February 9, 2013
Bard College in Annandale-on-the-Hudson (N.Y.)
Bard Prison Initiative to Hold Largest Commencement in Its History on January 26 at Eastern NY Correctional Facility
Founded in 1999, the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) provides incarcerated men and women in five New York State prisons the opportunity to earn a Bard College degree while serving their sentences. The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) held its 10th commencement on January 26 at the Eastern NY Correctional Facility in Napanoch, New York. BPI awarded A.A. and B.A. degrees to 60 students, BPI’s largest graduating class. The students include 56 men and four women earning 47 A.A. degrees and 13 B.A. degrees in social studies, literature and the humanities, and mathematics
For more than 20 years, college-in-prison programs slashed rates of re-incarceration from 60 percent to less than 15 percent. They were the most cost-effective form of public correctional spending. Despite these facts, funding for prison colleges was eliminated in 1995, at the peak of the “tough-on-crime” frenzy in American electoral politics. BPI is one of only a handful of existing programs of its kind left in the United States. For a 12 minute video go to: http://vimeo.com/47115041
An invitation from Yasmine Lucas
Yasmine Lucas was introduced to Smart Justice Network by Brian McDonough of Montreal and now receives SJNC communiqué regularly. Yasmine a volunteer, formerly with the Bard Prison Initiative, now a teaching assistant / tutor in the West Bank College Al Quds (Palestine). She is now working on partnering up with a Montreal university to establish a B.A. granting educational program in a local correctional facility.
She writes SJNC:
My project is inspired by the Bard Prison Initiative, for which I volunteered as a Writing Tutor over three semesters. The Bard Prison Initiative is a unique and selective school that operates within a few New York State prisons. It seeks to rehabilitate, empower, and educate inmates through rigorous liberal arts classes leading to B.A. degrees. What’s more, the Initiative widens the scope of academia by integrating the voices and perspectives of marginalized people who know the ins and outs of problematic institutions. From my experience tutoring in a men’s maximum-security prison, I can also say that prison is, perhaps surprisingly, a good environment for academic work: as prisoners’ schedules were regimented and afforded time for study, and as they had few prospects for the future while wanting to have their voices heard, most of the men I worked with were highly committed to their education and worked diligently.
I am wondering whether you, or perhaps someone you know, might also have some leads? I would really appreciate whatever help you can offer!
SJNC thought that the best we could do is to bring her to the attention of our distribution list and invite contact. You can reach Jasmine at yasmine.eve.lucas@gmail.com. If you are involved in any way with education of inmates she would much appreciate hearing about your work.