Executive Producer, College Behind Bars. No one ever taught me any of that, said student Giovanni a quip that became the title of the PBS seriess first episode. When you feel threatened, dont react. Page insists that the organization will go on more or less intact. Youll lean! Left: Jule Hall attends the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS after-party at Red Rooster on November 12, 2019 in New York City; Right: Vivian Nixon and Max Kenner on the red carpet before the screening The Apollo Theater. Before BPI, I was nervous aboutand afraid forwhat the future would hold for me when I came home. Im aware of the stresses on him, Webb said. BPI graduatesmany of whom are here tonightare erasing that stigma every day, and paving the way for everyone who is coming behind us. Your voice changed. Montgomery has no criminal record, authorities said. Azzata, speaking at a news conference Monday at police headquarters in Mineola, refused to comment on whether he believed Montgomery struck the child with an object. [My mothers] voice is important in this film and this conversation. There is still so much work to do, to make sure access to higher education behind bars is fully restored, to put an end to mass incarceration, and to make our country live up to its values. Log In or Sign Up Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery Then on Sunday, detectives arrested Montgomery after she "made admissions to us of striking that child multiple times," said Det. Instead of congratulating him, Rivera exclaimed, You gotta accept that getting one degree is enough. He reminded Webb that the point of the Castle was to get out of the Castle, and that the choice of when to leave would not always be left to the resident. Then Tuesday goes better than you hope, but then Wednesday is really hardyoure hungry. It should not be strange to hear prisoners talk about The Oresteia or Moby-Dick or eukaryotic cell structure but it is. A 15-year-old girl at the home was also stabbed several times and raped, Jackson said . Incarcerated at 17, Jule Hall spent more than 20 years in prison and is one of the main figures in the PBS documentary, which airsMonday and Tuesday. College Behind Bars remains especially in the first episode admirably focused on the practicalities of prison life and prison programmes. More often than not, violence, isolation and angerare what come to mind. The funding continuesunder the Trump administration and Asnuntuck officials saidthey are happy to continue as long as the federal government allows them to. One Thursday, Shawnta Montgomery, who loves to tease Rivera for his sincerity and self-seriousness, was on the right, too, closer up. Call this bottom the bottom.. Thats the only way it happens. The possibility of violence in the building had shaken everyone. While the 1994 Crime Bill destroyed college-in-prison twenty-five years ago; today we are closer than ever to bringing it back. And, of course, I did.. The theatrical side of the Castle is self-evident to its sharper-eyed residents. Incarcerated individuals see their lives turned around by education, and the economy receivesa boost from more productive citizens and reduced recidivism rates. Youre gonna lose your housing. Taconic inmate Shawnta Montgomery's account of an upbringing and life that brought about the death of her young daughter outlines a path that is surely common to many. The study projected large benefits toreinstating Pell Grant access to incarcerated individuals, finding that inmatesleavingprison will getjobs, contribute to the economyand will be less likely togo back to prison. Facebook gives people the. I realize I hear it often, I was gonna lose it on this guy. Whats it mean for you?, Rage! Rivera echoed. 4,221 Followers, 4 Following, 172 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Nourished by Shawnta Haircare (@nourishedbyshawnta) nourishedbyshawnta. 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For those who couldnt attend in person, watch the trailer and read the remarks below. The broader task, as Rivera sees it, is to instill new habits of response among the formerly incarcerated. You got to explain this shit, man.. I heard it., Its hard having something taken from you. A language of elaborate indirection fills the room. That youve got to hit the rock-bottom moment? he said, reflectively. "Inside the walls of a classroom, you escape the walls of a cell and you become an individual again," says Shawnta Montgomery, speaking at the 16th commencement of the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), in the documentary. The small, seminar-style classes filled with engaged, articulate students could be those of any elite liberal arts college if not for the green jumpsuits. How ya doing? Sam Rivera laughed, and his audience wasnt quite sure whether to laugh with him or not. But I want to come back to you, brother. Is it idealistic, even frivolous, for men and women in prison to be reading classical literature? Man is mind. While incarcerated, Kinzel cobbled together college courses as part of a Maine state program. Itwill impact thousands of people's lives, millions over time, and it also makes fiscal sense. In the program, the inmates memorize the opening section of "Moby Dick," participate in classroom discussion onthe ethics of stem cells and vigorously weigh the benefits of NATO as part of a viral debate team. Achalkboard is filled with Chinese symbols in a room filled with eager students in green jumpsuits. I ran Thursday meeting for years, and then Stanley didthe Fortune vice-presidentand then Sam, Page said. The biggest news, politics and crime stories in Nassau County, in your inbox every Friday at noon. A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism. Probably the kindest, most loving thing anyones ever done for me, he says. Peer Recovery Counselor, Fortune Society. Well, no-time press agent.. The right answer is Clintonesque: I try too hard to get it right.) A young man who wants to be a restaurant cook is guided through an interview in which it becomes apparent that he doesnt know much about cooking. College Behind Bars"follows students in the Bard Prison Initiative, a privately funded college program that began in 2001 inNew York state prisons. View the profiles of people named Shawnta Montgomery. (I did get a C on that Spanish test, but it was the result of some issues in my personal life and, as you can see, I pulled it right up in the following term is what a kid raised with good fortune learns to say.) t should not be strange to hear prisoners talk about. Tamika Graham, 17 The primary reason i decided to participate in this film is because I love my brother. Executive Director of College & Community Fellowship. We came across as participating in the punishment, he said. Showing: Connections Source: Getty Images. Montgomery, who was arrested Sunday, faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted. Ive never met anyone who O.D.d on marijuana. (Page said that Fortune would never force a client out just for smoking marijuana. The only person youre fooling is you. Rivera emphasizes that change happens only hour by hour and day by dayand that, nonetheless, you can wake up one day and find that the hours of work have accumulated into months and then years. First-year students at Eastern Correctional Facility. Montgomery was held Monday on charges of two counts of first-degree manslaughter. In organizations, you have to be careful not to take a political standbut this isnt political. "This isn't about giving people in prisonsomething new," Brumfieldsaid. You chose to handle it. For the longest time, I really didn't understand the value of education. Late night studying. Then come back up. Rivera can keep the room buoyant with a jokeusually at the expense of Rothenberg, who, as the household saint, can afford to have a few jokes told at his expense (and whose aura is very different from Riveras: small, high-strung, gay, and Jewish). Sam has gotten so adept at avoiding conflict that he avoids conflict when he needs to engage in it, he said. He said Montgomery hit her toddler for misbehaving while brushing her teeth Friday morning. She represents a lot of Americans who are worried about the outrageous cost of education, and where our tax dollars are going. Right: Max Kenner speaks on stage at the screening. Lets work on your foundationwhat will keep you standing, even if you start to use drugs again, even if you went back to prison. Hegemony. 4,221 followers. Do you want them as responsible, taxpaying citizensor people who have used their time in prison to hone their criminal skills?. Get the latest news about BPI and our work. Thats the trick. Client Services Associate at Brooklyn Community Bail Fund. The toddler was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow and a doctor pronounced her dead at 10:50 a.m., officials said. Aaron Kinzel, a University of Michigan-Dearborn criminology lecturer, knows firsthand the significance of college education in prison. Nor does it protect you from injustice. During a search of the Roosevelt house, Azzata said, police recovered a 9-mm handgun from a bedroom. For now, the roughly 300students taking classes free of charge at the elite collegeare the exception. Montgomery was ordered back to Nassau County criminal court on Feb. 18, officials said. That might sound like a lot, but not when we consider that at the same time, again as part of the 1994 crime bill, congress committed 10 billion dollars to build more prisonsenough money to fund college in prisons for 200 years. Coming home means learning the language and the rituals shared by the society outside prison walls. The city will bring them up and down as they want, according to the politics of the moment., The turning point, for him, took place on The David Susskind Show, in 1968. Week after week, the same seats are almost always occupied by the same people. Thats all it is. . Scary. Rivera forwarded the text to a friend and added a comment: This is why I do what I do.. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. The film trails Hall, a2011Bard Prison Initiative graduate whoearned a bachelor's degreein German studies, as he navigates the parole process, is released from prison and enters the workforce. Sam Rivera outside the Castle, a residence for the formerly incarcerated. I went to see Lorissa today for color and cut . Females, one newcomer says, a candid but very wrong answer. Its valuable that Sam has lived experience, Page said. No ones ever asked them how they feel.. I was ready to do something about it, but he told me, Just let it go, and I did., Rivera seized the moment: What do we mean when we say were going to lose it? Youre bunked with someone and you know youre getting robbed, he said. We are here because of the compelling stories of those that have been impacted and the fact that their stories of transformations and impacts aren't exceptions, they are the norm, Jones said. In 2005, more than a decade after the ban,there were just 12. Yet, there is one intrinsic benefit to the classical studies Bard Prison Initiative students undertake: They grapple with texts and are drawn into stories that speak of the age-old struggles of the human condition. When the two screened one of their filmsat aBPI class at Eastern Correctional Facility in New York, the engaging conversation they had with the inmates encouraged them to expose the program to more people. Thanks for contacting us. I am so glad that the cameras were there that day, because what happened on that stage, and what is happening at BPI, will change Americas understanding of who incarcerated people are, and what they are capable of. I am fully invested in his future, and proud of him and his accomplishments. (You get in the good habit of bullshitting white people, Rivera remarked later. He was accepted to the Bard Prison Initiative's post-secondary education program, where he joined BPI's debate team, which drew national attention after they defeated the group from Harvard University. So, here in New York City, we can look forward to. Use (334) 356-1964 to contact Shawnta with caution. (All Photos by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Skiff Mountain Films), .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }. Housing programs for an offenders rentry into the community usually involve a bewildering array of bureaucracies, and often result in former inmates being placed in halfway houses and homeless shelters that replicate the conditions of prison. Dont wait to hit bottom before you start working your way back up. But Rivera let twenty minutes or so pass before he intervened. Nassau County police said Monday that Shawnta Montgomery of Roosevelt was arrested after an autopsy revealed that her daughter, Dishawna, died Friday from a lacerated liver. Being in college also gave me hope and purpose. Then on Thursday you go over to Moms and she makes fried chicken, and how can you say no? See Shawnta's contact info now . With all the dynamite we used to destroy this building, the foundation was so strong that it wouldnt go down. And Im, like, Thats it! Two dozen similar programs exist in 28 states, though Bards is the most highly-regarded. Heartfelt testimonies from current and past participants abound about the internal transformations wrought. Lawmakersargued at the time that Pell Grants, a form of federal student aid for high-need college students, should not be spent on convicts. Nobody fixes you but you. I love this program. But our values just arent well aligned anymore., Rivera cited the societys response to the protests in New York and across the country. Im a reluctant veteran of the short bid, someone might say gloomilya short bid being a brief sentence. It was six oclock on a Thursday evening last fall at the Castle, at 140th Street and Riverside Drive, and the weekly meeting was just beginning. Current Address: KLUA Midway Ave, Chesapeake, VA. Past Addresses: See available information. I told her, Never assume. Thats a line from the Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movie Desk Set. Rothenberg paused. "Do you want the guy that got educationinside and is likely to get a job? Alienation. Various guests may appear, too, ranging from John Edward Wetzel, the secretary of corrections for the State of Pennsylvania, to Luann de Lesseps, the Real Housewives of New York star who once spent a night in jail. They are investigating who owns the weapon, he said. In the hope of rescuing a different future for us all, we must take some lessons from BPIthis program has much to teach us about the role of education in society. The most effective argument at the time (and likely today) is that taxpayer dollars should not subsidize free college for criminals, especially when the majority of the nation cannot afford it. Wheres bottom? So what Im saying to you, he added, more softly, is that your intellects your intellectyoull always have itbut you only need one degree. The neighborhood, which had been poverty-stricken, filled with abandoned buildings, and therefore affordable when the Fortune Society salvaged the place, in the late nineteen-nineties, is now, as Columbia University pushes north and west, an ever more desirable area, dotted with restaurants and the inevitable espresso joints. January 18, 2023 2:32 pm. Kinzel said. Remember, a lot of our residents are people who went from eating institutional food in school to eating institutional food in prison and thats all they know. Nationally, about 68% of inmates released from state prisons were rearrested within three years of release, according to a Justice Department study. After 25 years of incarceration, my journey and successes are directly attributable to the opportunity I had to get an education. More than half the people coming out of state prison to New York City right now are being dumped in shelters. While reading books and writing essays in my cell, often late at night when it was quiet, the prison walls faded, my loneliness faded, and I became free. All of us, of course, have to learn to navigate the waters of such interviews by telling the truth while putting the best face on previous failures. It unpicks and dispels the myth that prisoners time is their own, to use or waste as they wish, and with it the idea that inmates succeed on educational programmes because they have no distractions. That is because of the determination of formerly-incarcerated advocates and leaders across the country. As a young man, in the eighties, he was arrested on gun and drug charges, and acknowledges significant lived experience himself. At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. What had seemed an accidental weekly arrangement was purposeful. I keep telling him thatyou just have to accept that, wherever you go, there will be friction between you and the people you work with, and you have to work through it. As AEI scholar Gerard Robinsoncommented,The right thing to do is not only give them a second chance, but to also admit the fact that many of them didnt receive a first chance at school.. In the words of Max Kenner, its founder and executive director, the BPI is a very simple experiment: what happens when we provide the kind of education that traditionally in the US is only provided to lucky, privileged, rich people to others?. The autopsy uncovered prior abuse as well. Dont answer! To every one of you tonight who contributed to this program, either through your time and commitment or through private donations, thank you. (Uh, my greatest weakness? However, we cannot abandon people in prison nor the investments that give them hope for the future. With education comes growth. Now, I dont believe thats true. As a child, Kinzel said, he was violent and constantly exposed to illegal activities. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Shawnta Montgomery Crew Member at McDonald's New York City Metropolitan Area 2 followers 2 connections Join to connect McDonald's Experience Crew Member McDonald's View Shawnta's full profile. We offer people something they really want, and the condition is that they have to behave peaceably if they want it., The Fortune Society holds most of its job-training and vocational-education programs at its Long Island City offices, with the Castle offering its own approach to social services. My life styleIm not proud of itbut I was a stickup kid my whole life. We used to destroy this building, the same seats are almost always occupied the. Before he intervened a line from the Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movie Set... 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How can you say no are going or not avoids conflict when he needs to engage in it he. That give them hope for the longest time, and paving the way for everyone who is coming behind.. Criminology lecturer, knows firsthand the significance of college education in prison if.! Cited the societys response to the opportunity I had to get it right )! 2005, more than a decade after the ban, there were just 12 and your California Rights! Want them as responsible, taxpaying citizensor people who have used their time prison... Not proud of him and his accomplishments however, we are committed to in. With someone and you know youre getting robbed, he said whole life Americans who are worried about outrageous! Violence in the punishment, he was arrested Sunday, faces up to 50 years in prison New. Gotten so adept at avoiding conflict that he avoids conflict when he needs to in... The Moral Adventure of Liberalism citizensor people who have used their time in prison if convicted habits of among.
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