Supermax Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) offers offenders more than its “worst of the worst” reputation, which is due to the high proportion of SHU offenders (36 percent) of its 3,000 inmates. As a result of Realignment, rehabilitation programs at PBSP have expanded to offer more educational opportunities to inmates than the traditional classroom (aka “Butts-in-Seats”) environment: the Voluntary Education Program allows cell-front instruction by Pelican Bay’s credentialed instructors to SHU offenders, and Flex-time Scheduling of instruction reaching those general-population inmates who are employed in various capacities.
The expansion of delivery options for education has prompted a waiting list of 240 inmates who will begin taking courses once two more instructors are hired, bringing the total number of inmates taking academic instruction to approximately 1,000. Additionally, Feather River Community College offers the COHORT program designed specifically for incarcerated groups. Now in its 4th year at Pelican Bay, COHORT offers an A.A. (Associate of Arts) degree using self-study in facilities. Instructional materials are mailed to offenders for independent study; some audio-visual instruction is available in certain courses (i.e. foreign language), and instructors will provide tutoring and proctor examinations.
Earlier this summer, PBSP congratulated two inmates (one of whom is in the SHU!) who earned their A.A. degrees in Liberal Arts. The SHU inmate is the first to graduate though the COHORT program, having been at Pelican Bay since 2008 and in the SHU since 2009 – and graduated with a 4.0 GPA! The 2nd graduate used Flex-time Scheduling to take courses around his duties in the prison laundry and plans to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree while completing his sentence through 2020.
Principal Anderson also noted that other academic benchmarks drive behavioral changes. “When an inmate earns their G.E.D. or high school diploma, you can see the change. The light comes on in their eyes and they (inmate) approach everything with the desire to be successful.”
Reprinted with the Permission of Rehabilitation Today
