Positively Transformative Prison Program

San Quentin is not a typical state prison.  It is one of only a handful of prisons in the US that offer higher education courses in a classroom setting.  In this correctional facility just north of San Francisco, students take courses in philosophy, sociology government and geology, just to name a few. A big goal of the Prison University Program (PUP) is also to challenge popular myths and stereotypes about people in prison.

PUP brings together volunteer teachers and inmates who qualify for prison university by demonstrating they are eager to learn. The program is a model for how inmate education can help those on the inside of prison walls learn about those on the outside... and vice versa!

All the instructors in PUP are volunteers, most of them graduate students of universities in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Seth Zenz, who is a Ph.D. candidate in physics at the UC Berkeley, says that his students of math and science at San Quentin are some of the most motivated and hard-working he has ever taught.   Lights may go out at 10pm due to prison rules, but many inmates stay up far later than that to study and do homework in addition to holding full time jobs inside the prison.

California prisons are strictly divided by race in order to minimize gang problems, so generally people don't interact much outside their group.   Seth says that "within the program things are different.  Some of the students even make a point of reprimanding new students who try to bring the usual confrontations into the classroom." In addition to making friends across racial boundaries participants gain a sense of empowerment, improve family relationships, and often encourage their kids to stay in school.

A college education can help an ex-offender get a job, support a family and head down a new road.  One student, concerned about the environment after taking basic science courses, decided to study chemistry with the intent of starting a toxic clean-up business when he is released.  Others have already transferred their credits to colleges like San Francisco State University and even going into graduate school programs. And the benefits go beyond those seen by the inmates and their families.  Studies show that spending money on prisoner education may save taxpayers in the long run as people who get an education in prison are far less likely to commit new crimes when they return to society.

Jody Lewen, who began as a volunteer teacher,  is now Executive Director of the Prison University Project.  She says "All the instructors are keen to volunteer and the students are eager to study. It's has been an extraordinary experience to see what the results of combining motivated students and teachers brings."   While it is not always easy to get the materials and space she needs to best serve the incarcerated students (all funds for the project come strictly from private donations) she is able to combine her love of teaching with her desire to serve the cause of social justice and have, Jody believes "the best job in the world!"