ANNOUNCER: FUNDING FOR "COLLEGE BEHIND BARS" WAS PROVIDED BY THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS OF THE BETTER ANGELS SOCIETY.
JOHN AND CATHERINE DEBS, THE SCHWARTZ/REISMAN FOUNDATION, THE COUSINS FOUNDATION, THE ABRAMS FOUNDATION, TED DINTERSMITH AND ELIZABETH HAZARD, THE McCLOSKEY FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST.
FUNDING WAS ALSO PROVIDED BY: THE FORD FOUNDATION JUSTFILMS AND THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES; BY MEG AND TOMAS BERGSTRAND; REGINA K. SCULLY; THE LISE STRICKLER AND MARK GALLOGLY CHARITABLE FUND; PATTY QUILLIN; AND BY THESE ADDITIONAL FUNDERS.
AND BY GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.
THANK YOU.
AT BANK OF AMERICA, WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE PROUD TO SPONSOR "COLLEGE BEHIND BARS" FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER KEN BURNS AND DIRECTOR LYNN NOVICK, HIGHLIGHTING THE TRUE POWER OF EDUCATION.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE THE POWER TO DO?
[THUNDER] [CRICKETS CHIRPING] [INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER] [METAL DOORS SHUTTING] [THUNDER] MAN: I'VE BEEN INCARCERATED FOR 13 YEARS, AND FROM MY EXPERIENCE, I CAN TELL YOU PRISON IS HERE TO PUNISH US.
UM, IT'S HERE TO WAREHOUSE US, BUT IT'S NOT ABOUT, UM, REHABILITATING.
IT'S NOT ABOUT CREATING PRODUCTIVE BEINGS.
IT JUST ISN'T.
[THUNDER] ♪ [THUNDER] [RAIN FALLING] ♪ [RADIO CHIRPS] [INDISTINCT CHATTER] MAN: "CALL ME ISHMAEL.
"SOME YEARS AGO--NEVER MIND HOW LONG PRECISELY-- "HAVING LITTLE OR NO MONEY IN MY PURSE, "AND NOTHING IN PARTICULAR TO INTEREST ME ON THE SHORE, "I THOUGHT I WOULD SAIL ABOUT A LITTLE AND SEE THE WATERY PART OF THE WORLD."
DIFFERENT MAN: I'M TAKING "MOBY-DICK."
THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING CLASS.
THE WHOLE FIRST PARAGRAPH WE HAD TO MEMORIZE, AND EACH ONE OF US HAD TO RECITE IN FRONT OF THE REST OF THE CLASS.
YOU WOULD SEE ANOTHER GUY IN THE CLASS IN THE YARD, AND WE WOULD BE LIKE, "HEY, CALL ME ISHMAEL," AND HE WOULD GO THROUGH IT, AND I WOULD GO THROUGH IT, AND WE'D POINT OUT WHERE WE DIDN'T MATCH.
DIFFERENT MAN: "I THOUGHT I WOULD SAIL ABOUT A LITTLE "AND SEE THE WATERY PART OF THE WORLD "IS A WAY I HAVE REGULATING THE S-SPLEEN AND DRYING--AND, UH-- UH...REGULATING THE--" DIFFERENT MAN: "IT IS A WAY I HAVE OF DRIVING OFF THE SPLEEN AND REGULATING THE CIRCULATION."
DIFFERENT MAN: "WHENEVER I FIND MYSELF GROWING GRIM "ABOUT THE MOUTH; WHENEVER IT IS "A DAMP, DRIZZLY NOVEMBER IN MY SOUL; "WHENEVER I FIND MYSELF INVOLUNTARILY PAUSING "BEFORE COFFIN WAREHOUSES, AND BRINGING UP THE REAR "OF EVERY FUNERAL I MEET; "AND ESPECIALLY WHENEVER MY HYPOS GET SUCH "AN UPPER HAND OF ME, THAT IT REQUIRES "A STRONG MORAL PRINCIPLE TO PREVENT ME "FROM DELIBERATELY STEPPING OUT INTO THE STREETS "AND METHODICALLY KNOCKING PEOPLE'S HATS "OFF THEIR HEADS, THEN, I ACCOUNT IT HIGH TIME TO GET TO SEA AS SOON AS I CAN."
PROFESSOR: I REALLY FEEL THAT.
[APPLAUSE] [RADIO CHATTER] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ MAN ON P.A.
: ATTENTION, ALL INMATES.
LINE UP ON THE WHITE LINE FOR THE COUNT.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER] MAN: WE'VE GOT TO REMEMBER THAT THE CRISIS THAT THE UNITED STATES WAS IN IN THE EARLY 1930s WAS A GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS, AND THAT CRISIS LED TO THE RISE OF ALL KINDS OF ANTI-DEMOCRATIC REGIMES ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND WHAT ROOSEVELT'S CONCERNED ABOUT IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN IN THE UNITED STATES.
DIFFERENT MAN: WE ARE NOT A PART OF THE PRISON SYSTEM.
WE ARE A COLLEGE WHO HAPPENS TO HAVE CLASSES INSIDE OF PRISON.
UNLIKE OTHER SCHOOLS, IT HAS BARS, IT HAS GATES THAT CLOSE AND OPEN, IT HAS DOORS THAT MUST BE LOCKED.
ALTHOUGH WE SAY, "SCHOOL BUILDING," IT'S NOT A TRADITIONAL SCHOOL BUILDING, ALTHOUGH WHAT WE DO INSIDE THE SCHOOL BUILDING IS TRADITIONAL COLLEGE WORK.
MAN: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN MOST IMPORTANT TO US IS THE INSTITUTION'S ADAMANCE THAT THESE STUDENTS, THE INCARCERATED STUDENTS, ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER, AND IN MANY WAYS, BPI IS SIMPLY A VERY SIMPLE KIND OF EXPERIMENT, WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE PROVIDE THE KINDS OF EDUCATION THAT TYPICALLY IN THE UNITED STATES ARE ONLY AFFORDED TO THE CHILDREN OF THE LUCKY OR THE ENTITLED OR THE RICH TO OTHERS?
♪ ♪ ♪ MAN: I DO NOT GET RID OF ANY DRAFT, SO YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A LOT OF REWRITES.
I SPEND MOST OF MY TIME IN THE SCHOOL BUILDING.
IF I'M IN THIS CELL, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, I'M EITHER READING, WRITING, OR SLEEPING.
THIS IS--THIS IS A CELL.
THIS IS NOT A PLACE THAT I LIVE IN.
WELL, AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S NO PICTURES OR POSTERS ON THE WALL AT ALL.
I KEEP THIS BARE.
I DON'T FORGET THAT THIS IS PRISON, EVEN WHEN I'M WORKING BECAUSE AT SOME POINT, AN OFFICER IS GONNA WALK PASS THIS CELL.
I'M GONNA HEAR THE KEYS JANGLING ON HIS BELT, AND HE MIGHT STOP BY THAT CELL AND LOOK THROUGH THAT WINDOW THERE, AND SO I DON'T FORGET, YOU NEVER FORGET.
MAN: I DO MOST OF MY WORK AT NIGHT BECAUSE IT'S A DORM, IT'S AN OPEN SPACE.
THERE'RE A LOT OF DISTRACTIONS, YOU KNOW, GUYS WALKING AROUND, TALKING LOUDLY.
IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO FOCUS ON SCHOOLWORK.
SO I MAY START A LOT OF MY WORK MAYBE AT 11:00 AT NIGHT AND GO TO BED 2:00, 3:00 IN THE MORNING.
I TRY TO BE AS ORGANIZED AS I CAN BE IN SUCH A SMALL SPACE, SO I UTILIZE, LIKE, LITTLE FOLDERS AND THINGS, MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS, PAPERS FOR EVERY SEMESTER, FOR EVERY CLASS FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS.
I CAME IN WHEN I WAS 16.
I GOT MY GED ON RIKERS ISLAND IN 2005.
A FRIEND OF MINE FORCED ME TO THE PROGRAM, WHICH PROBABLY THE KINDEST, MOST LOVING THING ANYONE HAS EVER DONE FOR ME WAS FORCE ME TO APPLY TO THIS PROGRAM.
MAN: IT'S ALL TEXTBOOKS-- MATH, SCIENCE, AND THEN OF COURSE SPANISH IS INVADING MY LIFE, SO THAT'S MY--FOR THE NEXT 2 1/2 YEARS, IT WILL BE SPANISH, BIOLOGY, MATH.
I KEEP MY CELL VERY SPARTAN AND SCHOOL-ORIENTED AS A BUFFER AGAINST PRISON LIFE.
PRISON CAN GET INSIDE OF YOU.
IT'S INVASIVE, AND I TRY TO KEEP IT OUT, AND SCHOOL IS ONE OF THE MEANS THAT I KEEP IT OUT.
[RADIO CHATTER] HALL: I MAJORED IN GERMAN STUDIES.
THE LANGUAGE WAS SO HARD.
HOWEVER, NOW I LOVE TO READ ABOUT AMERICAN NEWS IN GERMAN.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY ATTRACTED ME ABOUT GERMANY WAS ITS HISTORICAL MISTAKE AND THEN THE MANNER IN WHICH IT TRIED TO REALLY MAKE UP FOR THAT MISTAKE.
♪ ♪ THIS IS MY CELL.
THIS IS WHERE I REST MY HEAD, GET MY THOUGHTS TOGETHER, DO MY SCHOOLWORK.
YOU HAVE MY SINK, MY WINDOW.
YOU SEE I DON'T HAVE MUCH OF A VIEW OF MUCH OUT THERE, BUT IT'S ALL RIGHT.
I DEFINITELY LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING A DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT WHEN I GET OUT...
BUT, UH, FOR NOW, I GOT TO MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT I HAVE, YOU KNOW?
[KEYS JANGLING] ♪ KENNER: THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS WILL BE SENT BACK TO THE COMMUNITIES TYPICALLY FROM WHICH THEY CAME AND WILL ENGAGE WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND THOSE COMMUNITIES, AND THEY WILL BE BETTER AT THAT WHEN THEY'RE EDUCATED IN A WAY THAT'S MEANINGFUL TO THEM.
PROFESSOR; SO THE QUESTION IS, WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE THIS FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENT WHICH ITSELF IS PREMISED ON A CONTRADICTION?
YEAH, GIOVANNIE?
HERNANDEZ: NAH.
I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS QUOTE FROM A "SONG OF MYSELF."
"I AM VAST, I CONTAIN MULTITUDES," AND I THINK THAT SAYS IT ALL, WHERE THERE'S THIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THE INDIVIDUAL IS NOT JUST THIS SET PERSONALITY, THIS SET, UH, BEING.
HIS RELATIONSHIP TO EVERYONE ELSE AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD CONSTITUTES THIS ONENESS.
WHAT I DO TODAY MAY AFFECT WHAT SOMEONE IS CAPABLE OF DOING TOMORROW OR VICE VERSA.
PROFESSOR: YOU KNOW, KEEP TRYING TO BRING THIS BACK TO WHAT MAKES THESE DOCUMENTS FOUNDATIONAL TO US AS A NATION AND WHAT ARE MANIFESTOS.
SO I DIDN'T GET EVERYONE'S MANIFESTOS.
CALLING IT MANIFESTO.
IT'S REALLY A DECLARATION.
I HAVE YOURS.
WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU WROTE YOUR DECLARATIONS?
IT WAS PERSONAL FOR ME BECAUSE MY SISTER SENT ME A LETTER, AND SHE WROTE IN A WAY THAT NOWADAYS THE LITTLE TEENS OUT THERE, THEY USE TEXT MESSAGING, THE FUNNY WORDS, AND IT BROKE MY HEART.
AFTER I CAME TO COLLEGE AND I LEARNED THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, YOU KNOW, I BECAME A GRAM--GRAMMAR POLICE, SO I WANTED TO ARREST HER.
[LAUGHTER] SO I WROTE THE DECLARATION OF INFLECTION FOR HER.
"WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT: "THAT WORDS ARE OUR GREATEST GIFTS, "THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED WITH STUPENDOUS POWERS, "THAT AMONG THESE ARE DOCUMENTATION, "COMMUNICATION, AND EXPRESSION, "THAT WHENEVER ANY FORM OF TEXTING BECOMES "DESTRUCTIVE OF OUR LANGUAGE, "IT IS A RIGHT OF SAID TECHNOLOGY TO REVISE IT "AND ENLIGHTEN ITS USER.
"WHEN LUCIDITY IS BEDIMMED BY IMPATIENCE, "WHICH IN TURN SPAWNS IGNORANCE, "IT IS OUR RIGHT, IT IS OUR DUTY, "TO REINVENT TEXTING "AND TO PROVIDE CORRECT GROUNDS "FOR OUR MAJESTIC LANGUAGE.
"WE MUTUALLY PLEDGE TO HOLD TWITTER IN CONTEMPT FOREVER."
PROFESSOR: NICE.
[LAUGHTER] YOON: FOR A TYPICAL 20-PAGE PAPER, I'LL HAVE ABOUT 30 OF THESE FRONT AND BACK, AND THEN MY BUCKET WOULD BE FULL OF, UH, CRUMPLED PAPERS.
THESE--NUMBER ONE SMILEY FACE MEANS THIS IS THE FIRST PAGE THAT I CAN TYPE UP.
THIS IS THE BIGGEST CELL I'VE EVER BEEN IN IN 5 DIFFERENT MAXIMUM-SECURITY PRISONS.
THE FIRST THING I DID WHEN I CAME TO THIS CELL WAS I PUT MY HAND LIKE THIS, AND I WAS AMAZED THAT I COULDN'T TOUCH THE WALL WITH MY FEET.
I SPEND MOST OF MY TIME LYING DOWN, LOOKING THAT WAY, WHERE I HAVE MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, MY FAMILY.
I HAVE A PICTURE OF AN ASTRONAUT TO REMIND ME OF WHO I WANTED TO BE WHEN I WAS YOUNG.
I CAME IN WHEN I WAS 16.
I'M GOING HOME WHEN I'M 29 IF ALL THINGS GO WELL.
AS INMATES, WE COULD SPEND OUR TIME JUST TRYING TO COUNT THE YEARS AND THE DAYS AND THE MINUTES, OR WE CAN DO SOMETHING WITH THAT TIME, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
♪ MAN ON P.A.
: ATTENTION, ALL INMATES.
LINE UP ON THE WHITE LINE BY THE REC ROOM FOR THE COUNT.
[BUZZER] ISRAIL: THERE'S A MISCONCEPTION THAT PEOPLE IN PRISON JUST HAVE THIS FREE TIME THAT THEY JUST DO WHATEVER THEY WANT WITH HOWEVER THEY WANT TO DO IT WITH.
TIME IS MANAGED IN RELATION TO SOMETHING WE CALL THE COUNT.
IT HAPPENS 5 TIMES A DAY.
YOU GO BACK TO YOUR HOUSING LOCATION, WHERE YOU LOCK AT, WHETHER IT IS A CELL OR A DORMITORY.
YOU ARE LOCKED IN, AND YOU ARE GONNA STAND UP, AND CORRECTIONS OFFICERS, LITERALLY TAKE A HEADCOUNT.
YOU COULD BE INSIDE THE SCHOOL BUILDING.
THERE'S A BELL THAT RINGS OR AN ALARM THAT GOES OFF, AND IT MEANS "STOP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND GO BACK IN."
KENNER: PART OF BEING INSTITUTIONALIZED IS THAT YOUR DAY IS CONSTANTLY INTERRUPTED.
THE CHAOS OF THE PRISON IS AN EXTRAORDINARY CHALLENGE WHEN IT COMES TO THE KIND OF FOCUS THAT'S NECESSARY TO GET THROUGH THE ROUTINE OF COLLEGE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
[SLAM] [MEN SHOUTING] YOON: IT'S HARD TO STUDY WHEN ALL THE INMATES COME BACK FROM THE PROGRAMS.
AFTER 12:00, IT'S DEAD QUIET.
THAT'S WHEN I CAN REALLY FOCUS.
I'M STUDYING TILL 3:00 IN THE MORNING BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN IT'S MOST QUIET.
MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE NIGHT.
♪ ISRAIL: I WAS INCARCERATED FOR 20 YEARS.
I ENROLLED INTO BPI, I WENT ON TO GET MY BA DEGREE IN 2009.
ADMISSIONS IS A COMPETITIVE PROCESS.
WE OPERATE IN 6 PRISONS ACROSS NEW YORK STATE.
5 OF THEM ARE FOR MEN, 1 OF THEM IS FOR WOMEN.
WHEN ADMISSIONS IS FULLY OPEN ACROSS ALL 6 FACILITIES, WE HAVE UP TO 400 PEOPLE APPLYING.
♪ ♪ WOMAN: I GO TO THE INTERVIEW.
HE WAS ASKING SOME CRAZY QUESTIONS.
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT HALF THE TIME.
I HAD TO ASK HIM, LIKE, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?
"WHAT DOES THAT WORD MEAN, LIKE?
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, LIKE?"
THEN COMES FIND OUT I GET THE LETTER.
SLIPPED IT UNDER MY DOOR.
SEEN IT.
I WAS LIKE, "OH, I'M IN THERE!"
I DIDN'T THINK I WAS GETTING IN, THOUGH.
MAN: I KEPT MAKING THE INTERVIEWS.
EACH TIME, I THOUGHT THAT I DID GOOD, BUT THIS LAST TIME WAS THE ONE THAT I THOUGHT THAT-- I WAS LIKE, "YEAH.
I SCREWED THIS ONE UP," BECAUSE I PUT MY HEAD DOWN.
I JUST--I COULDN'T COME UP WITH WORDS TO SAY, AND FINALLY AT THE END, I TOLD 'EM--I SAID, "LISTEN.
I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU PEOPLE-- "WHAT YOU WANT ME TO SAY.
"ALL I KNOW IS THAT I NEED TO GET IN HERE, YOU KNOW.
I NEED SOMETHING TO HELP CHANGE MY LIFE."
MAYBE THAT'S WHAT WORKED FOR ME.
SPIVEY-JONES: THE NEW GUYS THAT JUST GOT ACCEPTED INTO BPI, I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THEY'RE IN FOR.
NEXT WEEK WHEN THEY START CLASS, THEY'RE IN FOR A SURPRISE.
KENNER: EVERYBODY'S GOOD?
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S GET STARTED.
WELCOME TO BARD COLLEGE.
CONGRATULATIONS.
WE'RE GONNA START COURSEWORK MONDAY MORNING, AND I THINK WE SHOULD JUST START BEING REALLY CLEAR ABOUT THE SCALE OF THE COMMITMENT, FIRST OF ALL, THAT WE ARE MAKING TO YOU AND, SECONDLY, THAT WE EXPECT OF YOU.
THIS IS A FULL-TIME AND LONG-TERM AND TOTAL COMMITMENT.
WHEN THAT DOOR CLOSES, YOU'RE AT BARD COLLEGE.
FACULTY ARE GOING TO BE EVALUATING WHAT YOU DO AS A STUDENT EXCLUSIVELY.
THAT IS TO SAY THE COLLEGE HAS NO INTEREST IN THE NATURE OF YOUR CRIMINAL CONVICTION, THE LENGTH OF YOUR SENTENCE, HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE LEFT IN PRISON.
IT'S NOT OUR BUSINESS.
WE'RE IN THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION.
THIS IS THE THING WE KNOW HOW TO DO, AND WE HAPPEN TO DO IT HERE, AND WHEN YOU LEAVE THIS ROOM TONIGHT, THERE IS NOW SOMETHING THAT CAN BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN WHEN YOU WALKED IN.
♪ MONTGOMERY: I WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH THE WORST.
I'VE BEEN THROUGH THE WORST, AND I THINK MY PEERS HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE WORST, SO IT'S LIKE YOU COME HERE, AND THIS IS AT YOUR BOTTOM.
THIS IS MY DESK.
I HAVE MY CARDS, MY BIBLES, CANS, WHATEVER.
I FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE I LIKE TO LEARN, BUT WASN'T, LIKE, REALLY, LIKE, SOMETHING THAT WAS HAMMERED.
SCHOOL WASN'T NOTHING.
IT WAS JUST LIKE GO TO SCHOOL, KIND OF COOL, BUT IF YOU FIND A MAN WHO GOT A JOB, YOU ALL GOOD.
YOU SET FOR LIFE.
I WAS RAISED TO BE, LIKE, DEPENDENT ON SOMEONE ELSE.
I WAS NEVER REALLY RAISED TO BE INDEPENDENT, LIKE GET YOUR OWN.
IT WAS NEVER, LIKE, REALLY A VALUE THAT WAS INSTILLED INSIDE OF ME OR MY SISTERS, AND THAT'S PROBABLY WHY WE TURNED OUT THE WAY WE TURNED OUT.
♪ PROFESSOR: THE QUESTION WAS WHAT'S THE MOST SATISFYING WAY FOR A HUMAN BEING TO LIVE IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HANNAH ARENDT, MICHAEL CRAWFORD, AND ARISTOTLE, RIGHT?
ANYONE CAN VOLUNTEER.
MONTGOMERY: SO I THINK THAT "AIR-EN-ET"?
LIEBERT: "AR-ENT."
HANNAH ARENDT.
YEAH.
I BELIEVE THAT ARENDT-- I THINK THAT ARENDT BELIEVES THAT IF HUMANITY WERE TO STICK WITH THE 3 ACTIVITIES THEN... LIEBERT: WHICH 3 ACTIVITIES ARE THOSE?
ACTIVITY, WORK, AND LABOR.
LIEBERT: WORK, LABOR, AND... NOT IN THE SAME ORDER.
LABOR, WORK, AND ACTION.
LABOR, WORK, AND ACTION.
IF HUMANITY WAS TO STICK WITH THEM, THEN LIFE WOULD BE SATISFYING.
AND WHY?
ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU BELIEVE OR WAS TAUGHT TO BELIEVE, NONE OF THAT MATTERS.
IT'S LIKE ALL THAT'S BULL... NOW I WANT YOU TO READ WITH, LIKE, A FRESH SLATE AND JUST, LIKE, WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS MEANS?
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE AUTHOR WAS TRYING TO SAY?
WHO IS THE AUTHOR?
LIKE, WHERE DID HE COME FROM?
WOMAN: THIS IS LIKE THE BOOT CAMP WITHOUT THE PHYSICAL TRAINING, AND IT'S KIND OF HARD BECAUSE THE PROFESSOR REALLY ISN'T TELLING US IF IT'S--IF WE'RE RIGHT OR IF WE'RE WRONG.
SHE'S LEAVING IT UP TO US TO FIGURE IT OUT, SO THAT'S EVEN MORE OF A CHALLENGE BECAUSE NOW I'M QUESTIONING MY OWN SELF.
♪ WOMAN: LETTERS?
YEAH.
COMMENTS I HAVE... WOMAN, VOICE-OVER: I TEACH FIRST YEARS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
WHAT I GET TO SEE, WHAT I KNOW WHEN THEY WALK IN THERE AND THEY ARE DOING THEIR BEST TO BE BRAVE-- HA HA-- IN THE FACE OF PROBABLY SOME OF THE HARDEST MATERIAL THEY'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED.
MENGERT: ALL RIGHT.
SO TODAY, WE ARE GOING TO START CLASS BY TALKING ABOUT HOW TO ORGANIZE A PARAGRAPH.
I'VE NOW HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE SOME OF YOUR WRITING THIS SEMESTER, AND WHAT I AM NOTICING IS SOME FANTASTIC IDEAS BUT NOT A LOT OF COHESION IN YOUR PARAGRAPHS, SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT CONSTITUTES A PARAGRAPH.
SO A PARAGRAPH SHOULD BE FIRST UNIFIED.
A PARAGRAPH SHOULD BE COHERENT.
IT SHOULD BE WELL-DEVELOPED.
MAN: WHEN IS THERE TOO MANY SENTENCES?
OR TOO LESS?
OR TOO LESS?
MENGERT: OR TOO FEW.
GAERTNER: A LOT OF THE STUFF THAT I WAS READING I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT WAS.
YOU KNOW, IT WOULD TAKE ME 2, 3 HOURS JUST TO GET PAST 2 PAGES BECAUSE I WOULD KEEP HAVING TO STOP AND GO OVER AND LOOK IN THE DICTIONARY, FIND OUT WHAT THIS WORD IS AND GO OVER THE PARAGRAPH OVER AND OVER AND OVER, TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT.
MENGERT: WHAT CHANGES, LET'S SAY, AROUND CHAPTER 12?
GAERTNER: A LOT MORE PEOPLE.
A LOT MORE PEOPLE!
WHEN HE GOES INTO THE PHARAOH, THAT'S WHEN I STARTED THINKING ABOUT IT.
I SAID--I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PUT IT INTO WORDS-- I KNOW THAT WHEN I SEEN THE PHARAOH, I KNOW SOMETHING CLICKED IN MY HEAD, AND THAT'S WHAT MADE ME START THINKING ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT-- HOW MANY PEOPLE THERE ARE.
OK.
THE WORLD THAT WE'RE INHABITING SUDDENLY HAS EXPANDED A GREAT DEAL.
[BELL RINGING] OK. [INDISTINCT CHATTER] GAERTNER: MY LIFE IS DIFFERENT NOW BECAUSE MY WHOLE PROGRAM CHANGED.
YOU KNOW, I WAS USED TO WORKING IN INDUSTRY ALL DAY LONG.
WE MAKE ALL THE HIGHWAY SIGNS AND THE STOP SIGNS.
WE DON'T DO THE LICENSE PLATES.
EVERYBODY ALWAYS THINKS PRISON MAKE LICENSE PLATES.
YOU JUST SIT THERE AND DO, LIKE, ROBOTIC WORK.
YOU KNOW, A MEANINGLESS JOB.
ISRAIL: SOMEONE WHO IS NOT IN BPI MAY HAVE A MESS HALL JOB.
MAN ON RADIO: 30 TO 5-5.
MESS HALL WORKERS ARE OUT.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A MESS HALL JOB, YOU COULD HAVE A PORTER JOB, WHICH IS BASICALLY YOU SWEEP FLOORS ALL DAY.
SPIVEY-JONES: WHEN YOU HAVE AN ABSENCE OF ANY PROGRAMS IN PRISON THAT FACILITATE ANY KIND OF GROWTH, INDIVIDUALS ARE...
BECOMING PERHAPS DISILLUSIONED BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT BEING PREPARED FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN DOING, WHICH IS CRIME.
HALL: WHEN I DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO BPI, I WAS MORE LIABLE TO HANG OUT IN THE YARD OR DAY ROOM AND WATCH TV BECAUSE THERE WASN'T NOTHING BETTER TO DO, AND THERE'S THE EVER PRESENT VIOLENCE AND, YOU KNOW, DRUGS.
MAN: PRISON IS A PLACE WHERE YOU COULD LOSE HOPE.
THERE'S SO MUCH THAT YOU HAVE TO NEGOTIATE IN PRISON MENTALLY THAT GOES JUST ABOVE YOUR PHYSICAL CONFINEMENT.
I SAW GUYS AROUND ME INSIDE WHO WERE DISCONNECTED FROM EVERYONE ELSE, INDIVIDUALS WHO DIDN'T BATHE, WHO DIDN'T CLEAN THEIR LIVING SPACE.
THEY WALKED TO THE MESS HALL, AND THEY ATE, AND THEY WALKED BACK TO THEIR CELLS.
THEY SURVIVED, BUT THEY REALLY WEREN'T LIVING.
MAN: PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S INVOLVED ONCE YOU COMPLETELY LOSE YOUR LIBERTY.
IT IS PUNISHMENT ENOUGH JUST TO BE INCARCERATED.
MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS PREVENTING SUICIDES, NOT PREVENTING HOMICIDES.
TATRO: SOME PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T SURVIVE THIS.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE SEEN PRISON DESTROY PEOPLE.
MAYBE A MONTH AGO, THEY SHUT THE PRISON DOWN FOR ABOUT A DAY AND A HALF.
A KID NAMED KYLE-- HE'S A FRIEND OF MINE-- HE ATTEMPTED TO COMMIT SUICIDE.
IT WAS KIND OF A HORRIFIC SUICIDE ATTEMPT.
EVERY TIME I'D SEE HIM, HE'S, "DYJUAN WHAT "ARE YOU WORKING ON?
CAN YOU GET ME A BOOK TO READ?"
YOU KNOW, "I FINISHED 'CRIME AND PUNISHMENT.'
DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER CLASSIC?"
AND THEN HE TRIES TO COMMIT SUICIDE, AND IT REMINDS YOU HOW LONELY PRISON CAN BE.
♪ WOW.
THAT'S-- THAT'S POWERFUL.
I'M TELLING YOU I CAN SEE YOUR WRITING IMPROVED GREATLY SINCE THE LAST TIME I LOOKED AT IT.
YEAH.
I'M GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE NOW I ACTUALLY ENJOY WRITING THESE PAPERS.
YEAH, THAT'S SO TRUE.
MAX WEBER USES A GERMAN-- DEFINITELY WITH GERMAN, YOU HAVE WORDS THAT HAVE MEANINGS BEYOND JUST THE SURFACE MEANING.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, ENLIGHTENMENT IS A WORD THAT WE WOULD THINK MEANS TO THINK AT A HIGHER LEVEL OR TO GAIN A STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS, BUT WHEN YOU READ THAT WORD ENLIGHTENMENT IN GERMAN, IT HAS A WHOLE BUNCH OF CONNOTATIONS OF A HISTORICAL PERIOD.
SO TRY TO READ WHAT'S UNDERLYING HIS WORDS.
HALL, VOICE-OVER: I'VE ALWAYS LOVED SCHOOL.
I WANTED TO COME HOME AND DO MY HOMEWORK.
I THINK IT WAS MAYBE SECOND OR THIRD GRADE, AND A TEACHER ASKED US "HOW MANY OF YOU WANT GO TO COLLEGE?"
MY HAND SHOT UP, BUT I WAS THE ONLY ONE REALLY, AND THAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE THAT KIND OF TOLD ME MAYBE I SHOULDN'T BROADCAST THAT, YOU KNOW, I LIKE SCHOOL.
I GREW UP IN BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN.
I COME FROM A SINGLE-PARENT HOME.
I WAS BORN IN 1975, SO I GUESS, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD SAY THAT I GREW UP IN THE EIGHTIES.
I WOULD SAY THAT THE WORLD I GREW UP IN WAS PRETTY TENSE.
[SIREN] IT WAS PRETTY VIOLENT TO SAY THE LEAST.
I REMEMBER TAKING ON THE WAY OF THINKING THAT "DON'T THINK, JUST ACT."
I REMEMBER TELLING MYSELF THAT, AND WHEN I FIRST DID IT, I GOT A GOOD PEER RESPONSE, SO I JUST KEPT ON DOING IT.
I DON'T RECALL DOING ANY EXTENSIVE WRITING IN MY HIGH SCHOOL.
I DIDN'T KNOW THE GRAMMAR AND THE STRUCTURE IN WHICH I COULD EXPRESS MYSELF.
I MADE IT TO THE TENTH GRADE.
I HAD THIS MANNER OF READING THE FIRST CHAPTER, THE MIDDLE CHAPTER, AND THE LAST CHAPTER OF A BOOK, AND I WAS ABLE TO GET BY DOING THAT.
I DIDN'T READ A WHOLE BOOK UNTIL I CAME TO JAIL.
HERNANDEZ: I GREW UP IN THE SOUTH BRONX IN A PREDOMINANTLY HISPANIC AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
MY MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS, LIKE, ONE OF THE WORST MIDDLE SCHOOLS IN THE ENTIRE CITY AT THAT TIME.
ON MY FIRST DAY, I SAW SOMEONE CHASE ANOTHER GUY WITH A SWITCHBLADE IN HIS HAND.
I WAS JUMPED THERE A FEW TIMES.
THESE GUYS KEEP BEATING ME UP.
YOU KNOW, I BECAME VIOLENT MYSELF TO DEFEND MYSELF.
THAT'S WHEN I REALLY STARTED CUTTING SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, UM, CUTTING CLASS.
WHEN EVERYONE YOU, ALL YOUR FRIENDS ARE GANG MEMBERS AND DRUG DEALERS, DROPOUTS, HOW ELSE TO FIT INTO THAT?
I JOINED THE GANGS, I SOLD DRUGS.
I DID THINGS I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T OF DID.
I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I WAS A PART OF SOCIETY.
I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I WAS A CITIZEN.
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT A CITIZEN WAS SUPPOSED TO DO, WHAT SORT OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES THEY HAD TO OTHERS.
I FELT LIKE I HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PEOPLE I KNEW, TO MY FAMILY, ALTHOUGH I LET THEM DOWN, AND MY FRIENDS.
ANYONE OUTSIDE OF THAT I DIDN'T KNOW, I DIDN'T OWE THEM ANYTHING.
YOU KNOW, I-- NOBODY EVER TAUGHT ME ANY OF THAT.
WE DIDN'T LEARN THAT.
[RADIO SQUAWKS] [INDISTINCT CHATTER] TATRO: THIS IS MY THIRD FULL SEMESTER.
BARD JUST GETS PROGRESSIVELY HARDER.
I HAD A PROFESSOR TELL US, YOU KNOW, "I TEACH COLLEGE, "AND I TEACH TO THE BEST STUDENTS "IN THE MOST ELITE UNIVERSITIES IN THE COUNTRY, "AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA DO HERE.
LET'S GET STARTED."
WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU THAT, IT'S A WHOLE NEW DAY.
TATRO: I WAS JUST THINKING YOU HAVE THIS IRISH POPULATION WHO'S KIND OF AGAINST THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN THEIR LIVES, AND YET THEY SEEM TO BE THE ONES ADVOCATING FOR, LIKE, A GREATER GOVERNMENT PRESENCE IN SOME SENSE.
LIKE, HOW IS THAT-- CAN YOU SPEAK ABOUT THAT TENSION?
PROFESSOR: IT'S ABOUT POWER... OK. AND USING POWER TO ACTUALLY BOTH PROTECT THEMSELVES BUT ALSO TO SECURE THEIR POSITION WITHIN THE GREATER URBAN, YOU KNOW, COMPLEX.
SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE IN THE PAST REFERENCED THINGS LIKE W.E.B.
DU BOIS' DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS, RIGHT, BUT THERE'S NO REASON NOT TO EXTEND THAT METAPHOR TO THE IRISH.
OK.
SO THEY CONSTANTLY HAVE TO NEGOTIATE OR RENEGOTIATE THIS TENSION?
THE TENSION IS OBVIOUS FOR US, BUT, IN FACT, LIKE DU BOIS' DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS, IT'S NOT THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE DAY YOU'RE ONE THING AND THE NEXT DAY YOU'RE THE NEXT.
IT'S, IN FACT, ACTUALLY THAT THERE ARE TWO EMOTIONAL, PERSONAL, COMMUNAL STRUGGLES HAPPENING WITHIN YOU.
THERE ARE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, I TAKE FOR GRANTED WHEN I'M TEACHING AT MIT THAT I CAN JUST DO THAT I CAN'T DO HERE.
THE MIXED MEDIA THAT YOU'LL USE INSIDE A CLASSROOM AT AN ELITE INSTITUTION THAT I CAN'T REPRODUCE HERE.
HERE, YOU GO BACK TO A MORE BASIC TEACHING STRUCTURE SO WHAT ELSE I HAVE, YOU KNOW?
SO U1, A1, U2, A2, SO U3, A3, AND PLUS NOW U4, A4.
OK. WILDER: OUR STUDENTS IN BPI SHOW UP TO CLASS EXTRAORDINARILY WELL-PREPARED, AND SO A LOT OF THAT SORT OF GIMMICKRY THAT WE NEED, WE DON'T NEED HERE AS MUCH BECAUSE ACTUALLY EVERYONE'S DONE THE READING.
MAN: ESSENTIALLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS YOU'RE COMBINING ALL OF THE COMPONENTS OF YOUR VECTOR AND YOUR-- PROFESSOR: YES, I'M GONNA JUST PUT THIS ASIDE.
THIS WAS CONNECTIVITY.
SO YOU'RE COLLECTING THE TERMS?
AND THIS ONE TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
[SPEAKING CHINESE] [STUDENTS SPEAKING ALONG] [SPEAKS CHINESE] VEHICLE.
[SPEAKS CHINESE] VEHICLE.
[SPEAKS CHINESE] [STUDENTS REPEAT] [SPEAKS CHINESE] [SPEAKS CHINESE] [PROFESSOR SPEAKS CHINESE] YOUR CAR ALREADY STOPPED OR-- [PROFESSOR SPEAKS CHINESE SLOWLY] HA!
THERE YOU GO.
THANK YOU.
YOU'RE INCARCERATED, YOU'RE IN JAIL, AND IN THE MIDST OF THAT CHAOS, IN THE MIDST OF THIS ROUTINE, YOU FIND SOMETHING.
IT'S LIKE A OASIS, YOU KNOW, A FERTILE PLACE IN THE DESERT, AND THIS IS WHAT THIS DOES.
IT'S NOT THE NORM.
THIS IS NOT THE NORM.
GOES BACK AGAIN UNTIL IT COMPLETES.
PROFESSOR: OK. L.P. KENNER: FOR A GENERATION, COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY WAS A CENTRAL PART OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES.
IT WAS THE LEAST EXPENSIVE AND BEST WAY TO REDUCE VIOLENCE, REDUCE RECIDIVISM, AND INCREASE PUBLIC SAFETY, AND YET IT BECAME A LIGHTNING ROD POLITICALLY.
THERE HAD BEEN COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY IN VIRTUALLY EVERY STATE AND FEDERAL PRISON IN THE UNITED STATES.
IT WAS ELIMINATED OVERNIGHT WITH THE CLINTON CRIME BILL.
THE PLAN IS NOT--IS TOUGH.
IT IS FAIR.
IT WILL PUT POLICE ON THE STREET AND CRIMINALS IN JAIL.
IT LETS LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS KNOW THAT WE ARE WORKING TO GIVE THEM THE SAFETY THEY DESERVE.
PETER JENNINGS: ON CAPITOL HILL TODAY, MEMBERS OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE HAVE BEEN MEETING TO WORK OUT THEIR DIFFERENCES OVER A NEW CRIME BILL, AND ONE OF THE ISSUES ON THE TABLE HAS TO DO WITH PRISONERS WHO TAKE COLLEGE LEVEL COURSES WHILE THEY'RE BEHIND BARS.
UNDER THE NEW CRIME BILL, THE FEDERAL AID MONEY THAT HELPS THEM DO IT MAY BE ELIMINATED.
ANNUCCI: PEOPLE WERE ANGRY ABOUT CRIMINALS.
THEY WERE ANGRY ABOUT OFFENDERS.
THEY THOUGHT IF YOU COMMIT A CRIME YOU SHOULD GO TO PRISON, YOU SHOULD BE PUNISHED, YOU SHOULD NOT RECEIVE THE BENEFIT OF HIGHER EDUCATION, SO AS MUCH AS WE TRIED VERY HARD TO CONVINCE THE POWERS THAT BE, AT LEAST ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL, THAT THAT WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED DECISION, YOU COULDN'T FIGHT AGAINST THE 20-SECOND SOUNDBITE.
WE ARE SENDING A TERRIBLE MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WHEN WE WERE SPENDING AT LEAST $35 MILLION SENDING CONVICTED FELONS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING.
OUR CONSTITUENTS ALREADY PAY TO FEED, HOUSE, CLOTHE, AND REHABILITATE PRISONERS.
♪ ♪ HALL: I WAS IN PRISON FOR A YEAR WHEN COLLEGE WAS TAKEN AWAY QUICKLY.
YOU KNOW, I WAS INTERESTED IN ENROLLING, BUT I WASN'T ABLE TO, SO I KIND OF WAS, LIKE, LEFT OUT, LIKE, "WHAT AM I GONNA DO NOW?"
ANNUCCI: WE DID NOT HAVE ANY TAXPAYER-BASED MONEY TO SUPPORT COLLEGE PROGRAMMING, BUT A NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS DECIDED THAT THERE WERE OTHER WAYS TO PROVIDE THAT SAME PROGRAMMING BASICALLY THROUGH PRIVATE DONATIONS, AND IT'S TAKEN OFF.
I'D LOVE TO HAVE MORE.
♪ ♪ PROFESSOR: FOR THIS CLASS, YOU'RE DRAWING FROM YOUR PERSONAL... KENNER: BPI HAS NO ENDOWMENT, NO STUDENTS PAY TUITION, SO EVERY SEMESTER, EVERY YEAR IS A...EXISTENTIAL EVENT, BUT IN PHILANTHROPY, EVERY PROFESSIONAL WANTS TO JUDGE OUR SUCCESS OR FAILURE BY ONE METRIC AND ONE MEASURE ALONE, AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY CALL RECIDIVISM, WHICH IS THE RATE AT WHICH PEOPLE WHO ARE RELEASED FROM PRISON RETURN.
WE MUST END THE CYCLE OF RECIDIVISM.
NEARLY HALF, NEARLY HALF OF THE MINORITIES WHO GO TO PRISON COME OUT AND GO BACK THROUGH THE REVOLVING DOOR ONCE AGAIN.
OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO WENT THROUGH THE BARD COLLEGE PROGRAM, THE RECIDIVISM RATE HAS ONLY BEEN 4%, 4% COMPARED TO CLOSE TO 50%.
[APPLAUSE] WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS PROGRAM, AND WE'RE GOING TO EXPAND IT TO PRISONS ALL ACROSS THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
[APPLAUSE] ♪ THE GOVERNMENT WILL SPEND $60,000 A YEAR ON A PRISON CELL TO KEEP A PERSON IN PRISON, MORE MONEY THAN IT TAKES TO SEND A PERSON TO HARVARD UNIVERSITY FOR A YEAR.
NEWSCASTER: GOVERNOR CUOMO HAS PROPOSED USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO FULLY FUND A COLLEGE DEGREE FOR CONVICTS.
HE SAYS IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE STATE IN THE LONG RUN.
SO MY 10-YEAR-OLD NOW-- I JUST TOLD HIM YESTERDAY, "YOU'RE ON A NEW CAREER TRACK."
[LAUGHTER] "WHEN YOU'RE 18, YOU'RE GONNA ROB THAT BANK IN POUGHKEEPSIE"... [LAUGHTER] "BECAUSE YOU GOT 4 YEARS COMING TO YOU COURTESY "OF GOVERNOR CUOMO, AND YOU'RE GONNA COME OUT LOOKING GREAT."
♪ LOPEZ: A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY WORK DAMN HARD TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES AND THAT IF ANYONE SHOULD GET AN EDUCATION IT SHOULD BE THEIR CHILDREN, NOT SOMEONE WHO HAS MENACED SOCIETY, HAS COMMIT CRIMES AGAINST CITIZENS, BUT THEY NAMED THIS THING THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS.
HOW COULD YOU CORRECT SOMEONE IF YOU'RE TAKING THE VERY TOOLS THAT ACTUALLY CORRECT AND REHABILITATE THE INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU WANT TO BE PROTECTED FROM?
MAN: "THAT GLIB AND OILY ART, TO SPEAK AND PURPOSE NOT, "SINCE WHAT I WELL INTEND "I'LL DO 'T BEFORE I SPEAK-- "THAT YOU MAKE KNOWN IT IS NO VICIOUS BLOT, MURDER, OR FOULNESS."
SO I GUESS BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, SHE'S SAYING SHE'S GOING TO SPEAK HER MIND, YOU KNOW, TO LEAR.
SHE'S GOING TO BE DEFIANT, AND, UH... SHE'S NOT GONNA LISTEN TO HIM.
MENGERT: "GLIB AND OILY ART."
WHY OILY?
WHY IS THIS ART OILY?
MAN: THE SISTERS ARE BASICALLY KISSING BEHIND TO GET THEIR PART OF THE KINGDOM, AND SHE'S NOT HAVING NONE OF THAT.
IT'S GREASY, IT'S LIKE A PORK CHOP.
IT'S GREASY.
IT'S A TERM THAT WE USE IN THE YARD WHEN SOMEBODY'S ACTING, YOU KNOW, SHADY YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?
"HE'S A GREASY CHARACTER."
MENGERT: AS WE'VE JUST READ "PLATO'S REPUBLIC," CAN YOU PUT THAT IN CONVERSATION WITH "THE REPUBLIC"?
GONZALEZ: THEY'RE SO GREEDY FOR GAIN THAT THEY'RE NOT EVEN THINKING ABOUT THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE OR REALLY HONORING THEIR FATHER.
THEIR SIGHT IS ON HALF THE KINGDOM, THIRD OF THE KINGDOM, AND, UH, SHE CHOOSES TO NOT GO THAT ROUTE.
SHE REASONS IT OUT AND SAYS, "I'M NOT GONNA PLAY THIS GAME "THAT THEY'RE PLAYING.
"THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT TO ME TO BE HONEST AND VIRTUOUS AND STAND WITH INTEGRITY."
BROWN: LEAR REPRESENTS THE PHILOSOPHER KING.
THEN SHE'S SUPPOSED TO ADHERE TO WHATEVER HE HAS TO SAY BECAUSE HE'S THE RULER OF THE KINGDOM, SO HE KNOWS WHAT'S BEST FOR THE KINGDOM, AND IF WE TALKING ABOUT PLATO, "THE REPUBLIC," THE HAPPINESS OF THE KINGDOM IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THE KING, SO I GUESS SHE'S WRONG BY DENYING HIM.
ALL RIGHT, BUT WHAT HAPPENS-- WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE KING IS WRONG?
HE'S STILL SUPPOSED TO BE OBEYED?
BECAUSE HE'S OBVIOUSLY WRONG.
MENGERT: HA HA HA!
HE'S DEFINITELY WRONG.
HIS KINGDOM, HE GIVES IT AWAY, AND THEY CAST HIM ASIDE EVENTUALLY.
GONZALEZ: IT'S BEEN REWARDING ALREADY.
IT'S 3 MONTHS I'VE ONLY BEEN IN HERE.
YOU'RE PUTTING WORDS TO SYSTEMS THAT YOU'VE RECOGNIZED YOUR WHOLE LIFE BUT YOU NEVER HAD A WORD FOR IT.
RIGHT?
HEGEMONY OR ALIENATION.
IT'S REWARDING, BUT IT'S HARDER.
IT'S DIFFICULT.
WE'RE GETTING PILED ON HERE.
♪ PROFESSOR: OK.
SO OF COURSE, THE BIG DEAL TODAY IS GETTING YOUR FIRST PAPERS BACK.
A COUPLE OF GENERAL POINTS.
QUOTATION OF THE AUTHORS IS OVERUSED.
YOU WANT TO BE USING QUOTATIONS VERY SPARINGLY.
I WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU SAY AND HOW YOU UNDERSTAND THE HISTORIANS, OK?
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
I'M GONNA MOVE OVER TO THAT TABLE, AND I'LL CALL YOU OVER ONE AT A TIME.
WOMAN: THAT'S NOT BAD.
SO I'M GONNA READ TO YOU MY FINAL COMMENTS, AND THEN WE'LL GO THROUGH IT A LITTLE BIT.
I DON'T REALLY FEEL LIKE I REALLY-- I DON'T KNOW, GRASP-- I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND, LIKE.
YOU'RE GONNA GET A SECOND CRACK AT THIS, OK?
NO THESIS, AND THAT'S PROBABLY THE CRITICAL ELEMENT THAT'S MISSING BECAUSE IF YOU HAD DEVELOPED A THESIS IN THE INTRODUCTION, THEN THE REST OF THE PAPER WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.
CALGON, TAKE ME AWAY!
RIGHT, RIGHT.
WOMAN: I WAS UP STUDYING, READING THE MATERIAL, TRYING TO MAKE NOTES, AND EVERYTHING, AND I GOT A C ON MY PAPER.
WOMAN: I THINK WE WERE ALL KIND OF TAUGHT TO, LIKE, REALLY ADMIRE THE CONSTITUTION AND THE FRAMERS AND STUFF, AND NOW, WE'RE KIND OF LEARNING HOW THAT AFFECTED JUST COMMON PEOPLE BACK IN THE DAY.
WE NEVER--I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.
I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS THIS GREAT THING AND AMERICA BECAME DEMOCRATIC, BUT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE THAT WE'RE LEARNING THIS NOW, YOU REALIZE THAT'S NOT REALLY THE CASE, GRAHAM: WE'RE NOT REALLY LOOKING AT HISTORY THE WAY IT'S NORMALLY TAUGHT IN SCHOOL.
WE'RE ACTUALLY DISSECTING IT OURSELVES.
WE'RE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE THE SOURCE IS COMING FROM AND HOW AUTHENTIC THE--THE DOCUMENT IS, AND WE'RE BREAKING IT DOWN ON OUR OWN, WE'RE MAKING OUR OWN INFERENCES.
I'VE GOTTEN LOWEST GRADE I'VE EVER GOTTEN IN MY LIFE ON A PAPER.
IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
[LAUGHTER] WOMAN: MRROW!
SHE'S NOT DISCLOSING THIS INFORMATION.
I GOT TO FINISH AN 8-PAGE ETHNICOG-- ETHNI--I CAN'T EVEN SAY THAT WORD.
INTERVIEWER: ETHNOGRAPHIC?
I HAVE A PROBLEM.
YEAH, ETHNOGRAPHIC REPORT.
I GOT TO FINISH MENGERT'S PAPER, AND ME AND HER... ARE BATTLING WITH MY WITH MY THESIS... AND ENGLISH, GRAMMAR, I HATE GRAMMAR.
IT'S ALL ABOUT RULES AND LEARNING RULES, AND EWW!
BEING LOCKED UP AT 17 AND THEN NOT EVEN KNOWING MY TIMES TABLE WHEN I FIRST GOT LOCKED UP BECAUSE I WAS YOUNG, THEN HAVING GET MY GED, THEN HAVING TO GO INTO BARD, IT'S BEEN JUST A REOCCURRING THEME OF BUILDING MYSELF UP, YOU KNOW, GETTING SMARTER, GETTING SMARTER.
I DIDN'T DRINK COFFEE BEFORE THIS.
I JUST STARTED DRINKING COFFEE.
NOW I'M STAYING UP ALL NIGHT, AND I'M NOT GOING OUTSIDE, I'M NOT GONNA GO WORK OUT.
I'M MORE INTO TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS TEXT MEANS AND MAKING SURE THAT I GET IT DOWN.
THAT'S FOR THE MOST PART WHAT I'M DOING NOW [EXHALES] ANNUCCI: I'D MUCH RATHER HAVE SOMEONE WORRYING, STUDYING "AM I GONNA PASS MY EXAMINATION?"
VERSUS SOMEONE STUDYING "HOW AM I GONNA PASS CONTRABAND "BEYOND THE SECURITY CHECKPOINT?
"HOW AM I GONNA PASS HEROIN PAST THE SECURITY CHECKPOINT?"
SECURITY, UNFORTUNATELY, HAS TO PERMEATE EVERY ASPECT OF CORRECTIONAL OPERATIONS.
THESE ARE CONVICTED FELONS, AND THE OFFICERS HAVE TO DO THEIR JOBS, THEY HAVE TO BE RESPECTED, AND THEY HAVE TO BE SAFE, BUT BY THE SAME TOKEN, THE INMATES HAVE TO BE TREATED HUMANELY.
MAN ON RADIO: HE'S BEEN LOCATED.
HE'S ON HIS WAY BACK.
WOMAN ON RADIO: 6-4 COPIES.
HALL: I HAVE HAD OFFICERS WHO ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE AND ENCOURAGING, AND I HAVE HAD OFFICERS THAT SOME WAY OR ANOTHER POINT OUT "DON'T THINK BECAUSE YOU'RE GETTING AN EDUCATION THAT YOU GOT SOMETHING OVER ME."
ANNUCCI: MOST CORRECTION OFFICERS DO NOT HAVE COLLEGE EDUCATION, SO PART OF THE DYNAMIC HERE IS A POTENTIAL RESENTMENT FOR SOMEBODY THAT HAS TO OBEY YOUR ORDERS BUT THAT-- BUT MAY NOW FEEL THAT THEY'RE SMARTER THAN YOU.
ISRAIL: THERE ARE RULES.
IT'S PRISON, AND RULES HAVE CONSEQUENCES WHEN THEY'RE BROKEN.
[RADIO CHATTER] ♪ GAERTNER: ONE OF THE FEARS I HAVE IS, IS GETTING LOCKED UP WHILE I'M IN THIS PROGRAM BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, WORK HARD FOR 2, 3 MONTHS, YOU KNOW, DOING ALL THESE ASSIGNMENTS AND EVERYTHING AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN GET LOCKED UP.
♪ SPIVEY-JONES: SHU IS LIKE A JAIL INSIDE OF A JAIL.
YOU SPEND 23 HOURS A DAY IN A CELL.
YOU EAT IN THE CELL.
YOU HAVE ACCESS TO MAYBE 5 BOOKS, 5 OR 10 PHOTOS.
MAN: SHU TEARS YOU UP, MAN, TEARS YOU UP, BREAKS YOU DOWN MENTALLY CAUSE YOU'RE LOCKED UP IN A CELL FOR 23 HOURS A DAY WITH NO CONTACT.
YOU CAN'T TALK TO ANYONE, AND THAT TAKES A TOLL ON YOU, MAN.
♪ DIFFERENT MAN: I STARTED BPI IN THE FALL OF 2008.
IN 2009, I FAILED A DRUG TEST.
THAT SENT GOT ME SENT UPSTATE OUT OF THIS FACILITY AND OUT OF THE PROGRAM.
I'D HOPED EVENTUALLY TO MAKE MY WAY BACK HERE.
♪ [RADIO CHATTER] PROFESSOR: IF YOU'RE DRAWING WITH LIGHT... KIM, VOICE-OVER: A LOT OF US ARE FLAWED IN SOME WAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO DRUGS, AND A LOT OF US HAVE ADDICTIONS, AND THOSE AREN'T THINGS THAT JUST GO AWAY.
THEY'RE KIND OF WITH YOU ALWAYS.
AFTER THE FACT, YOU KICK YOURSELF.
"OH HOW COULD I HAVE DONE THAT?
IT WAS SO STUPID.
IT WAS SO POINTLESS."
YOU START TO REEVALUATE WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU, AND, UM, I'M JUST GLAD I'M BACK.
[BELL RINGING] LIEBERT: SO HERE WE'RE READING AESCHYLUS'S "ORESTEIA," 3 TRAGEDIES DEALING WITH THE LEGENDARY CURSE ON THE HOUSE OF ATREUS, WHICH IS ACTUALLY A MYTHOLOGICAL KIND OF COMPLEX THAT RELATES VERY MUCH TO HOMER'S "ILIAD."
ALL OF THESE STUDENTS HAVE TAKEN, WITH ONE EXCEPTION, MY HOMER CLASS LAST YEAR, AND SO THEY'RE SORT OF LIKE SPECIALISTS ALREADY IN CLASSICS.
WHAT I WANT TO DO IS TO GET THEM TO RELATE TO TEXTS THAT SEEM AT FIRST TO BE REALLY FOREIGN AND STRANGE AND TO REALIZE ACTUALLY THAT THEY'RE QUITE RELATABLE.
READ IT ONE MORE TIME.
"BUT IT IS THE LAW THAT DROPS OF BLOOD SPILT "ON THE GROUND DEMAND FURTHER BLOODSHED; "FOR MURDER CALLS ON THE ERINYES, "WHO FROM THOSE WHO PERISHED BEFORE BRINGS ONE RUIN TO ANOTHER'S WAKE."
LIEBERT: "BRINGS ONE RUIN IN ANOTHER'S WAKE."
YEAH, SO THAT'S CRUCIAL.
RIGHT.
IT "BRINGS ONE RUIN IN ANOTHER'S WAKE."
IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE CHORUS THEMSELVES ARE SAYING, YOU KNOW, "IN MURDERING "AS RETALIATION FOR MURDER, YOU ARE BOUND TO BRING RUIN ON TO YOURSELF," AND YET THEY'RE INSISTING THAT THAT'S THE ONLY FORM OF JUSTICE.
TATRO: THIS IDEA OF-- IT'S IDEALISTIC, THE JUSTICE... LIEBERT: YEAH, OF "THE AGAMEMNON"-- OF THE TYPE OF REVENGE THAT TAKES PLACE IN "THE AGAMEMNON," WHEREAS IN THE "CHOEPHORI," THEY COME STRAIGHT OUT AND SAY IT.
IT'S VERY BLUNT.
IT'S THIS IS A LIFE FOR A LIFE.
YEAH, NO.
YOU'RE RIGHT.
YOU'RE RIGHT.
DID OTHERS SENSE THAT, THAT THE CONCEPTION OF JUSTICE IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE TWO?
MAN: I THINK WE HAVE IN "THE AGAMEMNON" WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT JUSTICE BEING, I GUESS, NURTURED FROM THE TIME THAT IPHIGENIA IS MURDERED UP UNTIL THE TIME THAT AGAMEMNON LANDS BACK AT HIS HOUSE, SO WE HAVE THIS NARRATIVE THAT KEEPS GETTING SUNG THOUGH THE WHOLE PLAY WHERE WE HAVE THIS CONCEPT OF JUSTICE IS NEARING.
♪ YOON: BECAUSE WE'RE IN PRISON, WE'RE NOT ANIMALS.
THESE GREEN COLORS, THEY DON'T DEFINE WHO WE ARE.
YOU KNOW, WHAT DEFINES US IS OUR--IS OUR MINDS AND OUR HEARTS, THAT WE HAVE MORALITIES EVEN IN PRISON.
SPIVEY-JONES: WHAT COLLEGE DOES, IT HELPS US IT HELPS US LEARN ABOUT THE NATION, IT HELPS US BECOME CIVIC BEINGS.
IT HELPS US UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE AN INTEREST IN OUR COMMUNITY, THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS A PART OF US AND WE ARE A PART OF IT, AND OFTENTIMES, WE DON'T FEEL THAT WAY IN A PRISON ENVIRONMENT.
WE FEEL AS IF WE'RE CUT OFF FROM THE COMMUNITY.
THE COMMUNITY IS AGAINST US.
HALL: WE GET CAUGHT UP IN THIS NOTION OF OURSELVES AS A PRISONER, AS THIS CONTAINED IDENTITY THAT SEES THE WORLD AS IF IT'S AGAINST US AND WHEN REALLY WE ARE-- WE HAVE DONE THINGS TO MAKE THE WORLD GO AGAINST US, AND WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT.
BY OPENING MY MIND IN THE CLASSROOM, I WAS ABLE TO GET A BETTER SENSE OF THAT.
[PROFESSOR SPEAKING SPANISH] ♪ IT TOOK ME 21 YEARS AND A HALF TO MAKE IT TO THE POINT WHERE I WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PAROLE.
EVEN THOUGH I HAVE DEVOTED MUCH PRAYER AND AWARENESS TO WHY I HAVE BEEN IN JAIL, THE PAROLE PROCESS BROUGHT IT TO A REAL STRONG HEAD FOR ME.
I'M GONNA TELL YOU I NEVER WANTED ANYTHING AS BAD IN MY LIFE, THOUGH, YOU KNOW.
I WANTED THE PAROLE BOARD TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I MADE A LOT OF IRRATIONAL DECISIONS.
MY WHOLE WAY OF THINKING WAS "OK. PEOPLE GONNA FIGHT YOU AND ROB YOU UNLESS YOU FIGHT BACK."
I BECAME VERY RECKLESS, AND IT JUST SO HAPPENED ON ONE NIGHT A GUY CAME TO THE AREA IN WHICH I LIVED AND DREW A WEAPON, AND I WAS TOTALLY NOT EVEN IN THE LINE OF FIRE OR AROUND IT, BUT WHEN I SAW THAT HE DID THAT, I, UM, RAN TOWARDS WHERE MY FRIENDS WERE AND GOT A GUN THAT I KNEW MY FRIEND HAD AND ENGAGED INTO THIS GUNFIGHT WITH HIM, AND THE RESULT WAS A LADY THAT I HAD GREW UP WITH, A LADY I LOOKED UP TO, UH, LOST HER LIFE.
I REALLY DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY JUSTIFICATION FOR GETTING A GUN AND PARTAKING IN WHAT I PARTOOK IN.
I DIDN'T KNOW THE GUY.
IT WAS JUST THAT WHOLE IDEA THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, AND THE ONLY WAY IT'S GONNA STOP IF YOU TAKE A STAND TO IT, WHICH WAS A WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS WRONG THAT CAUSED SO MUCH DESTRUCTION.
♪ ♪ A PERSON LOST THEIR LIFE THOUGH, YOU KNOW, A PERSON WHO I CONSIDERED A FRIEND.
I DON'T KNOW IF I COULD FORGIVE MYSELF FOR THAT.
SOMETIMES, I DO ASK "DO I DESERVE TO LEAVE?"
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER: LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS FILM BY VISITING PBS.ORG/ COLLEGEBEHINDBARS JOIN THE CONVERSATION WITH #COLLEGEBEHINDBARSPBS.
TO ORDER "COLLEGE BEHIND BARS" ON DVD, VISIT SHOPPBS.ORG OR CALL 1-800-PLAY-PBS.
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO.
♪ ANNOUNCER: AT BANK OF AMERICA, WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE PROUD TO SPONSOR "COLLEGE BEHIND BARS" FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER KEN BURNS AND DIRECTOR LYNN NOVICK, HIGHLIGHTING THE TRUE POWER OF EDUCATION.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE THE POWER TO DO?
FUNDING FOR "COLLEGE BEHIND BARS" WAS PROVIDED BY THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS OF THE BETTER ANGELS SOCIETY.
JOHN AND CATHERINE DEBS, THE SCHWARTZ/REISMAN FOUNDATION, THE COUSINS FOUNDATION, THE ABRAMS FOUNDATION, TED DINTERSMITH AND ELIZABETH HAZARD, THE McCLOSKEY FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST.
FUNDING WAS ALSO PROVIDED BY: THE FORD FOUNDATION JUSTFILMS AND THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES; BY MEG AND TOMAS BERGSTRAND; REGINA K. SCULLY; THE LISE STRICKLER AND MARK GALLOGLY CHARITABLE FUND; PATTY QUILLIN; AND BY THESE ADDITIONAL FUNDERS.
AND BY GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.
THANK YOU.
