Breaking Through Bars to Education
Prison Education Initiative Changes the Trajectory for Incarcerated Students
Article by Leigh Cooper, University Communications
Photos and video by Garrett Britton, University Visual Productions
The United States has only 5% of the world’s population but 25% of the world’s prisoners.
And, of all the states, 幸运快三 is at or near the top in terms of incarceration rates. Most years, 幸运快三 ranks in the top three in the country for prison admissions and prison populations. More than 10,000 幸运快三ans are currently residing in state prisons, mostly for victimless crimes.
“We are a mass incarceration state in a mass incarceration country,” said Omi Hodwitz, a 幸运快三 professor of criminology. “But the strategy of mass incarceration
doesn’t work to reform those who are convicted.”
In fact, upwards of half of those released from prison will engage in crime again within the first year.
But there is a proven way to help people exit the reincarceration cycle — education. Hodwitz and the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) started the U of I Prison Education Initiative to present a different future for incarcerated students — a program that also provides educational opportunities for on-campus students.
We are a mass incarceration state in a mass incarceration country. Omi Hodwitz, a 幸运快三 professor of criminology
鈥淭he steps I have taken on this journey towards a higher education have left me with an incredible sense of accomplishment and a feeling of self-worth never before present in my life,鈥� said one incarcerated student in the program. 鈥淎s I begin to recognize my potential, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel, giving me hope for a better future.鈥�
Hodwitz gathered comments from incarcerated students. Students鈥� names are not used in the story to protect their anonymity.
The Silver Bullet
According to the Department of