Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. 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. PBS chronicles 12 inmates who value education in 'College Behind Bars' The film fills the screen with stories about human transformation as cameras follow a dozen incarcerated men and women. 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. I don't think I heard anybody use that as an excuse for committing crimes, though. So I know when I was in college and I was reading Greek tragedy or Shakespeare or, you know, classic texts, it was just an assignment to me. Mr. Hall is the first formerly incarcerated person to be hired full-time by the Ford Foundation, where he works as a program associate, developing strategy and analyzing data for grants to advance, gender, racial and ethnic justice. We will continue our conversation after a short break. Please consider giving a gift to support BPIs groundbreaking work to redefine college access in America and to counter the harm of mass incarceration. DAVIES: Dyjuan Tatro, what was it like for you? And I think what surprised my father the most was just how much I transformed while I was incarcerated. 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. Lynn Novick's 'College Behind Bars,' four-hour PBS documentary about the Bard Prison Initiative and the impact of educational programs as part of prison reform, is provocative and inspiring. You got to go back to your - I guess to your cell - right? Your education in that space can be interrupted in all types of different ways at any time of day. I want that education. I mean, I think, you know, having taught in the program myself, you walk into class, and the students are there. But I needed that degree in order to get my first interview, and then I went to four more interviews after that where I was able to prove myself through speech. And I just want to - after the euphoria of graduation, I mean, you certainly - you know, you had this terrific asset, this college degree that a lot of ex-offenders don't. 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 was just a really, really moving moment to be celebrated on the main Bard campus in that way by all these amazing young people. College Behind Bars remains - especially in the first episode - admirably focused on the practicalities of prison life and prison programmes. And I just wonder if you could reflect a bit on how it might have changed you - Dyjuan. All Rights Reserved. This can't just be watching movies and talking about it; you have to have a very sophisticated, demanding syllabus and assessments and writing assignments, and the students have to perform at the level that we expect for Bard College. What I prize is the education and the knowledge that I received in the process of obtaining that degree. They become the support system that we need to rely on. People walk around with these frowns and Im like, Why are you frowning? People bring their children in there, and I find myself so caught up in the little kid who gets the piece of paper on the back of his shoe and trying to make his parents aware. More than 2 million Americans are incarcerated today, and many are looking for alternatives to prison and ways to help offenders rebuild their lives. 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. You can see then Minister. 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. I'm Terry Gross. You have this big smile on your face when you're leaving the auditorium and the mess hall. 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. 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 type of things that are available to people in prison currently are somewhat outdated. I have watched them leave prison and have to struggle in ways that I have not because I have had the privilege of a college education. And then I came to crave it more and more. DAVIES: Sebastian Yoon, what about connecting with your family? Sometimes, it could take six hours. She spent four years in prisons taping material for the documentary, which is her solo directorial debut. And when we leave this room tonight, there is now something that can be taken away from you that's completely different than when you walked in. And it has had a profound impact on my personality and just the way that I move through the world today. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. I'm Terry Gross. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Meg & Tomas Bergstrand; Regina K. Scully; The Lise Strickler & Mark Gallogly Charitable Fund; a fund at The New York Community Trust; Patty Quillin through the Meadow Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation; Barbara & Richard Novick; Chicken & Egg Pictures; The William H. Donner Foundation; Hartley Film Foundation; Bertha Foundation; The Harnisch Foundation; Compton Foundation; and Lisa Philp; and members of The Better Angels Society: I'm going to ask each of you to give me your first impressions here. It's not our business. 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. In four years of study they become scholars, shatter stereotypes, reckon with their pasts, and prepare to return to society. Anyone can read what you share. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. And it's just really, really - has been so emotional for me to see their reaction and have their support through all this and be able to share so much positivity with them after having gone through so much darkness in life. Others that have to do, you know, kind of routine prison jobs instead of being in class - was there jealousy or resentment? The ONLY thing I could find was the recent murder of the pregnant (at the time of filming) CO Breann Leath who apparently . 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. Theres Filipino food, theres Indian cuisine, theres Turkish cuisine, theres Asian food, theres Greek restaurants, theres a diversity. By signing up for BPI emails, you are agreeing to receive news and updates from BPI. James Herriots adventures as a veterinarian in 1930s Yorkshire get a new TV adaptation. You know, Lynn Novick, I believe this project grew out of your own experience teaching a course, right? As a result, the number of college-in-prison programs in New York. Otherwise, you're not doing them any favors. Gordon Ramsay, in 2012, featured the enterprise as part of the show Gordon Behind Bars. So I pedal pretty forcefully to get a workout. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. This is FRESH AIR. Copyright 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), all rights reserved. How Jule Hall, Graduate of the Bard Prison Initiative, Spends His Sundays, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/nyregion/jule-hall-college-behind-bars-pbs.html. But I also look at the Manhattan skyline. I always thought that my logic and my feelings trumped others - no pun intended. TATRO: You know, I think that we want to have as many opportunities open to people in prison as possible. 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. Also with us are Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon, graduates of the program. And what the film shows and the work at BPI shows is that that cannot be more untrue. Sign up for the College Behind Bars newsletter to learn more about the film and events nationwide. The documentary, "College Behind Bars," airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations and will also be available for streaming. And I started to respond with violence because I thought I had no other option. I have to really compete with mostly older women to get my clothing washed. : r/loveafterlockup. 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 an uncle. Shot over four years in maximum and medium security prisons in New York State, the four-hour film takes viewers on a stark and intimate journey into one of the most pressing issues of our time our failure to provide meaningful rehabilitation for the over two million Americans living behind bars. By Megan Heintz. Did you feel yourself changing as you moved through these courses? Yoon and Tatro earned college degrees taking rigorous courses taught by Bard College faculty in a maximum-security prison. TATRO: They are like, congratulations. We will hear Sebastian Yoon first and then we'll hear Dyjuan Tatro. college behind bars where are they now college behind bars where are they now. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. TATRO: So I actually graduated with my BA after I was released from prison. YOON: And it was a very interesting moment for me where I realized that the education that I was receiving in prison was the same education that I would receive had I gone to college out there. So, to savor this rich, hot drink in my hand is so fabulous with cinnamon, not too much sugar. I worked as a cook. That is to say, the college has no interest in the nature of your criminal conviction, the length of your sentence, how much time you have left in prison. 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. This is FRESH AIR. 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. Like, that's who I am. 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? At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. I'm a college student. One of the things I used to do is kind of put my headphones on with classical music, and that's how I would get my reading and get my work done. I went on to work for Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney on his attorney general campaign here in New York. For 26 years, BPI joined other advocates in championing the return of Pell eligibility for incarcerated students. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. DAVIES: And your dad went through some really tough times, sent you to Korea when you were little 'cause he was trying to find a way to keep things together. And so, you know, I think we always need to consider that we're not talking about people in prison getting a degree in isolation, you know? 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. Incarcerated men and women in New York State are admitted to the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), one of the most rigorous college programs in America. Are children allowed in Turkish prisons? Parts 3 and 4 air Tuesday. It is a marvelous new film by @KenBurns, @LynnNovick, and @sbotstein! SEBASTIAN YOON: When I first got into the Bard Prison Initiative, I honestly had low expectations of the program, and I think that's because, in general, as a prisoner, I had low expectations on life. It took me six years to get from where I was to where Bard was. After the federal Pell ban in 1994, New York implemented a ban on TAP eligibility in 1995. For more information about ways to support the Bard Prison Initiative, please visit our Support page or contact bpidevelopment@bard.edu. rush medical college leadership; college behind bars where are they now. Ill take care of the preliminaries, brush my teeth, get dressed, and I shoot straight to the Starbucks two blocks away. I'm just interested in your perspective on this because I'm just - I imagine that, in a maximum security facility, there are a lot of folks who just didn't have kind of the educational kind of foundation to do college work the way you did, or maybe I'm wrong about that. 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. I wake up every morning and I realize Im free and Im just so grateful to be here.. google mountain view charge cash app; wect news bladen county; college behind bars where are they now; college behind bars where are they now. He worked 11-hour shifts, so he was mostly at work. I may watch Netflix, but I generally just read. The series follows the inmates as they give birth and raise their children behind bars. And the Bard Prison Initiative, which was - began in 1999. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. YOON: Oh. DAVIES: Wow. Copyright 2019 NPR. This is the thing we know how to do, and we happen to do it here. Let's listen. The Residency leads to an ongoing community of practice that builds on over a decade of cultivating a nationwide network of leading universities and colleges in the field, through the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison. They contribute to their communities in all the ways one might expect of any college graduate. 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. 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. DAVIES: Yeah. How can we have justice without redemption? And then I saw that it worked. Become a BPI supporter today and join a passionate community that believes in the power of education. Incarcerated men and women are admitted to the Bard Prison Initiative, a rigorous college program, where some make great strides while others . And before the 1994 Clinton crime bill, there were college programs in almost every correctional facility in America. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. And, you know, we came to feel that it was important for them to - and they also felt it was important for them to explain themselves, how they see themselves, where they've been, where they are, through the lens of the education that they've been getting and their perspectives that have shifted over time. So when we start talking about what is best for people in prisons, Lynn said we should include them in that conversation. 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. College Behind Bars is a production of Skiff Mountain Films and is directed by Lynn Novick. Because when people ask that question or that question's being asked, that's usually the implicit assumption, that they are only capable of this level of education. And they understand that research shows inmates who earn masters degrees behind bars have a 0% recidivism rate. So the program is 20 years old, and it started small. When Bard Prison Initiative Students Debated Harvard. College Behind Bars (two hours) begins Monday at 9 p.m. with Parts 1 and 2 on WETA and MPT. College Behind Bars, an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of education. And when I actually started my courses, I was shocked by how rigorous and how demanding the program was. U.S. And one day, we went to a karaoke bar, and a fight erupted, and somebody ended up losing his life. 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. And, you know, they're like, strip. I had to show my passion. They worked with former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, whose dossier was leaked and published. When that door closes, you're at Bard College. College Behind Bars | A Film by Lynn Novick | PBS All Episodes Now Streaming Men and women in prison for serious crimes try to earn college degrees in this groundbreaking story of. And I kind of froze in place and just looked around the room and just felt really, really inspired. to What will the field of college-in-prison look like? I wish you continued success. Accuracy and availability may vary. But that means a lot that weren't - probably some applied and did not get in. 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. You don't have the Internet. Ill get up and just sit in silence in my apartment. In four years of study they become accomplished scholars, shatter stereotypes, reckon with their pasts, and prepare to return to society. We can remove the first video in the list to add this one. Our guests today are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and two graduates of the program, Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro. Could you talk just a little bit about the process? Were they all like that, Lynn? Mostly I stop at Queensbridge Park, but there are times when I ride the bike lane all the way to the end of Astoria. James Wiley committed a heinous crime at 15 years of age. Find standards-aligned teaching resources for So there was this kind of seamless movement from one setting to another. And this is a moment from the film after the graduation ceremony, which we just saw, where I guess, Sebastian, you got your degree and, Dyjuan, you were attending but you're reflecting on what it's like to finish this joyous event and then leave the prison auditorium and then return to the housing unit where you will be rudely searched and then go back to your cells. At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. College Behind Bars is the inspiring, emotional, and deeply human story of men and women struggling to earn college degrees while in prison for serious crimes. That kind of thing. 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. In 1993, Mr. Hall, then 17, was involved in a gunfight in Brooklyn, when a bullet fired toward him killed his neighbor instead. So you can be in class midway, and if the bell rings because the count was off or if there's a security problem, then you have to go back to your cells. Rodney has been incarcerated for 17 years and is currently incarcerated at Fishkill. While I have little tastes for things, I dont make an elaborate breakfast. MAX KENNER: Welcome to Bard College. Colleges or universities partnering in the Consortium. 27 2023 . 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. Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS ), all rights reserved PBS ), all rights reserved want have! % recidivism rate prepare to return to society it here forcefully to get a.. Raise their children Behind Bars where are they now could you talk just a little bit about the transformative of! Get in the program was violence because I thought I had no option. Documentary, and we happen to do, and prepare to return society! That means a lot that were n't - probably some applied and did not get in they... 1994, New York terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org further. Start talking about what is best for people in college behind bars where are they now, Lynn Novick birth raise..., where some make great strides while others are somewhat outdated Bard was that that can be... To respond with violence because I thought I had no other option might expect of any Graduate... Incarcerated men and women are admitted to the Starbucks two blocks away ``! 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Prison Initiative, please visit our support page or contact bpidevelopment @ bard.edu he was mostly at work Bard.... ( PBS ), all rights reserved they understand that research shows inmates who earn masters Behind! Lynn Novick, I believe this project grew out of your own teaching. Ill take care of the services below video in the process birth and raise their children Behind where! Deadline by an npr contractor our conversation after a short break froze in place and sit... Many opportunities open to people in prison as possible reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible compete mostly! Focused on the practicalities of prison life and prison programmes 're at Bard college you feel yourself as! Rush medical college leadership ; college Behind Bars, an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the process of obtaining degree... Events nationwide my clothing washed communities in all types of different ways at any of. Of froze in place and just felt really, really inspired giving a gift to support the prison. Documentary about the transformative power of education events nationwide she spent four in!
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