College Behind Bars

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For more delicious news, go to www.GoodNewsGoodPlanet.com, and scroll to bottom for more ways to find the feel good stuff!* COLLEGE BEHIND BARS The likelihood of actually being rehabilitated in prison without education is minimal. Studies prove that education is the best insurance against repeat offenders enduring another term of incarceration. Bard College, a small Private University in New York State, offers the Bard Prison Initiative, or BPI, to interested inmates who have committed serious crimes and are serving lengthy terms. The over 300 enrolled students, are currently serving sentences inside of six different New York State Prisons. BPI provides high level education and results that rival some of the most prestigious colleges. The BPI debate team has won debates against Harvard, Cambridge, and the University of Pennsylvania. The only teams to have ever won against BPI are Brown University and West Point— however BPI has won three matches against West Point. For those who struggle with the notion of state funded, free college for lawbreakers, it’s actually a cost saving program as well as a progressive win. The annual cost of housing a prisoner is around $69,000, where as the BPI is around $9,000 for each student annually. Typically, over 67% of released prisoners are rearrested within three years and over 76% of those released, are rearrested within five years, yet over 97% of BPI Graduates NEVER go back, and over 75% of educated offenders find steady income. Ultimately, graduates learn how to lift themselves up and make wiser decisions in the world. So this successful prison college program actually saves taxpayers a large amount of money and benefits society as a whole To get a more in depth look at this program, you can view the Ken Burns documentary, ‘College Behind Bars’. BPI and programs like it offer inmates hope through education, and give them a chance for redemption. Because education is always the key to a better life for all. #### *Hungry for more of the Good Stuff? Search "Good News Good Planet" on YouTube, Instagram, Patreon, Alexa and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.