米歇尔•伯恩斯
In-Custody 教育 Services
DEPARTMENT OF COUNSELOR EDUCATION
康妮L. LURIE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
SPONSOR: COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA
米歇尔•伯恩斯 believes that prison inmates deserve a chance to pursue higher education. “Students on the ‘inside’ should have the opportunity to reach their full potential,” 她解释说. “Many incarcerated individuals dropped out of school due to un-remediated learning difficulties. They grew up in under-resourced communities, and may have missed out on social modeling from other college-going individuals.”
Burns has extensive experience with inmates in nearby Elmwood Correctional Facility. In winter 2016, Santa Clara County released a request for college 课程 for inmates, and Burns and her colleagues were encouraged to submit a proposal. The result is a fairly new 菠菜网lol正规平台 program, in collaboration with the Office of Reentry Services, which provides academic and career counseling, plus instruction in transferable, credit-bearing 课程.
“Students report that they had no idea that they would be capable of completing a college course,” Burns says, “and because of their success, they are now motivated to enroll in more college classes upon release. In fact, several students have continued their education at local community colleges upon release from custody.”
Inmate and philosophy student Samuel Gonzales echoes a similar sentiment: ”Due to education struggles early in life, I never thought of myself as college material. Thanks to this life-changing experience, with success in my first college course (English 1A), I’ve gained confidence to complete college 课程 in the future.”
The program’s success, in Burns’ view, is due to the teamwork of every一个 involved. “The success of the program is due to the dedication, passion, empathy, and commitment of each faculty, staff, and community constituent who has joined the team,” she says.
Student Research
"My experience working with the In-Custody 教育al Services Project has made me
become interested in working with juveniles. I have had the opportunity to build a
direct connection with the inmates at Elmwood, and I can see how they appreciate and
value the education that the project offers to them. I’d like to be able to make a
similar positive impact on juveniles."
Charlene Vo, ’17
Child and Adolescent Development
Project Assistant
In-Custody 教育 Services Program
"My career plans are to pursue a Ph.D. in Philosophy and a teaching position. 这
program has reinforced my drive to do so. I feel that education is the way to enlightenment
and, with the proper application of education, fewer people will become incarcerated.
Therefore, programs like this 一个 will become less necessary. After all, I feel that
the end goal of this program is to trigger its own obsolescence."
John Hermann, ’18 Philosophy
Student Assistant
In-Custody 教育 Services Program
菠菜网lol正规平台 Research Foundation 年度报告 2018
