Gripping documentary spotlights Bard Prison Initiative When it comes to incarceration, the United States of America is far and away the global leader in all the major categories. Based on data compiled by watchdog organizations, such as World Prison Brief and the Prison Policy Initiative, the American criminal… Read More
Press Type: Article
The Triumphs And Struggles Of Prison Education Get The Spotlight In New Documentary Series
For nearly 20 years, a program run by Bard College has given hundreds of prisoners in New York State access to a college education. The Bard Prison Initiative gives people a chance to take the same courses offered at Bard's main campus, and finish the program… Read More
How College In Prison Turns Around Lives And Saves Taxpayers Money
Anyone looking for something to watch over the Thanksgiving Holidays would do well to check out the inspiring and fascinating “College Behind Bars,” airing on PBS stations on November 25th. An extended trailer can be viewed here. The show focuses on one particular college-in-prison… Read More
‘Undoing a mistake’: Inside the push to bring college education back to prison
PHILADELPHIA – Stacks of books are organized meticulously by genre amid the chaos of a maximum security prison. A makeshift desk made from cardboard is placed over a sink in a cramped cell. A chalkboard is filled with Chinese symbols in a room filled with eager… Read More
Students and Inmates Westville Correctional Partnership Offers Inmates Opportunity for Education
The Moreau College Initiative — a collaboration between the University of Notre Dame, Holy Cross College and the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) — offers certain inmates at Westville Correctional Facility the opportunity to earn an Associate of Arts degree from Holy Cross College. The… Read More
Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins supports ‘College Behind Bars,’ a prison documentary
NEW YORK — In between his busy football schedule, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins sat in a room with alumni of the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), a program that allows men and women to work toward college degrees while incarcerated. He listened to the stories of the… Read More
Malcolm Jenkins Opens up on Being Called Out By Peers: ‘It Comes With the Territory’
Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins has been one of the faces leading the NFL’s social justice movement. He explains to SI’s Amy Campbell how he got involved with the documentary “College Behind Bars,” which follows a dozen incarcerated men and women in New York… Read More
Public Libraries Are Reinventing Access to Higher Education
Across the country, libraries serve as great equalizers and safe spaces. They are institutions of change and models of equity and inclusion, allowing visitors free access to resources, irrespective of economic and social barriers. EUGENE M. TOBIN I still remember the awe and pride I felt the… Read More
Some of America’s ‘Most Terrific’ Students are Behind Bars
The 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act has been in the news this fall, as Democratic candidates for president debate the pros and cons of a law which some charge was a major driver of America’s mass incarceration crisis. About one component of the… Read More
Three Prison Inmates Beat Harvard in a Debate. Here’s What Happened Next.
When inmates in a New York maximum-security prison beat Harvard in a debate four years ago, their victory made international headlines and highlighted the intellectual talent behind bars. Now, the three debaters who outsmarted the Ivy Leaguers have a new round of accomplishments. Two have found professional footing after… Read More