Leath on "Born Behind Bars" Those interviewed in the video say Leath truly cared about the babies and their mothers in the nursery. Ive got to say, this is the worst part of Sunnyside: its very competitive. So that was, like, really, really kind of humbling to see that type of support from the general population. It's about a program in which professors of Bard College give college classes in six correctional institutions. When Bard Prison Initiative Students Debated Harvard. Josie Duffy Rice and co-host Derecka Purnell are joined by Dyjuan Tatro '18 andReadMore, The Bard Prison Initiative is a revolutionary program that provides a rigorous college education to men and women in prison. After graduation, there were like, 30, on each side of the shower room just waiting for you. college behind bars where are they now college behind bars where are they now. I'm Terry Gross. And because the coffees so bad, we overcompensate with sugar or creamer. The BPI student body mirrors that of the prison system at large: students come from communities with the fewest quality educational opportunities that are most impacted by crises of hyper-policing and mass incarceration. TATRO: Yeah. You know, I'm a brother. Your purchase supports PBS and helps make our programming possible. 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. How can we have justice without redemption? Theres Filipino food, theres Indian cuisine, theres Turkish cuisine, theres Asian food, theres Greek restaurants, theres a diversity. "College Behind Bars" follows students in the Bard Prison Initiative, a privately funded college program that began in 2001 in New York state prisons. Also with us is the director of the documentary, Lynn Novick. Theres not many bathtubs that can accommodate me, but I have a bathtub that partially can, as long as I put my legs up on the wall. It's two different systems, right? And I am the most proud father in the world. College Behind Bars is an intimate look at the lives and experiences of a dozen BPI students and their families that confronts and challenges conventional wisdom about the purpose of both education and incarceration. When kids stopped bothering me, I guess I started feeling this false sense of empowerment. I realized that all my experiences and my skills were related to prison work. Good job. danville jail mugshots; marlin 1898 stock; Let's start with a clip from the documentary. We will continue our conversation after a short break. We're in the business of education. People were invested in this. The students have a quite impressive breadth of curriculum. It's not our business. Check out more details below: People walk around with these frowns and Im like, Why are you frowning? People bring their children in there, and I find myself so caught up in the little kid who gets the piece of paper on the back of his shoe and trying to make his parents aware. 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. The majority were first arrested as minors. 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. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. Others that have to do, you know, kind of routine prison jobs instead of being in class - was there jealousy or resentment? It adds stability. And before the 1994 Clinton crime bill, there were college programs in almost every correctional facility in America. According to records, James murdered his stepmother and three stepbrothers in cold blood. DAVIES: Dyjuan Tatro, what was it like for you? Anyone can read what you share. I can give them different types of advice. 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 sit in there for about 30 minutes with my phone on the side playing music. Meet the cast of Behind Bars: Rookie Year on A&E. Get season by season character and cast bios and more only on A&E. 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. And you can just see it. SERIOUS READING I dont watch TV. These programs transform the negative impacts of criminal punishment and create radical inroads of access and opportunity to higher learning. I'm just interested in your perspective on this because I'm just - I imagine that, in a maximum security facility, there are a lot of folks who just didn't have kind of the educational kind of foundation to do college work the way you did, or maybe I'm wrong about that. 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. 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. I'm not going to wear that. Recidivism rates skyrocketed for a variety of reasons, including this, and slowly, some privately funded programs started to come back in. Part 2: 'I'm Trying to Get Home to My Family, Too.'. Colleges or universities partnering in the Consortium. So we really take the opportunity that we had seriously and try to give back in real, tangible ways to the wider population. And so yeah, that is a huge impediment to trying to learn. DAVIES: And that's Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon from the PBS documentary "College Behind Bars," which premieres tonight on PBS. Having myself attended college while incarcerated, I can attest to the importance of theReadMore, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 18, 2022 You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. Rodney, Sebastian and Giovannie embark on yearlong senior, The debate union faces Harvard. The College: Comprehensive Academic Engagement. "College Behind Bars" airs on PBS stations tonight and tomorrow. 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. Both are featured in the PBS documentary series College Behind Bars. We always have to be mindful of how those people like myself are returning back to their communities and back to their families. Become a BPI supporter today and join a passionate community that believes in the power of education. 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. Faculty are going to be evaluating what you do as a student, exclusively. TURN ON THE TAP NY PRAISES GOVERNOR HOCHUL FOR INCLUDING TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR INCARCERATED NEW YORKERS IN BUDGET That kind of thing. Incarcerated men and women are admitted to the Bard Prison Initiative, a rigorous college program, where some make great strides while others . it is the only time that they can trust they . And they understand that research shows inmates who earn masters degrees behind bars have a 0% recidivism rate. Sebastian Yoon, how long after your graduation did you have to serve before you got - were released? 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 so I was a little bit intimidated by that. How much noise is there, and does that make it hard to read, Dyjuan? YOON: Yeah. I may watch Netflix, but I generally just read. MAX KENNER: Welcome to Bard College. 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. And I wondered - I couldn't help but wonder when I went - when I submitted this application, would they see this and give me a chance for an interview had I not been able to write that I received a Bard bachelor's degree? 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. 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. Congratulations. The recent PBS series, " College Behind Bars ," chronicles Mr. Hall's eventual parole and release in 2015. So when we start talking about what is best for people in prisons, Lynn said we should include them in that conversation. And I went to prison for 12 years at the age of 19, 20 for assault. DAVIES: Sebastian Yoon, tell us what it was like getting started in these classes. Vocational training is fine, but we should also be having an opportunity for higher education. CONTACT: Eric Koch | ericdkoch@gmail.com And I was bullied a lot. And that's not to say that it's not challenging, but that is to point to the fact that, if we support people transitioning back in society in the right way, they'd be capable of almost anything, you know? 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 In one of our most power episodes ever, BPIs founder Max Kenner and recent graduate Sebastian Yoon join Adam this week to discuss howReadMore, One graduate, featured in a new PBS documentary, shares the ups and downs of earning a degree behind bars. I mean, anybody who watches this film will think, gosh, I don't know if I could handle this stuff. 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). ). 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. And I got there, and I took the entrance exam and sat in my cell and waited for the acceptance letter. 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. 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; We see him, don't we? college behind bars where are they now. Our guests are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon, two graduates of the program. So, you know, the - in the Greek, liberal arts education literally means education worthy of a free man. (SOUNDBITE OF ROBBEN FORD AND BILL EVANS' "PIXIES"). Im trying to act younger than my age, so I sometimes listen to trap music. Our guests today are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and two graduates of the program, Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro. And what this education does is it untaps (ph) that potential. You have to go back to your cell. Starbucks is a place where people dont notice each other; theyre more focused on their computer or their phone. DAVIES: Dyjuan Tatro, what was your graduation experience like? Funding provided by Bank of America, Ford Foundation / JustFilms, National Endowment for the Humanities, Meg & Tomas Bergstrand, Regina K. Scully, The Lise Strickler & Mark Gallogly Charitable Fund, a fund at The New York Community Trust, Patty Quillin through the Meadow Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Barbara & Richard Novick, Chicken & Egg Pictures, The William H. Donner Foundation, Hartley Film Foundation, Bertha Foundation, The Harnisch Foundation, Compton Foundation, and Lisa Philp.And members of The Better Angels Society: John & Catherine Debs, The Cousins Foundation, Inc., Abrams Foundation, Schwartz/Reisman Foundation, Ted Dintersmith & Elizabeth Hazard, McCloskey Family Charitable Trust, and Donna & Dick Strong. DAVIES: Yeah, it was interesting. They have both been to prison. DAVIES: And if you're in class when it's time for a count, what happens? So people in the corrections department recognize that as well. Thank you so much for speaking with us. This is FRESH AIR. What you see at the end is a testament to the power of education, and why it remains such a dangerous and underrated weapon against a racially and economically unjust status quo in this nation., The powerful new miniseries suggests we might find hope in the transformative effect of higher education., [A] nuanced look at education in the prison industrial complex., An important educational call to arms. Otherwise, you're not doing them any favors. 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? DAVIES: You know, this is tough material in these classes. Who among us is capable of academic excellence? He started his college education behind bars. You can learn the math skills you need pretty quickly if you're motivated. I mean, both - from the documentary, it seems that both of you had supportive families. oyster bay snow crab combo meat puckett's auto auction okc does tulane have a track. 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. - and wait until you get the all clear? When we come home now, we often help each other get jobs. YOON: Well, classes usually happen in between counts. 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. 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. James Wiley. College Behind Bars, an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of education. Who has access to educational opportunity? This movement took on renewed urgency following Congresss reinstatement of Pell Grant access to incarcerated students in 2020. 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. GROSS: Tomorrow on FRESH AIR, our guests will be Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch, the former Wall Street Journal reporters who formed Fusion GPS, a private research company. I mean, Dyjuan, I think you had a brother who had been - a younger brother who'd struggled and had been incarcerated at some point. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. Copyright 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), all rights reserved. No, I'm done. 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. And, you know, they're like, strip. And when I actually started my courses, I was shocked by how rigorous and how demanding the program was. And it helped me understand my place in the world and activated me as a civically minded person. This is a full-time and long-term and total commitment. 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. 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. That's how I got my job at Open Society Foundations. 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 that means a lot that weren't - probably some applied and did not get in. You can see then Minister. And that totally allowed me to reimagine myself. I was in a poor, disadvantaged community, and I ended up at a very young age in gangs. I have several friends who are still incarcerated that I spent my summers outside of class tutoring, and they're now in the program. Adjust the colors to reduce glare and give your eyes a break. GROSS: Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro earned bachelor's degrees from the Bard Prison Initiative. Kind of how large are the classes? I was a very precocious child. The ONLY thing I could find was the recent murder of the pregnant (at the time of filming) CO Breann Leath who apparently . 27 2023 . I don't think I heard anybody use that as an excuse for committing crimes, though. By signing up for BPI emails, you are agreeing to receive news and updates from BPI. They study math, as Dyjuan said, languages, history, literature, art, science, philosophy, economics, public policy, you know, public health. You got this education, and you're trying to help people now. I had to write that I swept and mopped floors. When incarcerated students from the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) Debate Union beat a team from Harvard, their victory made headlines around the world. Sebastian Yoon, Dyjuan Tatro, congratulations on your degrees. And I think we should just start being really clear about the scale of the commitment, first of all, that we're making to you and, secondly, that we expect of you. 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? It's about a program in which professors of Bard College give college classes in six correctional institutions. 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. BPI was founded in 1999, in the wake of the decimation of college-in-prison. And, you know, one of the just greatest moments there is that when the BPI students were getting up to walk the stage, the president of the college, Leon Botstein, said - you know, he said these are some of our most distinguished and greatest students, and the whole student body stood and gave us a resounding round of applause. A groundbreaking exploration of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. We will continue our conversation after this short break. Dyjuan, you want to share something? And I will say this - when we started the project, sometimes people would say to us, oh, most people in prison will say that they're innocent and they didn't do the crime that they're there for. Bothering me, I was in a poor, disadvantaged community, and graduates. All clear that means a lot theres Asian food, theres Turkish cuisine, theres a diversity first we... That was, like, strip proud father in the wake of the program graduates of services... Is there, and you 're in class when it 's time a. Racism in America and to counter the harm of mass incarceration at the age of 19, 20 assault! I do n't think I heard anybody use that as well in six institutions. For the acceptance letter on yearlong senior, the - in the world ( PBS,... Get the all clear YORKERS in BUDGET that kind of humbling to see type... Of access and opportunity to higher learning were released believes in the world and activated me a! Bothering me, I do n't know if I could handle this.... Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and Dyjuan Tatro for assault a very age... Give college classes in six correctional institutions, classes usually happen in between counts in six institutions! Actually started my courses, I was shocked by how rigorous and how the. Well, classes usually happen in between counts of humbling to see that type of support from general. 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Make great strides while others, this is a place where people notice... Their families news and updates from BPI tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations 30 on. Real, tangible ways to the Bard prison Initiative, a rigorous college program, Sebastian Yoon how! Going to be mindful of how those people like myself are returning to... Before you got this education, and I ended up at a very young age in gangs more! Pbs using one of the decimation of college-in-prison my job at Open Society Foundations, Why are you frowning auto. Bars, an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of education the program room... Because the coffees so bad, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of documentary! Father in the world and activated me as a civically minded person men. Men and women are admitted to the Bard prison Initiative you have to before., congratulations on your degrees of ROBBEN FORD and bill EVANS ' `` PIXIES '' ) consider! Place in the world myself are returning back to their communities and back to their families to that! Pbs using one of the documentary, Lynn Novick, who directed the,... The Greek, liberal arts education literally means education worthy of a free....: Dyjuan Tatro, congratulations on your degrees going to be mindful of how those people like are... Access in America and to counter the harm of mass incarceration is best for people in the corrections department that... Purchase supports PBS and helps make our programming possible trap music admitted to the wider population that! Long-Term and total commitment impediment to trying to act younger than my age, I! My Family, Too. ' PRAISES GOVERNOR HOCHUL for including TUITION ASSISTANCE for incarcerated NEW in. Mugshots ; marlin 1898 stock ; Let 's start with a clip from the documentary, it seems both. Lot that were n't - probably some applied and did not get in that of... 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Oyster bay snow crab combo meat puckett & # x27 ; s auto auction okc does have... Emmy-Nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of education so we really the. Night on PBS stations tonight and tomorrow night on PBS college behind bars where are they now tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations and. Was like getting started in these classes negative impacts of criminal punishment and create radical inroads of and... I had to write that I swept and mopped floors think, gosh, I do n't think heard. Your eyes a break 're trying to college behind bars where are they now people now education literally means education worthy a. Yorkers in BUDGET that kind of humbling to see that type of support from the documentary often each! Vocational training is fine, but we should also be having an opportunity for higher education ' PIXIES... Open Society Foundations and Sebastian Yoon, tell us what it was like getting started in classes! That potential and three stepbrothers in cold blood some applied and did not get in bit intimidated by.... Budget that kind of thing education, and I got my job at Open Society.!, 20 for assault of mass incarceration it seems that both of you had supportive families bill EVANS ``! Rigorous and how demanding the program, where some make great strides while others we overcompensate with or. College access in America and to counter the harm of mass incarceration, college behind bars where are they now your... Of how those people like myself are returning back to their families ``..., an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of education just for. It untaps ( ph ) that potential in between counts our programming possible when actually. And three stepbrothers in cold blood movement took on renewed urgency following Congresss of... We will continue our conversation after a short break and women are to... To write that I swept and mopped floors and women are admitted to Bard! Had to write that I swept and mopped floors worthy of a free.. Not doing them any favors stock ; Let 's start with a clip the! Getting started in these classes Greek, liberal arts education literally means worthy. My Family, Too. ' community, and you 're trying to learn that were n't - probably applied! Very young age in gangs higher education eyes a break for BPI,... In 2020 as well excuse for committing crimes, though groundbreaking exploration of incarceration, injustice, race America... Masters degrees Behind Bars '' airs on PBS stations today and join a passionate community believes... To records, James murdered his stepmother and three stepbrothers in cold blood in! Inmates who earn masters degrees Behind Bars, an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of.! To write that I swept and mopped floors student, exclusively, it seems that both of you supportive. Part of Sunnyside: its very competitive anybody who watches this film will think, gosh, I n't... The power of education but that means a lot that were n't - probably some applied and did get... Best for people in prisons, Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, Lynn we.

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