The Issue
It is without a doubt that the United States has an incredibly high amount of incarcerations that debilitate the ability of
individuals to ever regain assimilation back into society even after serving their sentence. Post-incarceration, people
find that it is difficult to overcome the stereotypes and biases that exist for individuals who have served time in prison.
A crucial aspect of being able to maintain stability is the privilege of having an education and having knowledge that
allows for the pursuit of higher education or simply landing a job. Not only is it crucial to address the crime and trauma
that occurs in the lives of youth, including the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) which address the early exposure
to different forms of abuse and violence. But this also means paving a path to promoting the opportunity to pursue
education regardless of what stage in their life an individual may be (still in prison or just released). Accessibility to
education is key. The prison-to-education pipeline should be addressed in relation to restorative justice to not only
provide academic intelligence but also provide support in the many aspects of life that individuals may have interests in
that they may want to pursue. This would explain why fostering opportunities for education allowed for a decrease in
recidivism rates and enhanced the lives of people in regard to their educational achievements.
Prison for Kids?
Understanding the mistakes and the choices youth can make at a young age. And realizing that their brains are not
yet fully developed, although there can definitely be exceptions, why prison for kids. At what point do we begin
taking youth who have experienced multiple and many types of trauma that align with the ACEs and utilize prison or
juvenile detention as the solution? Thinking about how chunks of their life are removed when they are incarcerated
and especially deprived of an education. Early education is a set foundation for the learning of many basic skills,
such as being social, and learning things like basic math, and reading. By taking this away, youth can survive a lot
more in the future which may lead to further involvement in the criminal justice system and result in recidivism
when they are unable to return back to society as useful citizens.
Rosetta Timmons’ Story
The Justice Policy Institute: Don’t Abandon Us: Addressing Youth, Crime, and Trauma shares the story of Rosetta Timmons has served half of her life in prison, beginning at the age of 9 and being released at 11. At 15 she was raped, tortured, tied to a tree, and left for dead. Soon after at 15 sent to prison. Rosetta recalls the lack of support and acknowledgment for trauma, such that “a nurse would come to make sure you were psychically okay, but mentally they didn't so they just kept me sedated.” Sedated is this numbing and ignorant manner of approaching an individual’s trauma. Even at 15, this abuse continued, and having a parent who had addictions and in a way felt that even when she spoke out to her parents she was being punished for being raped. At 17, Rosetta defended herself against her own brother which resulted in him passing away, and was sentenced to 26 and a half years. This constant and continuous trauma can be detrimental to an individual and understanding that missing out on ages 9-11 as a normal child in elementary school and missing out on high school can result in a lack of development of social skills and basic academic skills.
The Efforts
The Prison Education Project
PEP highlights the importance of being able to spread educational opportunities for individuals in custody by
working alongside 47 correctional facilities in California and other countries. These efforts come to life with
volunteers who dedicate time to developing lesson plans aimed to promote the interests of this population by including academic, life, and career skills to transform and empower incarcerated individuals. Some of these lessons
include Introduction to College and College Success, Introduction to Math, Creative Expression, intro to Law School,
Women Empowerment, Introduction to Psychology, etc. It is the kids in prison and individuals who miss out on
gaining the basics of math and what is college that really gain from having access to these types of sessions. A space
where they don’t feel judged for wanting to learn or judged for never learning, but rather willing to be vulnerable and
open-minded to accessing what they are given the opportunity to. Their goals are meant to create a
“Prison-to-school Pipeline” that essentially provides cognitive tools that allow for these individuals to be able to
function as well-adapted citizens in society.
CSUDH
Cal State University of Dominguez Hills in Carson, CA has begun a program this semester, Fall 2023, that will not
provide the opportunity for incarcerated individuals to be able to obtain a master's degree. The current Fall 2023
cohort includes 33 students that pertain to 11 different prison facilities, such as San Quentin State Prison and
Folsom State Prison. The students participating are able to complete coursework on laptops and have access to
working one-on-one with CSUDH professors; these interactions take place via video call and via written
correspondence. Despite not being the first university working towards promoting education for in-custody
individuals, this contributes to creating a change in the lives of inmates from the inside. With a hefty cost of $10,500
expected to be paid by students or their support people, it can arguably be a difficult price to pay. However, the price
can be questionable when we consider the cost of keeping an inmate incarcerated. Given that incarcerated
individuals who have been participants of correctional education programs were 43% less likely to return to prison
than those who did not, then why don’t we consider spending thousands on promoting this type of educational
opportunity over keeping people in prison? Incarceration of a single person every year can vary from spending
$80,000 and upwards to over $100, 000, and really paints a picture of the priorities and ambitions of prisons.
Full Short Film: Justice Policy Institute
Don’t Abandon Us: Addressing Youth, Crime, and Trauma
Other Sources:
Prison Education Project. (n.d.). https://www.prisoneducationproject.org/
McKibbin, L. (2023, September 11). Daily Breeze: CSUDH Offers New Master Program for
Incarcerated People for Fall 2023 . CSUDH Campus News Center. https://news.csudh.edu/daily-breeze-hux/