Addressing the Merits of College Behind Bars
Mary Ellen Mastrorilli, assistant professor and faculty coordinator for MET’s online Master of Criminal Justice program, and James Matesanz, retired superintendent of the Mass. Department of Correction and senior lecturer on MET’s criminal justice faculty, addressed the American Correctional Association’s 145th Congress of Correction in August. Their presentation, moderated by Michael Harris, superintendent of the Suffolk County House of Corrections in Boston, was entitled “College Behind Bars: Soft or Sensible?” Tackling the debate as to whether one’s right to earn a college degree is forfeited upon incarceration, Dr. Mastrorilli and Mr. Matesanz presented the pros and cons of prison education from two perspectives—that of the practitioner and that of the academic. Along the way they discussed recidivism, Pell Grants, race and class, post-prison employment, and many other issues of prison education.
ACA is the oldest association developed specifically for practitioners in the correctional profession. Today, the ACA has thousands of members from all over the world.
Since 1972, Boston University has engaged in prisoner education initiatives through the Prison Education Program. As part of Metropolitan College’s criminal justice faculty, Mastrorilli has over two decades of direct experience with prison populations, in positions ranging from correction officer to prison administrator. She is the recipient of the Correctional Association of Massachusetts’ Professional Excellence Award, as well as the Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award given by the National Center for Women and Policing. Mastrorilli teaches courses in criminal justice and sociology.