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. I have several friends who are still incarcerated that I spent my summers outside of class tutoring, and they're now in the program. YOON: Yeah. There's an extreme amount of noise in prisons. Our guests are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon, two graduates of the program. Kind of how large are the classes? Or sushi, for that matter. This movement took on renewed urgency following Congresss reinstatement of Pell Grant access to incarcerated students in 2020. One of the Bard professors said, you know, I don't have all these multimedia tools that you do in a big institution, but when you're in a class where everybody's done the reading, you don't need them as much. And this is not obviously the happiest part of your life, but - and you can say as much as you want about it, but I think the audience would be interested in knowing a bit about what your life was like coming up. But I usually put on jazz or R&B. 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. 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. College Behind Bars is a production of Skiff Mountain Films and is directed by Lynn Novick. The men,ReadMore, College Behind Bars, a new PBS documentary executive-produced by Ken Burns, shines a light on a program that every major university in America should be sponsoring And they thrust you right back into prison. And there was a tremendous void. Born behind bars. SERIOUS READING I dont watch TV. WASHER WARS After that, I will follow that bike lane back home and do my laundry. LYNN NOVICK: The most significant thing for me was that when Max Kenner asked me if I would teach a course on documentary and history, he said the students would love to have a film class, but you have to promise, if you're going to do it, this has to be extremely rigorous. 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. Ken Burns is executive producer. I guess you still treasure that moment, don't you? "Officer Leath was a true example of an officer dedicated not only to safety and security of the prison infant unit, but also exemplified the goal to help incarcerated women become good mothers before leaving . DAVIES: Yeah. James Wiley committed a heinous crime at 15 years of age. Sebastian Yoon, tell us a little about yourself. In four years of study they become accomplished scholars, shatter stereotypes, reckon with their pasts, and prepare to return to society. But the problem is that there can - bells can ring off in prison at any time. 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. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. 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: Sure. Novick directed the four-part documentary "College Behind Bars," which airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. Congratulations. You know, I am originally from Albany, N.Y. Turkish prisons do not have a specific policy regarding children, but in general, they are not allowed in prison. 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. Who has access to educational opportunity? But I needed that degree in order to get my first interview, and then I went to four more interviews after that where I was able to prove myself through speech. I was - I had to show them that I was smart enough to be part of this group. As public funding of college-in-prison returns to the field the question shifts from Will there be college-in-prison? What I prize is the education and the knowledge that I received in the process of obtaining that degree. John & Catherine Debs, The Cousins Foundation, Inc., Abrams Foundation, Schwartz/Reisman Foundation, Ted Dintersmith & Elizabeth Hazard, McCloskey Family Charitable Trust, and Donna & Dick Strong. But in reality, out here, the degrees matter. 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%. Since 2001, BPI has created groundbreaking opportunities for college within Americas prison systems. And then you say, oh, this is my reality. A scholar who has taught in prison weighs in on 'College Behind Bars,' which airs Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS. How can we have justice without redemption? They come to us for essay-writing classes and math tutoring so that they can prepare to get into the program themselves. We should not expect that they are only capable of vocational training. This is FRESH AIR. They love this film. And then this changed in the '90s when we had the crime bill, right? Watch the full film and explore classroom-ready resources and activities. 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. When Bard Prison Initiative Students Debated Harvard. Lynn Novick, Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, welcome to FRESH AIR. Hes a regular at the local Starbucks, where he takes his coffee with cinnamon, not too much sugar.. I have two brothers - one older, one younger. DAVIES: You know, it's interesting, Lynn Novick. TURN ON THE TAP NY PRAISES GOVERNOR HOCHUL FOR INCLUDING TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR INCARCERATED NEW YORKERS IN BUDGET YOON: But to those who would ask that question, Dave, you could also ask them, would you ask the same question of students who are out here? YOON: My fellow graduates, my friends, let me remind you that we have an obligation to share our stories and to uphold the idea that if we wish to have a better world, as we all do, then we must first change ourselves. TATRO: No. This is not my identity. 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. And then I came to crave it more and more. And Max Kenner, who is the founder and executive director of the program, is welcoming the new students. No, I'm done. But for the men gathered on this October afternoon, it. 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. I believe that me having committed a crime doesn't make me a bad person. 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. He lives alone in an apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, which he chose for its proximity to the foundation, just across the East River. Become a BPI supporter today and join a passionate community that believes in the power of education. DAVIES: And if you're in class when it's time for a count, what happens? Thank you so much for speaking with us. 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. 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 , Find standards-aligned teaching resources for. 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. Tried as an adult for his involvement in the fight, Mr. Hall was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. 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. (SOUNDBITE OF MARCUS ROBERTS' "IT'S MARIA'S DANCE"). college behind bars where are they now. DAVIES: You know, I'd like, Sebastian and Dyjuan, to hear a little bit about how - reconciling with your families. They work in business, the arts, and media; they attend graduate school; they have careers in human services. DAVIES: Wow, that's really remarkable. You have this big smile on your face when you're leaving the auditorium and the mess hall. 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. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. DAVIES: Yeah. Copyright 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), all rights reserved. college behind bars where are they now. oyster bay snow crab combo meat puckett's auto auction okc does tulane have a track. And then you address your father directly. YOON: I never stopped being a student. MAX KENNER: Welcome to Bard College. Add College Behind Bars to your must watch list! to What will the field of college-in-prison look like? I wake up every morning and I realize Im free and Im just so grateful to be here.. 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 can just see this intellectual blossoming. Please consider giving a gift to support BPIs groundbreaking work to redefine college access in America and to counter the harm of mass incarceration. And with time, as we become scholars, the idea that we should be limited to just vocational training just becomes absurd. I'm Terry Gross. 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. GROSS: FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. And one day, we went to a karaoke bar, and a fight erupted, and somebody ended up losing his life. But as we got to know the students, we began to understand the circumstances of their lives, which, as you say, were complicated, sometimes tragic, often involved exposure to violence and other tragic experiences. 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