The Education Issue
Learning for People Who Hate School
Getting a College Degree
Texas State Resources
In This Issue Education Issue July 2019
Letter from the Executive Director
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Word of the month
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Texas State Resources
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Getting a GED in Prison
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Getting a College Degree
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Learning for People Who Hate School
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Nutrition – Let’s Eat the Fats
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Letter from the Executive Director According to the ACLU, when individuals participate in any kind of educational program within a prison, their chances of future incarceration drop by 13 percent. As a result, every dollar spent on education for incarcerated people produces savings of four to five dollars in reincarceration costs. However, many inmates have been on the school-to-prison pipeline, and haven’t found a use for traditional education in their lives. Programs to get a GED are the most common in facilities. However, in the outside world, a high school diploma will hardly help anyone get their foot in the door, not to mention someone with a criminal history. Some facilities offer college coursework. There are nontraditional options that everyone can take advantage of once they’ve discovered where their talents and interests lie. In this issue, we address some of the ways inmates and recently released individuals can pursue additional education opportunities. We hope you enjoy the issue. Sincerely, Porche Proffit
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Masthead and Contributors Editor-in-Chief, Porche Proffit Editor, Ericka Foster
Contributors Writer, Maggie Allen Nutrition and dietician Isabella Dos Santos
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li·ber·ate To set (someone) free from a situation, especially imprisonment or slavery, in which their liberty is severely restricted.
“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” ~Kofi Annan
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Texas State Services Spirit Key www.spiritkey.org/ Located in Houston, Spirit Key is a religious organization that assists men who have been formerly incarcerated (along with veterans and the homeless) with housing, family assistance, intervention, and Christian counseling. Texas Inmate Families Association tifa.org/ With several locations in Texas, the Texas Inmate Families Association (TIFA) provides support, education, and advocacy for inmates’ families. They also provide probation services. Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative medc-tori.org/ The Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative has locations in Dallas and Fort Worth. The organization provides assistance with housing, education, employment, healthcare, spirituality and family. Sharing Hope sharinghopeministry.org/ Located in Amarillo, Sharing Hope has programs that assists women who have been formerly incarcerated. In addition to the community garden, they offer emergency supplies for those have been recently released. Patsy’s Place provides housing for women as they make the transition. Exodus Ministries http://exodusministries.org Located in Dallas, Exodus Ministries is a religious organizations that provides assistance to formerly incarcerated women and their children. The nonprofit provides housing assistance, job readiness training, spiritual guidance and financial literacy training.
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Jail to Jobs www.jailtojobs.com/jail-to-jobs-program With two locations in the Austin area, Jail to Jobs works with its partners to provide employment for individuals between 16 and 21 who are formerly incarcerated. Pathfinders http://www.pathfinderstc.org/ Pathfinders provides mentoring and financial literacy for families. They have a reentry mentoring program to address the specific needs of people coming into the community after serving time. Tarrant Cares http://tarrant.tx.networkofcare.org/pr/ Tarrant Cares is a partnership between Tarrant Cares and the Tarrant County reentry coalition which serves as a directory of resources for those reentering society in Tarrant County.
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Working Together to Build a Positive Transition Thank you for taking the time to read Positive Transitioning magazine. This organization assists individuals coming out of jail or prison. I know you are asking yourself why should you assist someone that has committed a crime. • 94% of individuals in jail will one day come back to their community. • 67.8% of them will be re-arrested within 3 years. • 76.6% will be re-arrested within 5 years. These reoccurring crimes are committed within our communities. Most individuals upon release are unable to find employment due to harsh employment requirements, cannot find housing due to unfair housing rules, may not have family that can support, have mental or health issues and were getting assistance in jail/prison but upon release have no assistance. Please take the time to watch the video and make a donation to our organization.
With these hurdles for them to face we understand why they may commit another crime. Our organization assist individuals with finding employment through workforce development programs, entrepreneurship programs, and developing businesses that we can hire them if other employers will not. We also assist with housing, family integration, education, health and wellness and a host of other programs by providing them a life coach to assist and encourage them to return to their communities and be an asset and not a liability to their families, friends, and neighbors. We have started a campaign called We are the Spark. This campaign asks for a $6.16 donation to our organization. We have to help each other to overcome the crime and violence that is plaguing our communities. Please take the time to watch the video and make a donation. We are the Spark
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Getting a GED in prison By Ericka Foster
Using data from the National Former Prisoner Survey, more than half of formerly incarcerated people hold a high school diploma or GED, and a quarter haven’t completed a high school education. All federal prisoners are required to take GED classes if they don’t already have their diplomas upon entering incarceration. Most facilities do offer a General Equivalency Exam either through the facility itself or through outreach programs like Goodwill. Why take the GED? Let’s be honest, if individuals are making ends meet with any sort of illegal activities, earning a GED to make minimum wage is a hard sell. So inmates should find the value in earning a GED as a step towards their goals. Some states like Michigan, Missouri, and Texas require inmates to earn their GED to be eligible for parole. So earning a GED could be a step toward freedom. Once released, inmates already have to jump the hurdle of having a prior conviction when looking for employment. Not having a high school diploma can be an additional roadblock. Having the GED provides more opportunities. Even so, average earnings for young people with high school diplomas are about 20 percent higher than those for young people without diplomas. Taking the next steps It can be a challenge to make a living on an entry-level salary. Whether you want to move onto a college education or move directly into career training, a GED or high school diploma is required. How do I take the exam? GED has created a process to offer the exam in secure facilities. No internet is needed, however, there will need to be an administrator to help with the technical aspects. Test takers require 145 on all four parts of the exam to pass.
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Getting a College Degree By Maggie Allen
A high school diploma is a must for the average citizen to be marketable and competitive for today’s jobs, and training after high school is even more desirable. It’s a frustrating demand to contend with, but a necessary one, and every person out there looking to survive and thrive owes it to him or herself to get that edge. But what do you do when your environment isn’t the most conducive to growing a fulfilling, successful career? Getting a degree in prison can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. Many prisons are built in isolated, rural areas where schools and qualified teachers are scarce, but depending on where you are, there may be several programs offered online; at state and local colleges; or by mail. Sometimes you might find all three options available in one. Rio Salado College in Tempe, AZ, for example, offers distance learning classes for college credit through their Incarcerated Re-Entry program. These classes are paper based, delivered through written correspondence, and the students may take them outside a traditional classroom setting. The biggest challenge may be the processing and delivery of textbooks and other course materials through the U.S. Postal Service and the unique prison or facility’s mail system, but it also allows for some flexibility, as long distance is not a major bar to entry. In the event of an involuntary transfer to another facility, your education will probably be less disrupted by the shift. For those who find social interaction and one-on-one guidance more helpful, something like the Prison University Project in California might be more appealing. While admittance is currently limited to San Quentin State Prison inmates, PUP offers courses in math, the humanities, social and hard sciences, with credits that can lead to an associate’s degree or a transfer to University of California or other state schools. The instructors are all
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volunteers, but they work tirelessly to provide meaningful, quality education to their incarcerated students. It might be hard to feel like or even relate to an average college student while in prison, but there are programs that can help with that too. The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program of Philadelphia’s Temple University, started in spirit in 1997 by Criminal Justice professor Lori Pompa, brings campus-based college students together with incarcerated students for a semester-long course held in a jail, prison, or other correctional setting. Community involvement is also encouraged; volunteers can register and get trained to help out with the courses and oversight. As of their 2018 training season, Inside-Out has hosted 62 training institutes, part of which took place in the prisons. “The Inside-Out praxis stems from the belief that our society is strengthened when higher education/learning is made widely accessible and, at the same time, when it allows participants to encounter each other as equals, often across profound social barriers.� Since 1997, more than 600 InsideOut courses have been held around the world. Nearly 100 higher education institutions, ranging from small liberal arts colleges to large research universities to local community colleges sponsor Inside-Out courses. They are also common in local reentry organizations. University programs might be costly or difficult for some inmates, but there may be a cheaper alternative. According to the Institute for Higher Education Policies (IHEP), 68% of all postsecondary correctional education is provided by community colleges, across the 50 states analyzed. Tuition is generally around 35% of the cost of a four-year institution, and some states, such as California, with its Senate Bill 1391, have approved funding for community colleges to teach classes inside state prisons themselves.
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At time of writing, the options for government assistance are extremely limited, as most inmates in federal and state prisons are not eligible for federal student loans or Pell grants. The Obama administration presented the Second Chance Pell pilot program in 2015, which would allow inmates to access Pell grants offered by about 67 colleges and universities. According to the U.S. Department of Education, as of April 2019, 10,048 students have received funds from this experimental program during this past fiscal year (July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019). Out of the 2.3 million people currently estimated to be in prisons across America, that’s about 0.4%. Congress has recently considered the Restoring Education and Learning (REAL) Act, which, if enacted, would restore Pell Grant eligibility overall for prisoners. But not much has been heard about the bill since April, so it may be in limbo for the foreseeable future. On the state side, correctional departments may offer funding for college classes, but much like the various programs we have addressed here, your mileage may vary depending on facility and location. No one should be barred from bettering themselves. There’s a lot more that can be done in terms of legislation and funding of these crucial programs. While heartwarming, the fact that many credit and non-credit course providers rely on volunteers is concerning, because it speaks of the instability of a badly-needed system that affects multiple generations of livelihoods. Private groups such as the Lumina Foundation have helped fund programs to offer more educational opportunities to inmates, but they can only go so far on their own. These are temporary solutions to a permanent problem. But for now, be discerning. Research your state offerings as best you can, and shop around for what works best for you, your situation, and your family.
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Learning for People Who Hate School By Ericka Foster School systems face many challenges to educate a child. Unfortunately, some of the kids fall through the cracks. Additionally, kids that fall through the cracks become disengaged and that disengagement increases the likelihood that they will get caught up in the criminal justice system. It is hard to convince adults who haven’t been served by education that education is the key to success. The truth is, success is hard, education opens doors. Step 1: Find something you like In a traditional school setting, we have to take classes that may not be interesting or presented in a way that is useful. If you are learning something you like, you want to learn more. If you think about it, there are probably several things that you like and are good at.
“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ~Mark Twain
Step 2: Learn what is required to turn an interest into a job. It is also important to note that every job exists – when you find something you like, you can turn it into a real job. Visit a career resource center to get a good idea of what jobs are available. Many organizations that help re-entering individuals, and government unemployment agencies offer resources to help you learn the types of jobs that exist. Step 3: Know your rights. States have different laws regarding asking about convictions during the hiring process. According to the National Employment Law Project, 35 states and more than 150 cities and counties have set policies that encourage employers to learn about candidates before inquiring about their criminal history.
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Although there are exceptions to every rule, there are some professions that are unwelcome for individuals with convictions – depending on conviction and the type of job. A career resource center will also help with resources that can help you realize your options with the types of jobs you are looking for. You don’t want to get certified in a field and then learn that they aren’t receptive to someone with a criminal record. At this point, you know what you like, you know what your options are, and you’ve identified limitations. What’s next? Step 4: Get started. To get where you want to be, you will either have to start with an education program or an entrylevel position. There are so many ways to learn a trade that are different from a traditional school setting: Online learning: There are all types of training programs that can be completed online. Not just college coursework, but certifications (like personal training) can You can find cooking apprenticeships. be completed on the internet. And with audio and video capabilities, students can view lectures and video conferences without stepping foot into a traditional classroom. Apprenticeships: Some jobs require on the job training. Roles in construction, some health care jobs, and food service are the types of roles where individuals can find apprenticeships to pursue a career that they are interested in. Entry-level positions: Many people succeed in their careers by starting at the entry level position and working their way up. Regardless of the type of education you have, every company will want you to learn their way of doing things. Entrylevel roles in sales – retail as well as others – require the employee to learn a lot about the company and the business. There’s a saying that goes luck equals preparation plus opportunity. Learning as much as you can about the field you are interest in is the best you can do to prepare for when the right opportunity comes along.
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Let’s Enjoy the Fats! By Isabella Dos Santos Years ago, as the “fat-free� era started to develop, the market aisles were full of low-fat and fat-free products as part of another nutrition trend that claimed that eating low fat would make people slimmer. In most of the products, manufacturers used sugar or chemicals to replace the flavor, resulting in an even more fattening version. There has been a long debate about the importance of fats in our diet. People were told to cut out fat in order to lower the chances of developing diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, newer research has shown that fat alone is to blame, and that some types of fat are healthy and protective. Fats serve as a source of energy for daily physiological functions (they should provide around 30-35% of our daily intake). They are also part of our cell membranes and carry throughout the body the vitamins A, D, E and K. Apart from this, omegas (a type of fatty acids), play a central role in brain development and functioning. There are different types of fats Saturated fats
Monounsaturated Polyunsaturated
found in animal products, coconut oil and palm oil.
found in olive oil, avocados, nuts and peanuts
omega 3 (salmon, mackerel, sardines, walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseeds) & omega 6 (vegetable oils).
Always avoid trans fats since they are the product of industrially produced fats that can really harm our health. Stay away of industrially processed sweets (especially those with frosting on top), margarines, and crackers, among others. From all the fats, omega-3 is the one I will strongly recommend to eat more often. It has been linked to brain health and development, and they are involved in the process of building new cells for the nervous system, as well act as a potent antiinflammatory in our body. Next time you go to the supermarket check the food label in the foods you buy. What type of fat is mainly present? Try to go toward the products that contain more monounsaturated or omega-3 sources.
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Check out the Positive Transitioning App on the Google Play Store! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsmakerstore.appPositiveTra nsitioning Check out our Radio Show! https://www.radionomy.com/en/radio/omertaradio
Next month’s issue Next month we address financial literacy. We will also highlight Pennsylvania resources
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