Tried as an adult for his involvement in the fight, Mr. Hall was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Men and women earn college degrees - and a chance at new beginnings - while incarcerated. College Behind Bars first premiered Nov. 25, 2019 on PBS and has since then become popular among Netflix audiences. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. The Bard Prison Initiative enrolls over 300 incarcerated students in six New York State prisons. Reimagining the place of higher education. 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. We, you know, without quite realizing at the beginning, have ended up exploring this really deep question. They have both been to prison. "College Behind Bars" airs on PBS stations tonight and tomorrow. College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary film series directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns, tells the story of a small group of incarcerated men and women struggling to earn college degrees and turn their lives around in one of the most rigorous and effective prison education programs in the United States the Bard Prison Initiative. Celebrating 200+ degrees in six graduations back in person with Congressman Bobby Rush. Fact: Since its first cohort in 2001, BPI students have earned over 52,000 credits and more than 550 Bard College degrees. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. So there was this kind of seamless movement from one setting to another. One of the toughest parts of living in Sunnyside, Mr. Hall said, is finding a vacant laundry machine. This can't just be watching movies and talking about it; you have to have a very sophisticated, demanding syllabus and assessments and writing assignments, and the students have to perform at the level that we expect for Bard College. So, you know, the - in the Greek, liberal arts education literally means education worthy of a free man. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. And they really love to engage the professors and each other, and that was true for every single class. And one day, we went to a karaoke bar, and a fight erupted, and somebody ended up losing his life. (SOUNDBITE OF ROBBEN FORD AND BILL EVANS' "PIXIES"). I thought it was incredibly well done in all ways. how to remove headrest chrysler 200; super license points tracker 2022; did bette davis play the piano in deception; fiat ducato motorhome for sale on ebay; where is curly bill buried rush medical college leadership; college behind bars where are they now. Dyjuan, what's it been like connecting with your family again? Faculty are going to be evaluating what you do as a student, exclusively. Hes a regular at the local Starbucks, where he takes his coffee with cinnamon, not too much sugar.. 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 school was just really too easy. YOON: I would say that all my friends right now are my peers from the BPI program, and our network is really growing. The series follows the inmates as they give birth and raise their children behind bars. NOVICK: Yeah. And, you know, spending time in the classrooms - as Sarah Botstein, the producer, and I did - I kept thinking, I wish I could go back to college and have this experience because it is - the classes are small. And this is a moment from the film after the graduation ceremony, which we just saw, where I guess, Sebastian, you got your degree and, Dyjuan, you were attending but you're reflecting on what it's like to finish this joyous event and then leave the prison auditorium and then return to the housing unit where you will be rudely searched and then go back to your cells. Ken Burns is executive producer. But I thought what just happened in the auditorium was also reality. On November 24, 1990, James Wiley armed himself with a shotgun and brutally shot down his stepmother and two brothers in their home in Thermopolis, Wyoming. And, you know, what we hope is that through these - their very courageous and generous sharing of their stories, we can all have a different kind of conversation than we have had about who is in prison, why people are incarcerated, what our criminal justice system does and doesn't do to - it's supposed to be helping people to prepare to come back to society and become productive citizens. I don't think I heard anybody use that as an excuse for committing crimes, though. That degree really means something when they leave this program with their degree from Bard. Congratulations. And what this education does is it untaps (ph) that potential. GROSS: Lynn Novick speaking with Dave Davies. I wake up every morning and I realize Im free and Im just so grateful to be here.. When that door closes, you're at Bard College. Bard Prison Initiative graduate Sebastian Yoon, featured in the new PBS documentary College Behind Bars, shares how BPI changed him and the Eastern Correctional Facility, where he was incarcerated until March. You don't have the Internet. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This July we issued $650,000 in grants in the US and around the world. How Jule Hall, Graduate of the Bard Prison Initiative, Spends His Sundays, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/nyregion/jule-hall-college-behind-bars-pbs.html. Starbucks is a place where people dont notice each other; theyre more focused on their computer or their phone. They study all the disciplines in the liberal arts. And they are ready, and they are prepared, and they've done all the reading, and they've read the footnotes, and they've read the ancillary reading, and they are - you know, you better know what you're doing. YOON: I never stopped being a student. I had to write that I swept and mopped floors. Air date: Nov 25, 2019. Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: You've just tried to add this video to My List. TATRO: Yeah. DAVIES: You know, I was going to ask about relations with, you know, other prisoners. (Video Courtesy ESPN, Monday Night Countdown. The Bard Prison Initiative enrolls over 300 incarcerated students in six New York State prisons. James Wiley committed a heinous crime at 15 years of age. And I never had really thought about going to college until, all of a sudden, there was this thing that I heard about in prison called the Bard Prison Initiative. 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. DAVIES: And that's Dyjuan Tatro and Sebastian Yoon from the PBS documentary "College Behind Bars," which premieres tonight on PBS. NOVICK: Yeah. This is when you, Sebastian Yoon, are speaking at the graduation. A scholar who has taught in prison weighs in on 'College Behind Bars,' which airs Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS. The journey to bring "College Behind Bars" started in 2012, when Novick and producer Sarah Botstein were invited to give a lecture for BPI students. This is FRESH AIR. I finished my degree in the spring of 2018. In the fall of 2015, a maximum-security prison in New York invited Harvards debate team to compete against a squad of three incarcerated men. College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary film series directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns, tells the story of a small group of incarcerated men and women struggling to earn college degrees and turn their lives around in one of the most rigorous and effective prison education programs in the United States the Bard Prison Initiative. Now that Im thinking about it: more often than not, Im recognizing that the Twin Towers is not part of that skyline anymore. TATRO: You know, this - I'm the first person in my family who's ever gone to college. They both earned college degrees and are now employed. A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Once I put something in my stomach, I bike ride. College Behind Bars. Max is the founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative, and Rodney received his bachelor's degree from Bard College in 2017 through the Bard Prison Initiative. Dyjuan, you want to share something? My family loves Bard College. YOON: Oh, yeah, without a doubt. TATRO: Oh, I think that couldn't be further from the truth. So once that happened, almost all those programs vanished - went from about 800 programs to fewer than 10. Few people know the joy of a free Sunday like Jule Hall. And I just want to - after the euphoria of graduation, I mean, you certainly - you know, you had this terrific asset, this college degree that a lot of ex-offenders don't. And the Bard Prison Initiative has had 600 graduates be released over the last 20 years. I just committed a bad act. I'm a math major, went on after that to do some project management and data collection for a tech company and then started thinking about how I could get back in the world. Did you feel yourself changing as you moved through these courses? PBS chronicles 12 inmates who value education in 'College Behind Bars' The film fills the screen with stories about human transformation as cameras follow a dozen incarcerated men and women. FUEL After Starbucks, Ill go home Im usually hungry by then. 27 2023 . He lives alone in an apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, which he chose for its proximity to the foundation, just across the East River. He started his college education behind bars. It was just a really, really moving moment to be celebrated on the main Bard campus in that way by all these amazing young people. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. U.S. DAVIES: You know, this is tough material in these classes. So, to savor this rich, hot drink in my hand is so fabulous with cinnamon, not too much sugar. After returning home, BPI alumni become independent taxpaying citizens. I'm Terry Gross. I hope you'll join us. DAVIES: Dyjuan Tatro, what was your graduation experience like? We always have to be mindful of how those people like myself are returning back to their communities and back to their families. And I want to play a clip here. 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. Learn more about Pell restoration on our blog. Incarcerated men and women in New York State are admitted to the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), one of the most rigorous co, Sebastian, Dyjuan and Tamara reflect on the difficult circumstances of their childhood, while the debate team prepares to, The debate union faces their rival across the river, West Point. 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