Bill...
I enjoyed this post very much... perhaps I can find a job in the federal system when I can retire from here.  I keep hearing hints that there is something going on in Delaware with more Intranet based teaching/learning... but no one has told me the details.  One of the prison programs have been piloting it.  I think it is for GED students.  I heard that it only worked with very highly motivated students.  That is all I recall, but perhaps I need to ask!
 
A question for others----
Have you found ways to bring the Net to the students.  I use a Blue Squirrel product called Web Whacker that will copy a page and a number of layers behind it (1-3 perhaps but if you go farther it doesn't seem to work.. and you risk picking up some risky sites accidently in the grab).  I was also told about a Adobe program that would capture a site and layers on to a PDF file..  I don't remember the details.... I have permission now to bring in a jump drive. So I can bring the sites in from home and put them on student computers.  Right now I have two computers in my office.. one for the Internet provided by DOC.. and I cannot put any of my software on it.. the other is not connected yet, but I might be able to get connected without the state software (DOC software and Outlook)... but be able to use some of the programs to gather sites while at work... instead of on my time.
Gina

-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of William R Muth/FS/VCU
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 8:18 PM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 231] Re: Community education for inmates whoare released



David -my responses to your questions are in bold below. - Bill 



I would like our guests -- and others -- to explore some other   
challenging questions: 

1. One of the characteristics of a successful prison education   
program (Gerber and Fritsch,  and Luiden and Perry) is follow-up with   
inmates after release.  Can you describe some models that do this   
well, and that lead to released prisoners continuing their education   
in the community? 

I am so impressed by the "best practices" reported on by Carole Scholl in Oregon, Cay Buser in Maryland, Taylor Stoehr in Massachusetts & John Gordon in NYC. I mostly know programs based 'on the inside' (which of course reveals a key problem: the need for programs that span both sides of the fence.) The Federal Bureau of Prisons is working on a Re-entry partnership with Federal Probation and the US Department of Labor and piloting it in the St. Louis area. Sylvia McCollum at the FBOP has developed a broad network of community partnerships, mostly relating to job fairs. Also, the national Institute of Corrections has done a great deal of training in this area. See http://www.nicic.org/CommunityCorrections 


2.  Do you know of examples of prisons or jails that invite community   
education programs to provide basic education inside so that when   
inmates are released there is continuity with the community education   
program outside? Can you tell us about how the model(s) works? 

The best example of a community partnership related to pre and post release that I can give no longer exists (just one example of a powerful program that vaporized when Pell Grants were cut off): It was a program at Marist College, NY. They provided a full range of literacy and post-secondary programs. Marist also had a college coordinator (Benay Rubenstein, who continues to do extraordinary work through John Jay College) housed in the prison (Otisville) who arranged for learners to continue their education at Marist after release. 

Today, most federal prisons have strong partnerships with the community, including individual contractors, local colleges and trade unions, and faith based communities. But I suspect - at least as it pertains to federal prisoners - that few of these partnerships establish relationships with individuals on the inside and then nurture these relationships on the outside. (I know that some such programs exist, especially with faith-based groups, but not aware of any programs that provide education support to individuals on the inside and then support them through the transition to the outside. (If such inside/outside programs exist, I apologize for my ignorance and would love to know about them!) There is a huge problem in the federal system, since so many prisoners live 100s of miles from home... 

3. Is there any way that a web-based learning system could be offered   
to prisoners for self study inside that they could continue to use   
outside in a library, community technology center or at a community   
education program? I know that prisons and jails cannot offer   
Internet access, but are there any examples of a version of a web   
site being run on an internal server, in the prison, offering   
(nearly) the same experience as the user would have with internet   
access to the web site? 

I see some signs of hope here. Again the FBOP has been slowly experimenting with web-based applications. For example they are providing inmate law library services through an intra-net server that goes out to the web periodically, downloads files and distributes material via a closed system. They are also piloting e-mail systems at a few institutions, and, as I mentioned yesterday, they have begun some father -child video-conferencing. The federal prison systems is slowly rethinking safe ways to use technology. But it is a slow evolution. Ironically, as correspondence courses continue to proliferate via the internet, prisoners have access to fewer of them.       
    
I hope others will continue to post their questions and comments.   
Steve Steurer plans to join us tomorrow or Monday, and the discussion   
continues through Tuesday. 

Those who have just joined us, and others, the postings in this   
discussion are archived at 

http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2006/date.html 

If you would like to know more about other National Institute for   
Literacy-sponsored discussion lists, you will find information at 

http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2006/date.html 


David J. Rosen




"SCHOLL Carole A" <carole.a.scholl at co.multnomah.or.us> 
Sent by: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov 


09/21/2006 02:28 PM 


Please respond to
specialtopics at nifl.gov



To
<specialtopics at nifl.gov> 

cc

Subject
[SpecialTopics 230] Re: Community education for inmates who are        released

	




In Portland Oregon, the Londer Learning Center is a unit of  adult
community corrections (the Multnomah County Department of Community
Justice). Our GED/ABE/ESL program each year serves  500+  adults who are
released from jail, prison and who on probation and/or involved in
substance abuse treatment. Referrals come from POs, treatment centers,
courts and caseworkers. 

We are successful in academics, as well as in reducing recidivism. Some
reasons for our success:
1.  We only serve offenders who are at high- to medium-risk to reoffend.
These adults in "transition" who work toward positive goals with other
adults in transition. We also incorporate rehabilitation practices in
our adult education program. Teachers are all trained in motivational
interviewing, change theory (stages of change) and cognitive behavioral
change--evidenced based practices used in corrections.  We provide a
"holistic" approach--communicating often with POs, counselors and
caseworkers.
2. All staff is trained in working with adults with learning
disabilities/difficulties, and we keep classes small.

In sum: most of our students would not succeed if they went from
jail/prison to a community college. Upon release they face numerous
obstacles (housing, addictions rehab, etc). Just to make it onto a
campus which accepts students 2 or 3x a term is daunting. 

I certainly recommend community-based transitions education programs for
incarcerated adults, but also feel that success lies in partnership with
probation offices, an awareness of learning disabilities,  and training
in psycho-social factors than influence change. For more information
about the Londer Learning Center, please go to our website at:
http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/dcj/acjlonder.shtml 

Thanks--Carole Scholl, Manager, Londer Learning Center
Multnomah County Department of Community Justice
503-988-6828


-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David Rosen
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 3:53 AM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 223] Community education for inmates who are
released


Hello Colleagues,

I would like our guests -- and others -- to explore some other  
challenging questions:

1. One of the characteristics of a successful prison education  
program (Gerber and Fritsch,  and Luiden and Perry) is follow-up with  
inmates after release.  Can you describe some models that do this  
well, and that lead to released prisoners continuing their education  
in the community?

2.  Do you know of examples of prisons or jails that invite community  
education programs to provide basic education inside so that when  
inmates are released there is continuity with the community education  
program outside? Can you tell us about how the model(s) works?

3. Is there any way that a web-based learning system could be offered  
to prisoners for self study inside that they could continue to use  
outside in a library, community technology center or at a community  
education program? I know that prisons and jails cannot offer  
Internet access, but are there any examples of a version of a web  
site being run on an internal server, in the prison, offering  
(nearly) the same experience as the user would have with internet  
access to the web site?

I hope others will continue to post their questions and comments.   
Steve Steurer plans to join us tomorrow or Monday, and the discussion  
continues through Tuesday.

Those who have just joined us, and others, the postings in this  
discussion are archived at

http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2006/date.html

If you would like to know more about other National Institute for  
Literacy-sponsored discussion lists, you will find information at

http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2006/date.html


David J. Rosen
Special Topics discussion Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net





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