I was a lonely kid. And that's - Pell grants are supposed to be based on economic need. Once enrolled, BPI students engage with the college full-time, embarking on a course of study that is ambitious and matches the breadth and intensity of any undergraduate learning experience. NOVICK: I'd just add that one of the really remarkable things about this program is that the admissions process is looking for people who have kind of intellectual curiosity and determination. It took me six years to get from where I was to where Bard was. Virtually none return to prison. There's an extreme amount of noise in prisons. TATRO: Oh, I think that couldn't be further from the truth. I worked as a cook. 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. And the Bard Prison Initiative, which was - began in 1999. DAVIES: You know, some might think that prison inmates would have an easier time focusing on all this rigorous schoolwork because they're literally, you know, captive in the institution and are not distracted by parties or dating or football games like, you know, students on a traditional campus. As public funding of college-in-prison returns to the field the question shifts from Will there be college-in-prison? Ill get up and just sit in silence in my apartment.. DAVIES: You know, it's interesting, Lynn Novick. He started his college education behind bars. The fifth annual BPI Public Health Fellowship Symposium featured the 2021 Public Health Fellows virtual presentations of their projects captured in the video above and the conversations linked below. DAVIES: We're talking about the new PBS documentary "College Behind Bars" with Lynn Novick, the director, and with Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, two formerly incarcerated graduates of the Bard Prison Initiative. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. Who among us is capable of academic excellence? DAVIES: Yeah, this business of counts - I mean, Sebastian Yoon, do you want to explain this? Let's listen. 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? I never saw a class where people weren't paying attention - not one - and we were in a lot of classes. College Behind Bars, the four-part documentary about the transformative power of education, premiered nationwide on PBS in November 25, 2019. DAVIES: You know, I want to talk to you, Sebastian Yoon and Dyjuan Tatro, a bit about your lives. You can see then Minister. 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. Born Behind Bars is a documentary series that takes place in a maximum-security prison in Indiana. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. 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. DAVIES: Yeah, it was interesting. BPI was founded in 1999, in the wake of the decimation of college-in-prison. Recidivism rates skyrocketed for a variety of reasons, including this, and slowly, some privately funded programs started to come back in. I'm Terry Gross. YOON: Well, classes usually happen in between counts. 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. And I remember walking in and seeing men like me in prison uniforms, except that they were speaking Mandarin. TATRO: And, you know, I'll just add that we have been - we have done screenings in prisons from California to Massachusetts. Jule Hall walks through Sunnyside, Queens, his neighborhood. TATRO: And so I got to walk across the stage on Bard's Annandale campus with the other 400 students in my year in 2018. They study all the disciplines in the liberal arts. So, you know, Bard has some re-entry services, mainly job placement and career development. Most had circumstances early in their life, which were really, really tough, heartbreaking in many cases. And I think it bred for me empathy, which is something that I didn't have a lot of when I was a teenager. I want that education. The ONLY thing I could find was the recent murder of the pregnant (at the time of filming) CO Breann Leath who apparently . This is not my identity. College Behind Bars is an intimate look at the lives and experiences of a dozen BPI students and their families that confronts and challenges conventional wisdom about the purpose of both education and incarceration. We're going to start coursework Monday morning. And then I came to crave it more and more. FUEL After Starbucks, Ill go home Im usually hungry by then. Our guests are Lynn Novick, who directed the documentary, and Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon, two graduates of the program. Bad Boys bakery was a social enterprise set up in HM Prison Brixton, in the UK. And they thrust you right back into prison. Yoon and Tatro earned college degrees taking rigorous courses taught by Bard College faculty in a maximum-security prison. So it's just - it's really an open question. NOVICK: Yes, indeed. You know, one of the great things about being in BPI and one of the great things about this education happening in the educational space is that it really, really motivates people to be the best selves and to go on after this opportunity. GLOBAL DINNER SCENE I eat out on Sunday another thing Im privileged to do because of my job. "College Behind Bars" airs tonight and tomorrow night on PBS stations. "College Behind Bars" follows students in the Bard Prison Initiative, a privately funded college program that began in 2001 in New York state prisons. I mean, it's a wide range of liberal arts curriculums. This July we saw a major legislative victory in New York, spearheaded by BPI alumni. SAVOR I usually order a venti Pike, not too strong. danville jail mugshots; marlin 1898 stock; Your education in that space can be interrupted in all types of different ways at any time of day. 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? DAVIES: And Sebastian, you can tell us a little bit about your transition. They have both been to prison. And, you know, they're like, strip. It teaches you how smart you are. Hes a regular at the local Starbucks, where he takes his coffee with cinnamon, not too much sugar.. We will hear Sebastian Yoon first and then we'll hear Dyjuan Tatro. A groundbreaking exploration of incarceration, injustice, race in America, and the transformative power of education. Since its first cohort in 2001, BPI students have earned over 52,000 credits and more than 550 Bard College degrees. DAVIES: And the crime that got you in was that you shot someone in retaliation for an attack on you and your sister, right? For now, the roughly 300 students taking . You know, I'm a brother. YOON: I would say that all my friends right now are my peers from the BPI program, and our network is really growing. I have two brothers - one older, one younger. And what this education does is it untaps (ph) that potential. This is a scene where there's a group of brand-new students at the Eastern Correctional Facility, which is a maximum security facility in New York, just been admitted to the program after a competitive admissions process, and what we see is a not terribly large classroom and a group of 15 to 20 men in blue jumpsuits seated at typical classroom desks. It is a marvelous new film by @KenBurns, @LynnNovick, and @sbotstein! After a break, they'll talk about getting their degrees, leaving prison and rejoining their families and how they think a liberal arts education changed them. And he said - he says to me, you stood up. They spoke with FRESH AIR's Dave Davies. And Max Kenner, who is the founder and executive director of the program, is welcoming the new students. Its about two miles away. 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. In 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act made people in prison ineligible for Pell Grants. The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) works to redefine the availability, affordability, and expectations typically associated with higher education in America. YOON: But to those who would ask that question, Dave, you could also ask them, would you ask the same question of students who are out here? And I'm back at BPI today as the Government Affairs Officer, expanding - helping to expand access to college and prison through public investments in the work that we do. So once that happened, almost all those programs vanished - went from about 800 programs to fewer than 10. College Behind Bars is an intimate look at the lives and experiences of a dozen BPI students and their families that confronts . And I'm wondering - I'm going to ask Sebastian. 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. As you will see in the film, there's tremendous potential among incarcerated people. Leath on "Born Behind Bars" Those interviewed in the video say Leath truly cared about the babies and their mothers in the nursery. Thank you so much for speaking with us. Sign up for the College Behind Bars newsletter to learn more about the film and events nationwide. Get the latest news about BPI and our work. And then this changed in the '90s when we had the crime bill, right? I can give them different types of advice. We will continue our conversation after this short break. 2026. And that's not to say that it's not challenging, but that is to point to the fact that, if we support people transitioning back in society in the right way, they'd be capable of almost anything, you know? 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