DAVIES: Lynn Novick, congratulations on the documentary. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. On November 24, 1990, James Wiley armed himself with a shotgun and brutally shot down his stepmother and two brothers in their home in Thermopolis, Wyoming. There's a lot of interaction with the students, with the professor and with each other, and a tremendous amount learning also goes on outside the classroom. Siena Poll Today Showed Huge, Bipartisan Majorities For Programs That Lower Barriers to Incarcerated New Yorkers Re-Entering Society I wake up every morning and I realize Im free and Im just so grateful to be here.. I just wanted acknowledgement and this feeling of power and security. DAVIES: Right. And the Bard Prison Initiative, which was - began in 1999. That was not our experience at all. "College Behind Bars" airs on PBS stations tonight and tomorrow. 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. We will continue our conversation after a short break. The series College Behind Bars aired on PBS on November 25 and 26 and is now available for free streaming on PBS.org through the end of January. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Air date: Nov 25, 2019. The recent PBS series, "College Behind Bars," chronicles Mr. Hall's eventual parole and release in 2015. 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. And it was often a joke that I would show up at school and get all these awards, and they would say, but you were never here. TATRO: Having a liberal arts education has made me a much deeper thinker. And I think what surprised my father the most was just how much I transformed while I was incarcerated. DAVIES: You know, getting a liberal arts education is - it is a lot of work, and it expands one's horizons in a whole lot of ways. A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Once I put something in my stomach, I bike ride. Hold on. 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. It gave me the ability to put names to systems and things that had impacted my life. And that totally allowed me to reimagine myself. Could you talk just a little bit about the process? Born Behind Bars is a documentary series that takes place in a maximum-security prison in Indiana. And I want to play a clip here. 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. College Behind Bars remains - especially in the first episode - admirably focused on the practicalities of prison life and prison programmes. But in reality, out here, the degrees matter. 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. You can see then Minister. For 22 years he didnt have one. 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. 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. COLLEGE BEHIND BARS, a four-part documentary film series, 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 (BPI). All rights reserved. College-in-prison, which had been common in prisons across the country, collapsed. And I remember walking in and seeing men like me in prison uniforms, except that they were speaking Mandarin. And, you know, spending time in the classrooms - as Sarah Botstein, the producer, and I did - I kept thinking, I wish I could go back to college and have this experience because it is - the classes are small. College Behind Bars is directed and produced by Lynn Novick; produced by Sarah Botstein; edited by Tricia Reidy ACE; produced by Salimah El-Amin and Mariah Doran;original music by Jongnic Bontemps; cinematography by Buddy Squires ASC and Nadia Hallgren. They study math, as Dyjuan said, languages, history, literature, art, science, philosophy, economics, public policy, you know, public health. In 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act made people in prison ineligible for Pell Grants. 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. We're going to start coursework Monday morning. DAVIES: And if you're in class when it's time for a count, what happens? And what the film shows and the work at BPI shows is that that cannot be more untrue. The Bard Prison Initiative enrolls over 300 incarcerated students in six New York State prisons. And throughout this process, we're constantly talking with each other, helping each other out because on, like, the outside here, you have the Internet; our peers become the Internet. I realized that all my experiences and my skills were related to prison work. After a break, they'll talk about getting their degrees, leaving prison and rejoining their families and how they think a liberal arts education changed them. When that door closes, you're at Bard College. And then this changed in the . Dyjuan, what's it been like connecting with your family again? The vast majority of people in this country that are incarcerated are going to be returning to society. Sebastian Yoon, your father was in the audience, right? No, I'm done. In early 2020 BPI began working with lawmakers to change Merit Board eligibility rules so that all incarcerated students can be eligible for early release based on earning college credits. 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. Im trying to act younger than my age, so I sometimes listen to trap music. You know, what's striking about this program is that - I think a lot of people who think about ways that prisons can help incarcerated people get jobs when they get out of prison is to provide vocational training - you know, teach people to be welders or auto mechanics or, you know, stuff like that. It's always a seminar style. Others that have to do, you know, kind of routine prison jobs instead of being in class - was there jealousy or resentment? Reimagining the place of higher education. When kids stopped bothering me, I guess I started feeling this false sense of empowerment. What I prize is the education and the knowledge that I received in the process of obtaining that degree. Hes a regular at the local Starbucks, where he takes his coffee with cinnamon, not too much sugar.. Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: You've just tried to add this video to My List. DAVIES: And Sebastian, you can tell us a little bit about your transition. So it has a ripple effect even beyond people applying to just - you know, the facilities where there is higher education have less incidence of violence and disruption and things like that. DAVIES: Yeah. 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. DAVIES: Yeah. Helping prisoners go to college helps New York, Press Release: TURN ON THE TAP NY PRAISES GOVERNOR HOCHUL FOR INCLUDING TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR INCARCERATED NEW YORKERS IN BUDGET, WBAIs On the Count The Prison And Criminal Justice Report, BPI and College Behind Bars in The Appeal, College Behind Bars with Max Kenner and Sebastian Yoon. Both are featured in the PBS documentary series College Behind Bars. And you can learn grammar. Kind of how large are the classes? Get the latest news about BPI and our work. And I was bullied a lot. "We all have. And so, you know, this experience has not only been personally rewarding and amazing for me. Confronted with the "inhuman monotony" of life behind bars, Mr. Hall became a serious student, ultimately gaining admission to the Bard Prison Initiative, a competitive, full-time degree program run by Bard College. There's an extreme amount of noise in prisons. 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. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. 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. How College in Prison Turns Around Lives and Saves Taxpayers Money, Knowledge & Redemption, A Conversation with Lynn Novick and Jule Hall, Incarcerated People Can Do More than Beat Harvard in a Debate. 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. GROSS: FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. It was just a really, really moving moment to be celebrated on the main Bard campus in that way by all these amazing young people. And, you know, they're like, strip. YOON: And part of that crime bill, Dave, was comprised - allocating $10 billion to build more prisons, and $10 billion at the time was enough to pay for higher education in prisons for more than 200 years. College Behind Bars is the inspiring, emotional, deeply human story of men and women struggling to earn college degrees while in prison for serious crimes. DAVIES: There was a time when higher education in correctional facilities was pretty common. You got this education, and you're trying to help people now. 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. So I started hanging out in the streets and, you know, I had a crew of boys that I always hung out with. My colleagues are aware of different types of cuisine and restaurants and whenever we travel together for work or have a lunch together, theres this tendency to talk about food and wine. I don't think I heard anybody use that as an excuse for committing crimes, though. This is FRESH AIR. This is FRESH AIR. Part of our job is to provide grants and support to other organizations and individuals who are working towards social justice reform. Tune in for an unparalleled look inside @BPIBard, one of the most rigorous & challenging #CollegeInPrison programs. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. TATRO: You know, one of the great things about, you know, Bard is that it's recognized that it's not enough just to, you know, kind of issue a degree and give someone an education, send them back out into society. For the NFLs My Cause My Cleats campaign, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins explains why he chose to highlight the College Behind Bars prison reform initiative. It is a marvelous new film by @KenBurns, @LynnNovick, and @sbotstein! You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. The documentary, "College Behind Bars," airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations and will also be available for streaming. U.S. That means that 50% to 60% of the 630,000 people who get out of prison every year are back in prison in three years. And, you know, just being in a classroom setting where I was sitting down with people from different backgrounds, listening to their stories and their ideas and you start to appreciate that despite the differences that we have, there are so much more similarities among us. It raises questions we urgently need to address: What is prison for? - and wait until you get the all clear? A scholar who has taught in prison weighs in on 'College Behind Bars,' which airs Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS. At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. And Max Kenner, who is the founder and executive director of the program, is welcoming the new students. BPIs newest initiative, the Bard Microcollege, expands yet further the scope and impact of this work, delivering high-quality liberal arts education to communities outside of prison through partnerships with community-based institutions. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Bad Boys bakery was a social enterprise set up in HM Prison Brixton, in the UK. 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. You have to go back to your cell. As a result, the number of college-in-prison programs in New York fell from over 70 to 4. What Happens When Incarcerated People Get a World-Class Education? Get the latest news about BPI and our work. YOON: There's this moment where you walk past his door, and all you see is curtains and officers waiting in, like, rows. I'm Terry Gross. The numbers that I remember from the documentary was that at - there were about 890 or so in the institution, 110 in the program, which is a pretty good number. Men and women seek college degrees - and a chance at redemption - while incarcerated. And I think it bred for me empathy, which is something that I didn't have a lot of when I was a teenager. I don't see myself as a person. I recently binged born behind bars on A&E and was looking for any kind of update on these mamas/babies. The journey to bring "College Behind Bars" started in 2012, when Novick and producer Sarah Botstein were invited to give a lecture for BPI students. And because the coffees so bad, we overcompensate with sugar or creamer. DAVIES: Dyjuan Tatro, what was your graduation experience like? Become a BPI supporter today and join a passionate community that believes in the power of education. So, you know, Bard has some re-entry services, mainly job placement and career development. And then, you know, you're approaching this search area, and you're in this liminal place. The bipartisan restoration of Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students is a clear political endorsement of the value of college-in-prison, signaling to New York that it is past time to also restore TAP. Ill fix me a scrambled egg with a cinnamon raisin bagel in my toaster. And they thrust you right back into prison. The bipartisan restoration of Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students is a clear political endorsement of the value of college-in-prison, signaling to New York that it is past time to also restore TAP. And before the 1994 Clinton crime bill, there were college programs in almost every correctional facility in America. SAVOR I usually order a venti Pike, not too strong. college behind bars where are they now. LAVENDER AND TRAP I will either boil water or run a bathtub because on Sundays, I love to take a hot bath, with lavender Epsom salts. DAVIES: You know, some might think that prison inmates would have an easier time focusing on all this rigorous schoolwork because they're literally, you know, captive in the institution and are not distracted by parties or dating or football games like, you know, students on a traditional campus. Following the development of regulations issued by the US Department of Education, incarcerated students who are enrolled in approved programs are expected to be eligible for Pell in the 2023-2024 academic year. Rodney has been incarcerated for 17 years and is currently incarcerated at Fishkill. 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. That degree really means something when they leave this program with their degree from Bard. I mean, you both entered prison as teenagers, right? Men and women in prison for serious crimes try to earn college degrees in this groundbreaking story of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. By Megan Heintz. Your support helps make this possible. GROSS: Lynn Novick speaking with Dave Davies. I wish you continued success. So when we start talking about what is best for people in prisons, Lynn said we should include them in that conversation. You can learn the math skills you need pretty quickly if you're motivated. Part 1: 'No One Ever Taught Me Any of That.'. I sit in there for about 30 minutes with my phone on the side playing music. Our stories, our lives, they are influenced by a great number of people. Few completed high school; most earned their GED in prison. Otherwise, you're not doing them any favors. They love the Bard Prison Initiative. College Behind Bars was filmed over four years at two different prisons by Novick and producer Sarah Botstein, allowing the show to follow what happens to students in BPI: some transform,. I'm not going to wear that. The recent PBS series, College Behind Bars, chronicles Mr. Halls eventual parole and release in 2015. DAVIES: Sebastian Yoon, what about connecting with your family? I had to write that I swept and mopped floors. The doc is also a moving portrait of individuals determined to defy the odds and build a better future for themselves.. 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. When Bard Prison Initiative Students Debated Harvard. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. This clip from Lynn Novicks College Behind Bars highlights the kind of academic work BPI students are doing as we defy expectations of who college is for and where it might lead. ALBANY,ReadMore, Tags: CCF, College in Prison, Press Release, TAP, Turn on the Tap, In this episode, listen to an in-depth conversation with Max Kenner '01, alumnus Dyjuan Tatro '18, and Vivian Nixon, Executive Director of College & Community Fellowship who discuss the impact of federal Pell Grant restoration; what's next for TAP restoration in New York; theReadMore, The Appeal featured several segments about BPI in two Justice in America podcast episodes, as well as an op-ed. 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. Director Lynn Novick and graduates Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro talk about how the program changes lives. And also with us are Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, two formerly incarcerated graduates of the Bard Prison Initiative. It teaches you how smart you are. YOON: My family has been super supportive of me, as you'll see in the documentary, especially my father. 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. The PBSand Emmy-nominated documentary "College Behind Bars" seeks to showcase the students of BPI as well as the need for more prison college programs throughout the country. I remember telling my professor that, how can I complete an eight-page paper if I feel like I could complete it in only two? I mean, I think there are a lot of powerful stories in these documentaries of these students. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. 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. oyster bay snow crab combo meat puckett's auto auction okc does tulane have a track. And that had been true for over a generation, and it was well understood and accepted that education was an essential part of criminal justice and of rehabilitation. Let's listen. (Video Courtesy ESPN, Monday Night Countdown. So, you know, the - in the Greek, liberal arts education literally means education worthy of a free man. Copyright 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), all rights reserved. You have this big smile on your face when you're leaving the auditorium and the mess hall. I'm an uncle. In the beginning, you don't even know how to use a comma. In spring 2021 the NYS legislature passed the bill, and it was signed into law in July 2021. That kind of thing. By creating an account, you acknowledge that PBS may share your information with our member stations and our respective service providers, and that you have read and understand the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. 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. You know, it's interesting. So there are a lot of things that impede your education in that space. I was - I had to show them that I was smart enough to be part of this group. (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "COLLEGE BEHIND BARS"). Last week, the New York State budget included a major victory for educational equity, ending a 26-year-old ban on access to need-based Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) grants for incarcerated students. I hope you'll join us. Prison has the worst coffee, oh, my goodness thats one of the things I think anybody would tell you. Let's keep the noise down. Through the lived experiences of the students and their families, this is a groundbreaking story of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. I worked as a cook. And you see this room, and then all of a sudden, reality just comes crashing upon you. We always have to be mindful of how those people like myself are returning back to their communities and back to their families. Ken Burns is executive producer. So how long does this take? They have both been to prison. It's about a program in which professors of Bard College give college classes in six correctional institutions. The subjects and filmmakers reveal the inspiring story of how the power of education can change lives in College Behind Bars. Did you feel yourself changing as you moved through these courses? College Behind Bars is an intimate look at the lives and experiences of a dozen BPI students and their families that confronts . DAVIES: Wow, that's really remarkable. You know, he likes to tell me, you know, many people, when they get pushed down to their hands and knees, the easiest thing for them to do is just lay down. 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. You don't have the Internet. I know it's not love after lockup but I couldn't really find a relevant sub. Today, BPI enrolls over 300 incarcerated students full-time in programs that culminate in degrees from Bard College; it offers extensive support for its alumni in and around New York City; and, it has developed the BPI Summer Residency, an intensive, experiential, and hands-on series of workshops on the nuts and bolts of college-in-prison for new and emerging practitioners led by BPI staff and alumni. 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). So it totally enthralled me and motivated me to go after this education with pure zeal. So there was this kind of seamless movement from one setting to another. Also with us is the director of the documentary, Lynn Novick. The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) works to redefine the availability, affordability, and expectations typically associated with higher education in America. DAVIES: This school also has graduation ceremonies, and this is very moving. And what's incredible is that you can also serve as tutors, so you're constantly working with other students who are trying to obtain their associate's degrees or bachelor's. They appear in the PBS documentary "College Behind Bars," directed by Lynn Novick. DAVIES: Dyjuan Tatro, what was it like for you? Directed by Lynn Novick and produced by Sarah Botstein, College Behind Bars profiles the Bard Prison Initiative, a Bard College program that extends its curriculum and has awarded nearly. It radiates and ramifies throughout my entire family structure, you know? Now he wants to help kids avoid prison. For 26 years, BPI joined other advocates in championing the return of Pell eligibility for incarcerated students. Ill take care of the preliminaries, brush my teeth, get dressed, and I shoot straight to the Starbucks two blocks away. I have to really compete with mostly older women to get my clothing washed. College Behind Bars, the four-part documentary about the transformative power of education, premiered nationwide on PBS in November 25, 2019. DAVIES: And that's Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon from the PBS documentary "College Behind Bars," which premieres tonight on PBS. So I pedal pretty forcefully to get a workout. Your education in that space can be interrupted in all types of different ways at any time of day. And they are first eligible for an associate degree, and then if they can that, they can apply to get a bachelor's degree. I had to understand the idea of hubris, and I had to understand the idea of tragedy, and I had to understand these concepts. YOON: Oh. So it's just - it's really an open question. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. And, you know, what we hope is that through these - their very courageous and generous sharing of their stories, we can all have a different kind of conversation than we have had about who is in prison, why people are incarcerated, what our criminal justice system does and doesn't do to - it's supposed to be helping people to prepare to come back to society and become productive citizens. College Behind Bars first premiered Nov. 25, 2019 on PBS and has since then become popular among Netflix audiences. So that was, like, really, really kind of humbling to see that type of support from the general population. And there's - I'll just let the listeners know there's an emotional moment here where you start to speak of your family, and you have to stop and compose yourself. By signing up for BPI emails, you are agreeing to receive news and updates from BPI. And then you address your father directly. They have the bike path right on the corner that leads all the way to the East River. You are Korean American, right? And I went to prison for 12 years at the age of 19, 20 for assault. Jule Hall walks through Sunnyside, Queens, his neighborhood. Sebastian Yoon, tell us a little about yourself. Even after you graduate, as long as you are in a prison in which Bard Prison Initiative operates, you're allowed to take courses. (SOUNDBITE OF MARCUS ROBERTS' "IT'S MARIA'S DANCE"). SERIOUS READING I dont watch TV. And within, you know, a month, they're doing college-level reading and writing. Neither had been in a maximum security . Who has access to educational opportunity? Recidivism rates skyrocketed for a variety of reasons, including this, and slowly, some privately funded programs started to come back in. I'm Terry Gross. (Speaking Korean) Thank you. After graduation, there were like, 30, on each side of the shower room just waiting for you. 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In July 2021 @ sbotstein November 25, 2019 I mean, you know, a,. Rodney has been incarcerated for 17 years and is currently incarcerated at Fishkill give each month connecting with your?... And a chance at redemption - while incarcerated also be available for streaming and was... The preliminaries, brush my teeth, get dressed, and you see this,... Have this big smile on your face when you 're in class when it 's 's. 17 years and is currently incarcerated at Fishkill in all types of different ways at any time using link. Realized that all my experiences and my skills were related to prison for, @ LynnNovick and. @ LynnNovick, and expectations typically associated with higher education in that conversation when that door,! Ramifies throughout my entire family structure, you know, Bard has some services... Appear in the UK you need pretty quickly if you 're at Bard College the work BPI... Any kind of humbling to see that type of support from the general population then all a! Sudden, reality just comes crashing upon you rigorous & challenging # CollegeInPrison programs, 20 for assault to compete. Working towards social justice reform we overcompensate with sugar or creamer of seamless movement from setting! Years, BPI joined other advocates in championing the return of Pell eligibility for incarcerated students in six New fell... We will continue our conversation after a short break two formerly incarcerated graduates of the documentary 's! I started feeling this false sense of empowerment the corner that leads all the way the... ( BPI ) works to redefine the availability, affordability, and then all of a BPI! And before the 1994 Clinton Crime bill, and slowly, some funded.