College in Prison Subject of Annual Assembly Conversation
Dignity, Education and Economic Mobility for Minnesotans Behind Bars: An Opportunity for Faith Community Engagement
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
“Prison is about who you were; college is about who you could be.”
These were the words of James Jeter, one of the experts who spoke at this year’s Annual Assembly on “Dignity, Education and Economic Mobility for Minnesotans Behind Bars: An Opportunity for Faith Community Engagement.”Due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, we moved our Annual Assembly online. A panel of experts discussed why college in prison is so important and how it can help break the cycle of poverty. They addressed issues of mass incarceration, educational access, and criminal justice reform from a faith perspective.
The discussion was presented in partnership with Yale Prison Education Initiative at Dwight Hall at Yale University.
Panelists included:
- James Jeter, alum of the Wesleyan Center for Prison Education at Cheshire Correctional Institution, where he was incarcerated for nearly 20 years
- Daniel Karpowitz, Assistant Commissioner for Policy at the Minnesota Department of Corrections and interagency lead and special advisor to Governor Tim Walz on criminal justice
- Zelda Roland, founding director of the Yale Prison Education Initiative at Dwight Hall
Learn more and watch the recording of the discussion here.