| Reflections Of Mentors
Visits With Simon
by Pat Rogers
"How does one go about tutoring when no pencils or paper are allowed in
the visiting area? What could we possibly talk about other than the
course material since we essentially come from different worlds?" Read on
From Visitor to Activist
by Patricia Muldoon
"Visiting prison has radicalized and outraged me.
What happens to prisoners and to our society when they are released
after their minds and spirits are broken from the abuse they suffer in
prison?"
Read more
A Prisoner Becomes My Dear Friend
by Karen Robertson
When I first heard Jeannette Hanlon speak about Partakers prisoner
college sponsorship program, College Beyond Bars, I found her talk
interesting and inspiring. However, I quickly dismissed the idea of
participating. Read more
A Partaker, a Placeholder for Justice, and a Dose of Sanity
by Juan Gonzales
I have been visiting two prisoners for the past year through the
Partakers prisoner college sponsorship program, College Beyond Bars. Read more
What Some Former Prisoner-Scholars Are Doing Now
Richard Marinick, once part of a South Boston armored-car robbery ring,
is now a tunnel worker on the Big Dig and an aspiring novelist.
Robert Heard, who served 13 years for manslaughter, runs a job training program for Pine Street Inn.
Joe Loya, a former bank robber, is now married and associate editor of Pacific News Service in San Francisco.
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The Facts:
-
In 1990, there were 350 college prison programs in the United States. Today there are a dozen; Massachusetts having one of the few remaining programs (the
Boston University Prison Education Program, with which Partakers
partners and sponsors more than half of the prisoners enrolled in the
program).
- An incarcerated person's chances of succeeding once
they leave prison increase exponentially if they have a college degree.
The average recidivism rate is 66%. For individuals with a four-year
degree, the recidivism rate is 1% to 11%.
- Educated prisoners often serve as teachers and tutors, examples, and role models.
- Of all crime prevention methods, higher education is the most cost effective.
- The educational achievements of a child are directly related to his parents' educational level."
College Behind Bars Is:
- MENTORING: Sponsoring teams serve as academic mentors to prisoners enrolled in the Boston University Prison Education Program. Mentors
support prisoners in reaching their goals for academic achievement and
personal and/or spiritual growth while they work toward completing
their college degree.
- CORRESPONDENCE COURSES: Partakers
offers prisoners with shorter sentences (at minimum security facilities
and pre-release centers) the opportunity to enroll in correspondence
courses to increase their potential for successful re-entry and for
continuing their education upon release.
- ENTRANCE EXAM PREPARATION: Boston
University requires prisoners to take an entrance exam to qualify for
participation in its "Bridge to College" program. Partakers
volunteers tutor prospective students to prepare them for the exam and
increase their chances of gaining admission to the program.
Consider becoming involved in one of the College Behind Bars programs.
For further information, contact: lannykutakoff@partakers.org
617 795-2725.
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Women Prisoners Speak
"We... believe in our ability to achieve, even in the face of political, legislative, economic and social obstacles.
We
too are women who have decided that we believe in ourselves and in our
worth as human beings, in spite of the fact that society has tried to
stigmatize and label us, and to tell us that we are not valuable to
them.
So,
like the other great women who went before us throughout this century,
we have actively determined to change the course of our lives, and in
so doing, we have begun to change the course of history for all women."
"We
understand the public's anger about crime and realize that prison is
first and foremost a punishment for crime. but we believe that when we
are able to work and earn a higher education degree while in prison, we
are empowered to truly pay our debts to society by working toward
repairing some of what has been broken...
It is for all these reasons, and in the name of hope and redemption, that we ask you to help us rebuild a college program."
Men Prisoners Speak
"What
was once a stagnating existence devoid of light is now enlightened by
the rays of hope inspired by Partakers, Inc. I still can't believe I've
been given this opportunity. I feel as though I have a purpose now, and
th I'm part of something worthy."
"I
was never given the chance to further my education, but Partakers has
changed all that. I still have a long way to go, but with the support
of the people at Partakers, I am sure that I will finish my studies."
Prisoner Students Speaking Continued
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