Inside is an original collection of deeply personal and candid interviews with formerly incarcerated men who earned their bachelor's degrees while serving life sentences in a maximum security prison in California. The interviews trace their earliest experiences with education, the circumstances that led to their life-crime, and the unimaginable impact a college education has had on their life's trajectory.
Thirteen men sentenced to die by incarceration at a maximum-security prison pushed themselves to enroll in the first face-to-face bachelor's degree completion program for incarcerated students in the state of California. Sentenced to life without possibility of parole, they pursued higher education as the path toward rehabilitation and transformation, changing the trajectory of their lives. Based on in-depth interviews, each journey is at times heartbreaking, infuriating, and deeply inspiring, as the men work through early childhood traumas, learning disabilities, failures, and guilt. As co-founder and administrator of The Prison Graduation Initiative through California State University, Los Angeles, author Taffany Lim also explores her own growth and evolution as a result of years of investment in each student's personal success.
Daugiau informacijos
Inside is an original collection of deeply personal and candid interviews with formerly incarcerated men who earned their bachelors degrees while serving life sentences in a maximum security prison in California. The interviews trace their earliest experiences with education, the circumstances that led to their life-crime, and the unimaginable impact a college education has had on their lifes trajectory.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Changing Landscape
The Prison BA Graduation Initiative (PGI)
The Students
Hope, Transformation, and the Ripple Effect
Chapter 1: Samual Nathaniel Brown
Early Years
College
The Crime
LWOP
Turning Point
LancasterA College Man
Transformation
The Future
Chapter 2: Allen Dean Burnett II
Childhood
Home Life
An Emancipated Minor
Crime
LWOP
Turning Points
Education
The Future
Chapter 3: Billy G.
Early Years
Crime
Change
Survival
The 10-Year Wall
Lancaster
The Impact of College in Prison
The Future is Now
Chapter 4: J.H.
Early Childhood
Crime
College
Home
Chapter 5: Jason Keaton
Early Years
Crime
Prison
Turning Point
Transformation
Bachelors Degree
Planning for the Future
A College Graduate
Chapter 6: Thaisan Nguon
Early Years
Gang Life
Crime
Prison
Honor Yard
Home
The Future
Chapter 7: Tin Tri Nguyen
Early Years
Adolescence and the Teen Years
Crime
The Journey to a BA Degree
Transformation
Challenges
Coming Home
The Ripple Effect
The Future
Chapter 8: Charlie Praphatananda
Early Years
LWOP
Transformation
The BA and Transformation
Commutation
The Future
Chapter 9: Risala Rose-Aminifu
Early Years
The Crime
Prison
Hope
The Road to College
The Change
The Skys the Limit
Chapter 10: Jeff Stein
Early School Years
High School
Adulthood
The Crime
Prison: Hope Lost
Transformation
Transformation and Hope
Graduate
Chapter 11: Thomas Franklin Wheelock
Early Education
Teen Years
The Crime
Life Without Possibility of Parole
A Small Change Within
The Power of the Bachelors Degree
The Classroom
A Free and Educated Man
Chapter 12: Daniel Whitlow
Early Education
Crime
Prison
Golden Eagles
Transformation
Commutation
Dreams for the Future
Chapter 13: Chay Dara Yin
Early Years
Crime
Prison
Turning Point/Education
The Ripple Effect of a Free College Graduate
The Future
Chapter 14: Reflections
Today
Glossary
Suggested Reading
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Taffany Lim, Ed.D., is the founding Executive Director of the Center for Engagement, Service, and the Public Good at Cal State University Los Angeles. Prior to her appointment with the Center for Engagement, Service, and the Public Good in 2014, Lim served as the Associate Director for the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, where she developed and managed PBIs signature Community Policing Training Program. She has spent more than 25 years working with public sector and nonprofit organizations, including United Way, KCET Public Television, the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health, and the City of Pasadenas Public Health Department. Lim specializes in program development, project management, planning, training, and facilitation. Learn more at www.hopethroughhighered.com.
