raised to respect education white
thought it could help turn inmates away
from crime okay let’s go to work
we got the bugs from see art I sat in
his room and said I have a dream and I
said my dream is for 200 guys to be
going to college and everybody laughed
at me my own peers will have them you
said you’ll never do it I’ll never get
it done with the prison support white
partnered with two California community
colleges and their chancellor’s office
together they created an education
program for inmates it’s one of only 12
in the country seven years later over
400 ironwood inmates attend college and
once out of prison few graduates return
right now in the Department of
Corrections according to their figures
cause 42,000 $800 to warehouse and
that’s what they’re doing warehousing an
inmate we can educate them for around
$800 if they have a return rate of 73%
and I have a return rate at 22% it’s
cost-effective to to least try my way
in a few weeks the largest number of
inmates to earn higher education degrees
at one time
71 will graduate at Ironwood
white hopes his young cellmate Roger
Serna for one day being cap and gown
himself
so does Serna reality is I would be
close to being a senior in college if I
would go into a four-year most kids
start in between 17 and 19 I started
prison around that time so me being a
college kid is very realistic in the
sense I’m not only 22 could be a senior
getting ready to get a degree could be
walking on I spent the last three years
being a college student of ignorance I’m
looking forward to better myself today
Serna takes a college placement test to
enter the program this test will
indicate exactly what English and math
skills you have and where to begin
we’re in an environment where it’s not
as simple as just going to school you
know you all know about what’s happening
on the yard and the politics of the yard
that’s there this is a whole different
set they don’t give us any special
privileges because we in jail it just
doesn’t work that way so now we need you
to step up and do what you need to do
you may begin now you’ll have 45 minutes
with this test
anxiety and prison go hand-in-hand but
this test Serna in a different way every
test for me is a little bit stressful
because I mean I never know exactly what
is going to be asked to me every time
you know you get to sweaty palms a
anxieties before a test because you want
to do your best but at the same time you
get the little butterflies it’s a new
situation every time
Serna plans to take a trial class this
summer if he passes he’ll enroll full
time in the fall but even making it into
the program full time won’t protect
Serna from violence in the past students
have been attacked by gang members for
mixing with students of other races
outside the classroom and with the
summer heating up hostilities between
the groups are about to boil over
thought it could help turn inmates away
from crime okay let’s go to work
we got the bugs from see art I sat in
his room and said I have a dream and I
said my dream is for 200 guys to be
going to college and everybody laughed
at me my own peers will have them you
said you’ll never do it I’ll never get
it done with the prison support white
partnered with two California community
colleges and their chancellor’s office
together they created an education
program for inmates it’s one of only 12
in the country seven years later over
400 ironwood inmates attend college and
once out of prison few graduates return
right now in the Department of
Corrections according to their figures
cause 42,000 $800 to warehouse and
that’s what they’re doing warehousing an
inmate we can educate them for around
$800 if they have a return rate of 73%
and I have a return rate at 22% it’s
cost-effective to to least try my way
in a few weeks the largest number of
inmates to earn higher education degrees
at one time
71 will graduate at Ironwood
white hopes his young cellmate Roger
Serna for one day being cap and gown
himself
so does Serna reality is I would be
close to being a senior in college if I
would go into a four-year most kids
start in between 17 and 19 I started
prison around that time so me being a
college kid is very realistic in the
sense I’m not only 22 could be a senior
getting ready to get a degree could be
walking on I spent the last three years
being a college student of ignorance I’m
looking forward to better myself today
Serna takes a college placement test to
enter the program this test will
indicate exactly what English and math
skills you have and where to begin
we’re in an environment where it’s not
as simple as just going to school you
know you all know about what’s happening
on the yard and the politics of the yard
that’s there this is a whole different
set they don’t give us any special
privileges because we in jail it just
doesn’t work that way so now we need you
to step up and do what you need to do
you may begin now you’ll have 45 minutes
with this test
anxiety and prison go hand-in-hand but
this test Serna in a different way every
test for me is a little bit stressful
because I mean I never know exactly what
is going to be asked to me every time
you know you get to sweaty palms a
anxieties before a test because you want
to do your best but at the same time you
get the little butterflies it’s a new
situation every time
Serna plans to take a trial class this
summer if he passes he’ll enroll full
time in the fall but even making it into
the program full time won’t protect
Serna from violence in the past students
have been attacked by gang members for
mixing with students of other races
outside the classroom and with the
summer heating up hostilities between
the groups are about to boil over
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