Gathering Knowledge, Shaping Future Career Paths as Prison Walls Fade Away
The University of New HavenӰԭs Prison Education Program and its collaboration with the Yale Prison Education Initiative continue to grow Ӱԭ expanding its associate degree program to a second prison in Connecticut, launching a bachelorӰԭs degree program, and becoming one of 73 colleges and universities nationwide selected to be part of the U.S. Department of EducationӰԭs Second Chance Pell Experiment.
July 26, 2022
By Jackie Hennessey, contributing writer
When Chris is in his economics or communications classes, taking part in discussions, working on assignments or projects, ӰԭitӰԭs almost as if I step out of the prison walls for a time,Ӱԭ he says. ItӰԭs such a welcome feeling. ӰԭComing to the classroom snaps you out of the negative politics and culture that haunt a person and transports you to a safe place where all those who sit among you feel the same and are trying to better themselves.Ӱԭ
Chris, an individual under the supervision of the , is pursuing a University of New Haven associate degree in general studies as part of a collaboration between the and the University of New HavenӰԭs Prison Education program.
The program, Chris says, has changed the way he views his life ahead. ӰԭI had been out of touch with the classroom for so long, it took me some time to reacquaint myself with it. But once I did, we were like old pals again,Ӱԭ he says.
ӰԭThe best part for me, beyond the attainment of knowledge, would have to be the normalcy the program brings to an environment like this,Ӱԭ he continues. ӰԭWe have become a close-knit family, with no one left behind. Academically, we are pushed and encouraged by staff as well as fellow incarcerated scholars to be the best we can be. I see a bachelorӰԭs degree in my future. IӰԭve become so infatuated with learning I donӰԭt think IӰԭll ever stop.Ӱԭ
ӰԭPart of this great national movementӰԭ
These kinds of possibilities Ӱԭ to learn for the sake of learning and to create future career opportunities Ӱԭ will be open to even more incarcerated persons in Connecticut. This spring the University of New Haven was one of 73 universities nationwide invited by the to be part of the third round of the Second Chance Pell Experiment Sites Initiative, a program first launched by the Obama administration to expand access to Federal Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals enrolled in university programs.
ӰԭPell grants used to be available for students in prison until 1994 when access was banned,Ӱԭ says Zelda Roland, Ph.D., who directs the YPEI and the University of New HavenӰԭs Prison Education Program and who is a visiting assistant professor of communications, film, and media studies at the University. ӰԭThis means we are part of this great national movement bringing back Pell Grants in prison for students who did not have access for so long.Ӱԭ
The University of New Haven is the only private university in Connecticut selected and will be the only participating institution in the state offering a bachelorӰԭs degree to incarcerated students, Dr. Roland says.
ӰԭTremendous Potential as Students and ScholarsӰԭ
More than 100 incarcerated individuals applied for 12-15 openings in each cohort, Dr. Roland says. Students have to have earned a high school diploma or GED and need to write an essay as part of the application process. The applications are then reviewed by faculty from the University and .
ӰԭWe donӰԭt discriminate in our admissions process against sentence length or type of conviction,Ӱԭ says Dr. Roland. ӰԭWe have students applying who have spent years in prison self-educating, working on skills in reading and writing who have tremendous potential as students and scholars but never had access to any higher education opportunities.Ӱԭ
Dwayne, who is in the associate degree program, was inspired to take part because of his children. ӰԭI wanted to change the narrative of my prison experience,Ӱԭ he says. ӰԭI wanted to show them that this was not the end, but a new beginning. Adversity happens, but you can always prevail, no matter what the conditions or circumstances are.Ӱԭ
Prevailing, he says, means moving beyond what he thought he could do, such as tackling quantitative analysis, ӰԭMath is my weakest subject, but I love challenges, so I will always push myself to succeed,Ӱԭ he says. ӰԭThese courses keep me occupied, engaged, and out of trouble. They help me constructively fill my time. Have you ever heard the adage 'Ignorance is bliss?' Well, 'knowledge is bliss' as well.Ӱԭ
ӰԭA way to enter community service or social service type of jobsӰԭ
This fall, the associate degree program will expand to a federal prison in Danbury, Conn, where it will begin to offer college programming for incarcerated women there. And a bachelorӰԭs degree in interdisciplinary studies is slated to launch in the fall for students who have completed the AA, says Michael Rossi, Ph.D., the associate dean of the University of New HavenӰԭs College of Arts and Sciences, who works with Dr. Roland and Vanessa Estimé Ӱԭ14, the programӰԭs assistant director.
The interdisciplinary studies program will feature a number of different options.
ӰԭFor example, students can take courses in sociology, race, and ethnic studies and build courses around that as a way to enter community service or social service types of jobs,Ӱԭ Dr. Rossi says.
ӰԭWe want to make sure we are not training students for career pathways they will be restricted from because of their conviction history once they are released from prison,Ӱԭ Dr. Roland adds.
ӰԭWe believe it aligns with our missionӰԭ
Dr. Rossi says the program exists due in very large part to Dr. RolandӰԭs vision. She was pursuing her Ph.D. at Yale when she worked with students enrolled in and, in 2016, she established the Yale Prison Education Initiative.
Over the years, in conversations with University of New Haven faculty and with staff with the Ӱԭ all of whom she says care deeply about providing educational access and opportunities to people in prison Ӱԭ ideas for a collaboration began to take root.
ӰԭOne of the biggest surprises for me was that after five minutes of class, you are no longer teaching in a prison. It's just a classroom with no windows. You're the professor, they are the students, and it's the same as any other class.ӰԭPatrick Gourley, Ph.D.
ӰԭWhatӰԭs incredible about the University of New Haven is how much everyone believes in what we are doing, how much interest there is,Ӱԭ Dr. Roland adds. ӰԭFrom the beginning, Dr. Kaplan said 'we need to be doing this. This is urgent and we believe it aligns with our mission.' He got it from the start.Ӱԭ
ӰԭI believe education should be accessible to allӰԭ
Dr. Rossi says the programӰԭs faculty Ӱԭ from Yale and the University of New Haven Ӱԭ are incredibly dedicated and theyӰԭve talked with him about what theyӰԭve gained from teaching at the prison.
Bianca Ibarlucea, a graduate of the Yale School of Art, and a visiting University of New Haven faculty member, co-taught graphic design with Anežka Minaříková, and together they organized Ӱԭ{#289 128}: More Than a Number,Ӱԭ a Seton Gallery exhibition of work of students enrolled in graphic design courses across UNH campuses. Students read English Professor Randall HortonӰԭs, poetry, and pieces about his own incarceration, and created posters Ӱԭ art Ӱԭ from his words. Dr. Horton is a National Endowment of the Arts Fellow, an award-winning poet and memoirist, and is part of the YPEI Oversight Committee.
Professor Ibarlucea has long thought about how much more expansive and inclusive the world of graphic design needs to be and that, she says, begins with pedagogy and making sure that people who are in the justice system have a chance to have their voices included. ӰԭWhat good does inclusive and expansive pedagogy do for de-centering the Western canon if people impacted by the justice system aren't permitted to contribute to the conversation?Ӱԭ she asks.
ӰԭI believe education should be accessible to all and teaching inside made me realize it is important for me to work with intergenerational students who come from all types of backgrounds.Ӱԭ
ӰԭItӰԭs the same as any other classӰԭ
Patrick Gourley, an associate professor of economics, taught microeconomics at the prison last fall and was so taken by the experience that he encourages more faculty members to consider teaching in the program. ӰԭYou have to set your expectations properly,Ӱԭ he notes.
ӰԭSometimes the facility will be under lockdown. Other times it might take 20 minutes to get through security. Having patience and recognizing the bigger picture is key.Ӱԭ
Working with students who are extremely engaged, who ask deep, thoughtful questions, makes it Ӱԭa great experience,Ӱԭ he says. ӰԭOne of the biggest surprises for me was that after five minutes of class, you are no longer teaching in a prison. It's just a classroom with no windows. You're the professor, they are the students, and it's the same as any other class.Ӱԭ
ӰԭThis Reaffirms That Personhood within MeӰԭ
For Justin, who is working toward his associate degree, the courses, the faculty, and Dr. Roland are Ӱԭa daily lifeline.
ӰԭPrison has a way of making you become a prisoner,Ӱԭ he says. ӰԭNo matter your will to remain an individual, prison increasingly strips you of that. On a daily basis, this [program] reaffirms that personhood within me, something that counteracts the constant reminders that you are where you belong.Ӱԭ
Justin says that when he first arrived in prison, he had no anticipation, expectation, or excitement about his future, only Ӱԭinstitutionalization separation of who I was and who I could become.Ӱԭ
But now, he says, Ӱԭevery course, every syllabus, every textbook, mid-term, final, credit are all underlining values to the true value that this community creates: Hope.Ӱԭ