Prison Changes People, Education Changes Prisons

On Tuesday, November 19th, the Initiative on Cities hosted a comprehensive seminar on the power of education in prison systems, as it has proven to be one of the most effective ways to decrease crime and the financial and social costs of incarceration. Moreover, inmates who take part in education programs are less likely to return to prison and are better positioned to successfully reenter society and make positive impacts on their families and communities.

The speakers included Mary Ellen Mastroilli, Faculty Director of the Boston University Prison Education Program, Associate Professor of the Practice, Criminal Justice, and Chair, Applied Social Sciences; Andre de Quadros, Professor of Music, Music Education, and Affiliate Faculty of the African American Studies Center, the Center for the Study of Asia, the Global Health Initiative, and the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies & Civilizations; Robert Iacovielle, a participant of the BU Prison Education Program; Andrew Cannon, a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering; and Maco L. Faniel, the National Program Manager of the Petey Greene Program. They each discussed their experience working with current and formerly incarcerated individuals and the power education has to reform the prison system.

Read the full article here.