The drastic cuts in educational and vocational programs within California’s prison system have prompted outspoken reactions from the teachers affected.
One of several San Quentin teachers to receive layoff notices is C. Wittek, a GED teacher. “My understanding is due to budgetary constraints state policy makers opted to reduce prison education programs by 50 percent,” Wittek said. “I have always believed that education should be an on-going process for every inmate in California prisons. Reducing the number of educational opportunities only worsens the situation.”
Asked about her layoff, L. Marez, who teaches a GED and a high school program, said, “I was in the first batch that got a layoff notice last February. This is my second time going through this. I felt the state was in trouble and our legislative process is broken. My first concern was for the men and their families because when they do well and turn their lives around it’s better for their families.”
Bridging teacher C. Brady, who earned two Masters degrees from UC Berkeley said, “If the federal government could bail out the banks, and they can go to foreign countries and spend billions of dollars on building projects, then they should also be able to bail out the educational system here… Seventy-five percent of the teachers are going to be eliminated by January 17, 2010. And the state is now fighting to get inmates to teach these men. But we [teachers] have gone to schools and colleges to be teachers able to work with everyone… Society already doesn’t trust inmates. Now they want to trust them to teach? How will the parole board look at this?”
M. Ficarra, a GED teacher said, “I have a background in psychology and classrooms are a rehearsal for life. Classrooms help people change their personal belief systems of who they are. It’s a huge step backwards. I think it’s a bad direction. By cutting teachers, the “R” for rehabilitation has been dismantled.”
Ms. A. Sufi, another teacher said, “Many people believe that rehabilitation is only about academics. Actually we’re socializing people back into society. If you are illiterate how can you teach yourself to be literate?… The ‘R’ means giving people a different vision of your life. You have to interact with other human beings for that change to happen. Change comes from people, not the social machine.”
Another teacher had this to say: “The impact of the layoff of teachers is not only felt by the teachers but it also impacts the inmates. Education is the key to rehabilitation and experienced teachers are the keepers of that key.”
