TEACHING
Some of the most enthusiastic students that Naomi Janowitz teaches aren't the ones at UC Davis, but the ones at the state prison at San Quentin.
Janowitz, UC Davis religious studies director, along with students and other faculty from UC Davis, UC Berkeley and St. Mary's College, began volunteer teaching at the prison last summer in a college-level program she helped organize. English, sociology and comparative religion were offered to about 120 prisoners, including 40 death-row inmates. Teachers give their time, publishers donate books and Patten College, an evangelical Christian school in Oakland, administers the program.
Such educational programs matter more to inmates now because state law prohibits tax money from being used to fund postsecondary classes in prisons. A San Quentin inmate wrote that upon hearing of the classes, "I signed up, crossed my fingers, and prayed."
To qualify for the program, inmates must have graduated from high school or have their GED. Yet despite the required education level, inmates' basic reading and writing skills often are lacking. Logistical problems unique to the prison setting sometimes inhibit learning. For example, at times prison lock-downs keep students from attending class. Sometimes the students have to work. Other times inmates don't do their homework or don't get passes to attend class.
Despite the obstacles, the instructors say they enjoy the teaching experience. The inmates are appreciative and often passionately interested in learning.
"At the end of the quarter, one guy said he'd disagreed with a lot of things in his sociology class, but that he was 'really interested in the idea of constructs of masculinity' and it was something he wanted to think about," Janowitz said. "The students don't see the classes as a step to something else, but as a goal in themselves. They aren't wondering 'What can I take to get into law school?'"
Patti Hannah, a UC Davis undergraduate, was a teaching assistant at the prison last summer. The students' enthusiasm, as well as their poor skills, made an impression. They were "far and away more engaged than any students I've ever seen on the Davis campus," she said. Yet "in terms of literacy, these guys were so far behind."
As more people are incarcerated, and for longer terms, such programs play an increasingly important role in easing inmates' transition back into society.
"This college program helps prepare prisoners for a better chance when they get out," says Mark Lettiere, a UC Davis Ph.D. candidate who has taught sociology at the prison. "I want them to be responsible and to have hope."
