The JCI Prison Scholars Program

Author: prisonscholarsprogram_zfjwjl

  • We are a Second Chance Pell Recipient!

    We are a Second Chance Pell Recipient!

    The Department of Education has selected us to participate in the Second Chance Pell Pilot Program!

    I wrote about this a bit before last year here and here. There will be much more news in the days and weeks ahead. We have heard that our partnership with the University of Baltimore is one of four such programs in the state of Maryland, but we don’t even know the names of the other schools!

    Thanks to Secretary Moyer and Warden Webb for their support!

    Thanks to our own Andrea Cantora who led the effort and will be shepherding the credit-bearing courses into being. Dr. Cantora came to us with plenty of experience working in prisons, but in her criminal justice courses she saw students who are deeply curious and hard-working taking classes without credit or recognition, and so she’s put an immense amount of time and effort into giving them what they deserve!

    Thanks to all out faculty and outside students from Loyola, MICA, and Georgetown!

    Thanks especially to our inside students, who deserved this so hard we had to make it real!

  • Reading at the Enoch Pratt Library, June 15 2016

    WritersLiveMikita1 (2)Reading from The Maximum Security Book Club and Q&A at the Enoch Pratt Library on June 15, 2016, with (l to r) JCI Scholar Vincent, Baynard Woods, Correspondent for the Guardian and writer for the City Paper, Glennor Shirley, Maryland State Prison Librarian, and JCI Scholar Mikita Brottman. You can listen to interviews with Mikita and Vincent at:
    Midday with Sheilah Kast, WYPR, June 13 2016
    “Roughly Speaking” with Dan Rodericks,  Baltimore Sun, June 15 2016

     

  • Newsletters from the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Course

    On Tuesday, my class “The Inside Out Prison Exchange Program: Criminal Justice Issues”, met for the final time at Jessup Correctional Institution. The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program is a national program developed by Temple University in 1997, and offered in prisons across the country and internationally. This was my third year offering Inside-Out at JCI. For 12 weeks University of Baltimore students met with 16 JCI students to study crime and social justice issues. Each week we intensely discussed the difficult questions of why crime occurs, how to prevent it, what is the purpose of prison, and what alternatives might work better at seeking justice and accountability. The last three weeks of this course students worked on developing newsletters on a specific issue related to incarceration. Five newsletters were developed and presented during our final class yesterday. I am so proud of these students for putting so much effort and passion into creating these newsletters. These newsletters will be displayed at UB in the Criminal Justice Program office, and will also be available here: http://www.ubalt.edu/cpa/faculty/alphabetical-directory/andrea-cantora.cfm

    Please read and share them with others!

     

  • April 26: Ian Bourland

    April 26: Ian Bourland

    Guest post by Sig

    Throughout this semester, I continue to learn about things I know absolutely nothing about. I’m not sure how to feel about this. I guess I’m happy to be learning something, yet sad borgheze-20-638because I’m 46 years old and still don’t know shit!

    Much like Ian, I enjoy the act of looking at art, trying to interpret what the artist is saying. I appreciate the fact that Ian exposed us to all of the classic artists even though he “works” in the modern period. There are so many greats, so varied in style, I felt a brief inspiration to pick up a pencil myself and see what comes out.

    As a guitar player, I know how to create rhythm and atmosphere in a song. As I was looking at Caravaggio, I could feel the darkness in the self portrait as Bacchus in the same way I feel the darkness in a minor chord on my guitar. It’s a little spooky to me.

    I have seen Picasso’s stuff before and have always wondered what kind of drugs he was on to see objects this way. Ian made me remember something I read somewhere about an alleged confession by Picasso before he died where he claimed he hated the weird stuff he was painting (equating it with a kindergartner’s etchings) but he knew that’s what the idiots en masse wanted, so he prostituted himself just to make money. Imagine that – someone compromising for money.

    I respect and admire Ian for knowing his limitations (he’s not an artist himself) but still found a way to make art his life while doing a job he obviously loves. That’s a successful man, in my view. Keep up the good work, and thanks for coming.

  • April 19: Timmy Aziz

    April 19: Timmy Aziz

    Guest Post by David Houk (Tree)

    IMG06673The class on architecture was interesting because I’ve worked construction almost my whole life, and I have experience working with terracotta tile black (clay). I can’t believe it takes almost eleven years to learn this career. But I guess it really does, to learn all that it takes to build an entire building.

    It was nice to know that Timmy did so much research into the local materials and what else was there, to build his mom’s house. I look at architecture as art that lasts more than a lifetime. Most of the greatest architecture IAA9769around the world is still here after all these years. Only the things that were destroyed by war and man’s stupidity are lost to newer generations. I believe that if there is a record of a great building or structure that was destroyed, it should be rebuilt just because great things should be remembered and admired.

    I guess it is every man and boy’s dream to build his parents a house, or do something for his parents for putting up with them for 18 plus years and probably college as well, so building a house for your mom is the greatest way to show your love and respect for her. I am curious that Timmy used his memory to get the house as close to what he could remember. Using the open screen walls and scupper holes in the walls was very ingenious, and also super-smart IAA9771because it helped with hearing and cooling. But then he said that dust became a big problem, not to mention the rat incident!

    All in all it was a good class, and I believe Mr. Aziz to be a good teacher, and maybe one of these days I will get to build a house for my parents. I might give him a call for some help if I get stuck! Thank you for coming in to teach such an interesting class. I wish you success in your future endeavors, and I will check you out when and if I get out of here.

  • Saul Myers

    Saul Myers

    Visit from Dr. Saul Myers. Guest post by Emmanuel Williams

    Saul_1Saul came here and shared some pretty well-written stories. I liked him and the stories that he brought with him. In his story of “Alfred,” he used the woman as a commander, one who controlled the situation. He used humor to bring up feminist views within a male dominated society, the dog being nothing more than a tool to be used, a plaything, an object to be merely ordered about. I love the way he transformed the dog into actually an extension of the man in the story. I’m still trying to figure out what “Bedsies!” means. I was even more astonished that they all slept in the same bed.

    In his second story, Saul talks about a man in an apartment building with some pretty sensitive hearing. He is an insomniac and needs utter and complete silence in order to get to sleep. This brought up some memories of my own. When we (prisoners) are unruly they send us to lock-up. Lock-up is normally extremely loud 24-7. There’s never a dull moment. People are yelling and screaming, kicking the door, banging on the radiators, and flooding the tier. Trying to sleep through all the noise is really hard. In the beginning, it’s not actually sleeping, but more like passing out from exhaustion after a week and a half of working out from boredom and not sleeping.

    After a while, the noise going on around you becomes normal and you pretty much drown all of it out. You start to recognize sounds that you may never have heard before, like the Correctional Officers’ Radio. When it’s quiet you know something is wrong. Prolonged periods of this torment desensitize you to noise when you’re trying to sleep. All you can do is try to figure out what the new noises are so you can block them out. I think the character in the story “The Sounds” could learn a lot about that.

    I believe overall that Saul will be a great published author. The people who are remembered most of those who dare to step outside the realm of normalcy to be different. Saul should continue to step outside the box and venture further out. I know there’s even more ingenuity than meets the eye because he’s hitting home runs the first time at bat. I would truly like for him to come back and give us another glimpse into his mind. Thank you once again.

    Emmanuel Williams

     

     

     

     

     

  • Lecture: Dr. Ruth Toulson

    Lecture: Dr. Ruth Toulson

    Guest post by Donald Gross

    (R.I.P Douglas Scott Arey)

    Wow! This particular lecture had to be one of the most, if not the most informative lectures that I have ever had the pleasure of participating in. I would never have guessed in a hundred years that a Q and A during the lecture would be so diverting, especially since the field of inquiry was basically about death, in particular the death transitions and rituals that are conducted in Singapore.
    It wasn’t just the lecture itself, it was the lecturer too. She wasn’t at all pretentious about anything. She avoided no questions, and answered them all with an acceptable response. It takes a very unique and special person to occupy the position that Ruth holds, and to be a female makes it even more special. She gave a very informative and interesting exposition. It was a very eye-opening learning experience to talk about the beliefs and customs of different cultures as they apply to the diverse parallels that lie between life and the afterlife.
    services-box-img-lppljwo0y2njfcs9v1i58j4vmyhphed168psofxir2    Ruth was truly the personification of someone who came to give a good lecture on Death’s rituals and customs. From her black attire to her mysterious tones and emphases that she used to describe certain events, she really came prepared to give a lecture on the subject of making the transition from life to afterlife. I’ve never hear the subject of death be described so eloquently. Ruth’s presentation was conducted so well that it actually seemed rehearsed, even to the asking of our unsuspecting questions. She presented us with Singapore’s complete traditions and rituals in detailed descriptions, beginning with the death of the person straight through to the embalming process. She also spoke somewhat discontentedly on the government-ordered ten-year exhumations.
    I also found the ceremonial rituals fascinating, especially when she was explaining the traditions regarding the Mardi Gras-like entertainment during the funeral, the color definitions, and the forty-day-long time frames of some of the funerals. I still don’t get the thing about why, if the ritual is performed incorrectly, the decedent becomes a hungry ghost.
    Even the personal tidbits that Ruth shared with us were very informative as well as enchanting. It was the first time I have heard there should be no charge for a child’s funeral. I enjoyed how she shared her family’s involvement in the business, along with her being the only white person to ever be employed by the African American Staff of March’s Funeral Home. That was the icing on the cake.
    In closing, I really enjoyed this lecture. I would really like to participate in a course based on Ruth’s book.

  • “My Kids.” Poem by Day-Day

    March 22, 2016

    My kids I wonder where your mind are
    I hope missing daddy from afar

    My kids I know I made promises in the past
    That’s before I get my GED and now attending a college class

    My kids I say to you that I are all grown up
    So you can stop worrying about me my time almost up

    Day-Day

  • Topics in the Humanities, Feb 16 2016

    Topics in the Humanities, Feb 16 2016

    Guest post by Sean Almond in response to class visit by conceptual artist Hugh Pocock

    I enjoyed the presentation you gave here at JCI. Your work and thoughts really opened my eyes to  new concepts of what art is, or could be. I thought that your piece “Volume” was brilliant. To utilize the museum’s own air system and the claim the air as your own, that was great. I also felt a connection to your invitation to dinner, showing how much technology is relied on even in the simplest aspects of our lives. Being in prison, I understand this, just from my interactions with family and friends, and how society is losing the more or less intimate art of communication. Everything is very impersonal now.

    I always thought of art as sort of “high-minded,” involving masterpieces, etc., and saw my own drawing as mundane, or mediocre. Through your work, I think I have a better understanding of art, and that it’s a more personal expression, and not confined to one particular set structure.

    Your work is now an inspiration to me, reminding me not to confine myself to a box, and to look at the world a little differently.

     

     

     

  • Topics in the Humanities Feb 9 2016

    Topics in the Humanities Feb 9 2016

    Guest post by Shane Barnett

    We were honored to have Professor Paul Jaskunas from MICA present to us the first chapter of his novel “Cybelle” this past Tuesday, a story about the coming of age of a rural West Virginia girl battling to overcome mediocrity. In his first chapter, Jaskunas illustrates the struggle of Cybelle to maintain her dysfunctional family while still managing to meet the demands of college so that she can attain the means to her lofty aspirations. So far, “Cybelle” is a somber story of the personal struggle that so many of us daily face. Such is life.

    Professor Jaskunas captivated his audience with his soft-spoken narration of the very intriguing depths of female nature, dealing with men and sex and where these things can lead when haphazardly approached. The story so far seems to be a description of the age-old inter-relationship of woman to man in using her assets to obtain the security she needs for survival, as she tries to overcome her dependence upon him – a vicious cycle of give-and-take that so often is our existence.

    Our class became a panel of critics full of questions and suggestions for the author. We wanted to know why he does what he does and how he does it. We wanted him to tell us more. What does Cybelle look like? Where is her story headed? Is she destined for success and the proverbial happy ending, or failure and tragedy? We did our best to exhume the details from the mind of our subject in order to ascertain the motive for his composition and the objectives for his forlorn heroine. From what I can gather, Cybelle has a long hard road ahead, but where that road leads has yet to be seen, even by Jaskunas himself, as he leaves us with awesome insight for our own development of plots and characters. “Let your characters be as chemicals in a scientific experiment … create conditions for them and see what reactions ensure…”

    Good luck, Cybelle!