Another cadre of inmates learning computer program skills hosted a coding demonstration at San Quentin State Prison on March 15.
The undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Ted Mitchell, was among those attending the demonstration, which was hosted by the coding program Code.7370.
“I have 312 days left to make a difference,” Dr. Mitchell said, referring to the amount of time President Barack Obama has remaining in office. “For too long, we’ve disregarded helping the incarcerated prosper.”
Dr. Mitchell said California prisons set an example for the rest of the country in rehabilitative programs and vocational training.
A 2013 Rand Corporation study found that inmates who take part in educational programs while incarcerated have a 43 percent lower recidivism rate than inmates who do not. Employment rates after release were 13 percent higher for inmates who participated in academic or vocational education programs and 28 percent higher for those who participated in vocational training.
Code.7370 was developed at San Quentin in 2014 by venture capitalists Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti in collaboration with the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA), the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and Hack Reactor, a coding academy in San Francisco. The program teaches computer coding skills to inmates, many of whom have never been on the Internet.
Redlitz, who also attended the March 15 demonstration, told the students, “There’s a strong interest in Washington with what we’re doing in coding.”
“Your commitment to this program will pay off for you and others in custody,” Dr. Mitchell added. “I can’t think of a more admirable program than this one.”
Among the projects inmates developed and demonstrated were: an interactive program that rates and tracks students’ educational progress and gives advice to parents of K-12 school kids; a nationwide data visualization map designed to help parents understand the value of immunizing their children; a game-style program to teach coding skills to youth at sites outside of prison; and an interactive program that empowers recovering addicts through support networks.
Dr. Mitchell asked many questions about San Quentin’s rehabilitative services. Deputy Warden Kelly Mitchell; Brant Choate, acting director of the department’s Division of Rehabilitative Programs; CALPIA General Manager Charles Pattillo; and Rusty Bechtold, an administrator with CALPIA Workforce Development Branch, were on hand to answer Dr. Mitchell’s questions.
Dr. Mitchell, in turn, answered inmates’ questions about educational opportunities in prison. Inmates were curious about the availability of federal funding to prisoners who already have two-year degrees and are seeking additional educational opportunities.
Earlier this year, the White House began using a provision in the Higher Education Act to temporarily allow educational funding for students incarcerated in state or federal prisons. The federal aid will allow the federal government to study the effectiveness of education in reducing recidivism.
Congress banned federal student aid, otherwise known as Pell grants, to prisoners in 1994. Pell grants were created in 1972 and cover up to $5,775 per year in education expenses, including books and classes.
Dr. Mitchell said more than 250 colleges applied for Pell grants, adding that reentry programs are also being funded.
“We have never proposed anything that’s gotten more positive feedback,” Dr. Mitchell said, referring to Pell grants. “Education is the American society’s surest way for social mobility. So that people don’t fall through gaps, we need to strengthen the public educational system.”
Dr. Mitchell said his grandfather was a corrections officer at San Quentin and he had spent his own early years riding around on the San Quentin fire truck and playing baseball on the Little League team.
“Coming back is like a homecoming,” Dr. Mitchell told the students at the coding demonstration. “When I go back to Washington, I can tell your stories.”
“I look forward to following your careers,” he added.
More information about CalPIA can be found at www.calpia.ca.gov.
