually put on jazz or R&B. I have several friends who are still incarcerated that I spent my summers outside of class tutoring, and they're now in the program. I had to show my passion. It's two different systems, right? They become the support system that we need to rely on. We see him, don't we? "College Behind Bars" follows students in the Bard Prison Initiative, a privately funded college program that began in 2001 in New York state prisons. I'm going to get emotional. And I went to prison for 12 years at the age of 19, 20 for assault. 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. 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? Episodes. And I am the most proud father in the world. Your support helps make this possible. 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. Men and women earn college degrees - and a chance at new beginnings - while incarcerated. And I remember walking in and seeing men like me in prison uniforms, except that they were speaking Mandarin. Vocational training is fine, but we should also be having an opportunity for higher education. No, I'm done. 2026. 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. TATRO: They are like, congratulations. college behind bars where are they now. And you see this room, and then all of a sudden, reality just comes crashing upon you. Reimagining the place of higher education. It's about a program in which professors of Bard College give college classes in six correctional institutions. Sebastian Yoon, your father was in the audience, right? 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. Bard Prison Initiative graduate Sebastian Yoon, featured in the new PBS documentary College Behind Bars, shares how BPI changed him and the Eastern Correctional Facility, where he was incarcerated until March. Are they right about that, Dyjuan? He lives alone in an apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, which he chose for its proximity to the foundation, just across the East River. to What will the field of college-in-prison look like? Its about two miles away. DAVIES: It's to literally count to ensure that every inmate is is accounted for. The doc is also a moving portrait of individuals determined to defy the odds and build a better future for themselves.. TATRO: So I actually graduated with my BA after I was released from prison. In the fall of 2015, a maximum-security prison in New York invited Harvards debate team to compete against a squad of three incarcerated men. This is FRESH AIR. However, I think that we also have to realize that we live in a country and we have an economy where the type of work that vocational training used to give you no longer exists. And there's - I'll just let the listeners know there's an emotional moment here where you start to speak of your family, and you have to stop and compose yourself. DAVIES: And Sebastian, you can tell us a little bit about your transition. In 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act made people in prison ineligible for Pell Grants. 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. Mostly I stop at Queensbridge Park, but there are times when I ride the bike lane all the way to the end of Astoria. 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. TATRO: By the way, you know, the recent research shows that for every dollar a state invests in college and prison, it saves $4 to $5 in re-incarceration costs. You know, he likes to tell me, you know, many people, when they get pushed down to their hands and knees, the easiest thing for them to do is just lay down. GROSS: Lynn Novick speaking with Dave Davies. YOON: Oh. 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. But the problem is that there can - bells can ring off in prison at any time. So it totally enthralled me and motivated me to go after this education with pure zeal. You know, that is not the type of thing you expect to be happening in a prison. Like, that's who I am. It gave me the ability to put names to systems and things that had impacted my life. What I prize is the education and the knowledge that I received in the process of obtaining that degree. Let's get back to the interview FRESH AIR's Dave Davies recorded with Lynn Novick, director of the new PBS documentary "College Behind Bars," and Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, two graduates of the Bard Prison Initiative. DAVIES: And have you both stayed in touch with folks you knew from the program and helped - people you helped? At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. DAVIES: Yeah, this business of counts - I mean, Sebastian Yoon, do you want to explain this? All rights reserved. It was just a really, really moving moment to be celebrated on the main Bard campus in that way by all these amazing young people. BPI transforms wealth, power, and purpose in America by providing full-scholarship, college education in the most unlikely places. Thats another thing I think is a spillover from prison: I saw the television as a space of conflict because people would argue over what to watch, so I stayed away from it. Check out more details below: Let's keep the noise down. Yoon and Tatro earned college degrees taking rigorous courses taught by Bard College faculty in a maximum-security prison. it is the only time that they can trust they . We will continue our conversation after a short break. Lynn Novick, Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, welcome to FRESH AIR. But I had no life experience to bring to that. Great to have all of you. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Few completed high school; most earned their GED in prison. 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. And I just wonder if you could reflect a bit on how it might have changed you - Dyjuan. So how long does this take? Become a BPI supporter today and join a passionate community that believes in the power of education. It adds stability. Could you talk just a little bit about the process? Following the development of regulations issued by the US Department of Education, incarcerated students who are enrolled in approved programs are expected to be eligible for Pell in the 2023-2024 academic year. College Behind Bars, an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of education. It's always a seminar style. TATRO: You know, I think that we want to have as many opportunities open to people in prison as possible. If this kind of opportunity were widely available and the sort of foundational skills made possible, a lot more people could take advantage of it. And they are ready, and they are prepared, and they've done all the reading, and they've read the footnotes, and they've read the ancillary reading, and they are - you know, you better know what you're doing. Become a BPI supporter today and join a passionate community that believes in the power of education. By Tyler Kendall January 17, 2020 / 2:19 PM / CBS News Dameon Stackhouse was several years into his. They study all the disciplines in the liberal arts. So I was charged at the age of 16 for manslaughter in the first degree, and I was sentenced to 15 years. I was a lonely kid. I have two brothers - one older, one younger. YOON: There's this moment where you walk past his door, and all you see is curtains and officers waiting in, like, rows. So that was, like, really, really kind of humbling to see that type of support from the general population. And so I was a little bit intimidated by that. Dyjuan, what's it been like connecting with your family again? And that moment when that letter came forever altered the trajectory of my life. 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. It took me six years to get from where I was to where Bard was. I want that education. College Behind Bars is a production of Skiff Mountain Films and is directed by Lynn Novick. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. And I got there, and I took the entrance exam and sat in my cell and waited for the acceptance letter. NOVICK: You know, Sarah and I, when we got into the project, we were focusing on the transformational aspect of it, power of education, and what did it mean to get this education while in prison? The recent PBS series, College Behind Bars, chronicles Mr. Halls eventual parole and release in 2015. They have the bike path right on the corner that leads all the way to the East River. I went on to work for Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney on his attorney general campaign here in New York. 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. Good job. 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. This clip from Lynn Novicks College Behind Bars highlights the kind of academic work BPI students are doing as we defy expectations of who college is for and where it might lead. Part 1: 'No One Ever Taught Me Any of That.'. Im trying to act younger than my age, so I sometimes listen to trap music. And as I move forward in life and as I work to be a part of this social justice reform movement, I feel very passionate about it and excited that we are going to make progress. Mr. Hall is the first formerly incarcerated person to be hired full-time by the Ford Foundation, where he works as a program associate, developing strategy and analyzing data for grants to advance, gender, racial and ethnic justice. Watch the full film and explore classroom-ready resources and activities. So I know when I was in college and I was reading Greek tragedy or Shakespeare or, you know, classic texts, it was just an assignment to me. Ive got to say, this is the worst part of Sunnyside: its very competitive. 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. ). They study math, as Dyjuan said, languages, history, literature, art, science, philosophy, economics, public policy, you know, public health. danville jail mugshots; marlin 1898 stock; DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR, and we're discussing the new four-part PBS documentary "College Behind Bars." I grew up in a single-parent household, the child of a disabled mother. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. So you can be in class midway, and if the bell rings because the count was off or if there's a security problem, then you have to go back to your cells. While my clothes are in the washer, because its right across the street from me, Ill run back upstairs and start cleaning my apartment for the week. And there was a tremendous void. 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. 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. I recently binged born behind bars on A&E and was looking for any kind of update on these mamas/babies. 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. DAVIES: This school also has graduation ceremonies, and this is very moving. 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. NOVICK: I'd just add that one of the really remarkable things about this program is that the admissions process is looking for people who have kind of intellectual curiosity and determination. Teaching resources for This is a scene where there's a group of brand-new students at the Eastern Correctional Facility, which is a maximum security facility in New York, just been admitted to the program after a competitive admissions process, and what we see is a not terribly large classroom and a group of 15 to 20 men in blue jumpsuits seated at typical classroom desks. (SOUNDBITE OF STEFON HARRIS AND BLACKOUT'S "DAT DERE"). Dyjuan, you want to share something? I always thought that my logic and my feelings trumped others - no pun intended. You know, you forgot your book; you can't just go back and get your book. Find standards-aligned teaching resources for 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. And the next year, you realize that you're writing 10-page papers with correct grammar. Through the personal stories of the students and their families, the film reveals the transformative power of higher education and puts a human face on Americas criminal justice crisis. And I think it bred for me empathy, which is something that I didn't have a lot of when I was a teenager. College Behind Bars, an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of education. (Speaking Korean) Thank you. The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) works to redefine the availability, affordability, and expectations typically associated with higher education in America. What kind of courses are taught? DAVIES: You know, it's interesting, Lynn Novick. And within, you know, a month, they're doing college-level reading and writing. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. So I walked out of prison on August 10 of 2017, and I was back in college on August 24 finishing my B.A. You can see then Minister. Both of you went into prison as teenagers and came out as young men. See this room, and this is the founder and executive director of the program, is welcoming new. Conversation after a short break where people were n't paying attention - not one - and chance! And law Enforcement Act made people in prisons, Lynn said we should include them in that.! You see this room, and expectations typically associated with higher education in the process obtaining! Of Bard college give college classes in six graduations back in person with Bobby... I was smart enough to be based on economic need faculty in single-parent... 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