>>> FOR THOSE WHO ARE

INCARCERATED,

EDUCATION IS A KEY MEANS OF

REHABILITATION WITH A GOAL OF

DECREASING RECIDIVISM ACCORDING

TO THE BUREAU INSTITUTE OF

JUSTICE.

THE STUDY OF BUREAU EDUCATION

SHOWS 43% INMATES ARE MORE

LIKELY TO REMAIN LAW ABADING

WHEN RELEASED IF THEY ARE

INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAMS.

MONTH MATHEW UNIVERSITY AND THE

STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION

HAVES TEAMED UP TO BRING

TOGETHER NOT ONLY THE PRISON

COMMUNITIES BUT STUDENTS FROM

TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES

TO ENGAGE IN A NEW TYPE OF

EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE.

AS A PART OF OUR CHASING THE

DREAM INITIATIVE ON POVERTY AND

OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA,

WE'RE GOING INSIDE THE PROGRAM

THAT'S PROVIDING LESSONS IN

LOCKUP FOR INMATES AND STUDENTS

ALIKE.

JOINING ME NOW WITH AN INSIDER

VIEW MONTH MATHEW UNIVERSITY

DIRECTOR OF SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR

JOHANNA FOREST AND ELIZABETH CAR

MINE A SENIOR WHO PARTICIPATED

IN THE PROGRAM WELCOME TO BOTH

OF.

>> YOU THANKS.

>> JOHANNA GIVE US A SENSE OF

CONTEXT AND TALK ABOUT THIS

CONCEPT THAT'S BEEN DESCRIBED AS

THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE.

>> SURE.

WHAT WE MEAN BY THE SCHOOL TO

PRISON PIPELINE IS REALLY A SET

OF INSTITUTIONAL PRACTICES AND

POLICIES THAT TARGET,

LABEL AND CRIMINALIZE

DISPROERLGSLY STUDENTS OF COLOR

AND PUSH THEM AWAY FROM

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

ATTENTION AWAY FROM MENTAL

HEALTH COUNSELING SERVICES AND

INTO CUSTODY WHETHER THE

JUVENILE FACILITIES EARLY YERL

OR THE ADULT PRISONS.

>> YOU THEN HAD DECIDED ALONG

WITH SOME OTHER FOLKS AS MONTH

MOUTH THAT WE HAD AN IDEA TO

DEAL WITH THAT COULD BRING THE

STUDENTS INTO THE PICTURE INVEST

THEM WITH AN INVOLVEMENT IN

THIS.

HOW DID THIS IDEA EVOLVE.

>> WELL MY COLLEAGUE HE WILL

MORE NOVAK IN COMMUNICATION

WE'VE BEEN DOING PRISON WORK

ABOUT 15 YEARS OR SO BUT NEVER

HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THE

STUDENTS INSIDE THE CORRECTIONAL

SETTING.

AND WHAT WE REALLY WANTED TO DO

WAS TO CREATE A SHARED SPACE

WHEREAS YOU SAID STUDENTS FROM

TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES

AND PRISON COMMUNITIES COULD

HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HUMANIZE

EACH OTHER AND REALLY BEGIN A

CONVERSATION WHERE WE COULD

BREAK DOWN STEREOTYPES THAT BOTH

GROUPS MAY HOLD ABOUT ONE

ANOTHER.

AND SO WE FELT THAT THE ACADEMIC

EXCHANGE PROGRAM WAS A GOOD

PLACE TO START.

>> ELIZABETH WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST

REACTION WHEN YOU HEARD ABOUT

IT.

>> I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED AT

FIRST HONESTLY BECAUSE THE IDEA

OF HAVING A CLASS IN A PRISON

WAS SOMETHING I NEVER HEARD OF

BEFORE.

>> AND I SHOULD SAY MONMOUTH HAS

THIS MAGNIFICENT BEAUTIFUL

CAMPUS.

>> YES.

>> YOU GO DRAMATICALLY FROM ONE

CLASS LOCATION -- I'VE BEEN IN

THE TRENTON PRISON.

IT'S HIGH SECURITY.

IT'S A FRIGHTENING PLACE.

YOUR FIRST THOUGHT WAS HUH?

>> YES.

SO I HAD NEVER HAD ANY

EXPERIENCE WITH PRISON BUT I HAD

NEVER DONE A TOUR OR ANYTHING.

WHEN I HEARD ABOUT IT I WASN'T

REALLY SURE.

BUT I THOUGHT I REALLY WAS

INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT THE

TOPIC.

I WANTED TO GIVE IT A TRY.

AND ONCE WE DID THE FIRST TOUR

OF A MORE LOCAL PRISON IT BECAME

CLEAR THAT I WANTED TO DO THE

CLASS INSIDE,

BECAUSE I JUST REALLY WANTED TO

KNOW MORE.

AND I WANTED THE OPPORTUNITY TO

MEET WITH THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE

INSIDE THE FACILITIES.

>> SO HOW WAS THE PROGRAM THEN

GOING TO BE STRUCTURED?

>> SURE.

ONCE A WEEK FOR TWO HOURS A WEEK

WE TOOK EIGHT UNIVERSITY

STUDENTS INSIDE THE PRISON TO

STUDY WITH 11 STUDENTS INSIDE.

TWO FACULTY MEMBERS.

AND THE FACULTY MEMBERS SET

FORTH THE CURRICULUM IN BROAD

STROKES.

WE KNEW THAT WE WANTED TO TALK

ABOUT THE SCHOOL TO PRISON

PIPELINE.

AND GIVE BOTH GROUPS THE

OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THEIR LIVED

EXPERIENCES,

AND TO EXAMINE TOGETHER A

CURRICULUM.

BUT FROM THERE IT WAS A

PARTICIPATORY LEARNING MODEL.

STUDENTS TOOK THE LEAD IN

DECIDING WHAT THEY WANTED TO

STUDY AND BRING BACK TO THE

COMMUNITY.

>> IT'S ONE THING TO SAY TO

YOURSELF, IN THE ABSTRACT,

I'M GOING INTO A PRISON

ENVIRONMENT AND I'M GOING TO

INTERACT WITH PRISON INMATES.

THE FIRST TIME YOU WALKED IN THE

DOOR -- I REMEMBER I TALKED WITH

PEOPLE WHEN I WAS A PROSECUTOR

THE FIRST TIME I WALKED IN THAT

PRISON AND THE DOOR SLAMMED

BEHIND ME AND I KNEW I'M A

PROSECUTOR I CAN LEAVE WHENEVER

I WANT.

IT WAS STILL A VERY SHORT OF

TROUBLING MOMENT.

WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION THE FIRST

TIME YOU WALKED IN.

>> WELL THE FIRST TIME I WALKED

IN IT WAS HONESTLY A LITTLE

FRIGHTENING.

ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IT IS A A

MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON.

SO GETTING THROUGH SECURITY

ITSELF WAS PRETTY IN-DEPTH AND

SO MANY RULES AND REGULATIONS

ABOUT WHAT WE COULD WEAR AND

WHAT WE COULD BRING IN AND JUST

GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND

BEING WITH THE OFFICERS,

IT DID FEEL FRIGHTENING WE HAD

TO WAIT AT THE BUZZER TO GO

THROUGH THE NEXT DOOR AND SHOW

THE IDs APPEAR THROUGH THE NEXT

DOOR.

IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE LOCKED

INSIDE THIS INSTITUTION.

AND SO IT WAS DEFINITELY TOUGH

TO GET USED TO THE FIRST FEW

TIMES WE WENT INSIDE.

>> WHEN YOU WOULD GET THERE,

WHAT WERE THE ACTUAL INTERACTION

BETWEEN THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY

MEMBERS AND THE INMATES.

>> WE WOULD GO IN THE CLASSROOM

AND THE OUTSIDE STUDENTS GOT

THERE FIRST AND WAIT UNTIL THE

INSIDE CLASSMATES GOT INSIDE AND

SIT IN A BIG CIRCLE.

AND WE WOULD PUT ONE INSIDE

STUDENT AND THEN ONE OUTSIDE

STUDENT.

WE SAT NEXT.

>> THAT'S THE WAY YOU REFERRED

TO THEM AN INSIDE STUDENT AND

OUTSIDE STUDENT.

>> YES.

>> NOT AS INMATE.

>> YES WE WERE ALL STUDENTS.

>> CAN I ASK A QUESTION?

KWIE ARE WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT

JOHANNA LET ME SEE WHY WAS THAT

IMPORTANT.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT

INCARCERATED FOLKS DEAL WITH IN

OUR SOCIETY AND ELSEWHERE IS THE

STIGMA OF BEING INCARCERATED.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE

STUDENTS ON THE INSIDE REALLY

WANTED THE STUDENTS ON THE

OUTSIDE AND IN THE COMMUNITY TO

KNOW IS THAT THEY'RE MORE THAN

JUST THE MISTAKE THEY MADE THAT

GOT THEM IN THE FACILITY.

>> IT'S A WONDERFUL PROGRAM

JOHANNA THANK YOU FOR ASPEN

BEING TIME WITH US.

ELIZABETH THANK YOU.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU YOU GRADUATED

AND HEADING OUT TO THE PEACE

CORPS.

YOU ARE INDEED SOMEONE THE

UNIVERSITY CAN BE ROUD OF.

THANKS FOR JOIPG US.

YOU BOTH BE WELL.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.