| who if given the
chance, could and would break their lifecycle of crime,
drugs, and poverty to become productive members of their
communities. Their way out is through education. But, they
need help. It is important
that we recognize that 95% of prison inmates will be
released and returned to their communities. With no
intervention the odds of these people breaking their
previous life syndrome are slim. After all, upon
entering prison 70% of the inmates are functionally
illiterate and 75% have not even earned a GED. The
education program conducted by The Community College of
Rhode Island presents the best opportunity for these inmates
to educate themselves and even earn an Associates Degree.
The Community College of Rhode
Island conducts an extensive education program at ACI in
which a total of over 400 inmates participate at various
levels including an Associates Degree in General Studies. In
June of 2011eight inmates were awarded degrees.
Several are now enrolled in four-year degree programs. Eight
may not seem like a lot but it is significantly more than in
previous years. State and prison officials anticipate
continued growth in the coming years.
There are imposing barriers to
growth, however. One of the most significant is the
availability of books. Although the courses are free
the books are not. And, not only are the books prohibitively
expensive the inmates also rarely benefit from family or
community support. Unfortunately, prison rules require
that each student owns his/her own books; they cannot be
shared and they cannot be passed along to new students.
Consequently, some inmates who would like to participate and
earn degrees cannot enroll in the program.
Project Book was created to help
alleviate and overcome this barrier. We raise funds and
donate the money so that more students can purchase books
and participate in the Associates Degree program. |
