Correctional Ed in the News
‘A different kind of elevation’: Behind the work to keep education in prison
The article highlights the work of Mahogani Thompkins, a case manager at Sampson Correctional Institution, and so many others who help students in prison get an education. It also illustrates the determination of students, who complete courses (and often excel) in an environment that often makes studying difficult.
“I couldn’t do it,” said Raphael Ginsburg, the associate director for correctional education at UNC. “They do the course on their own and they send work to Chapel Hill, to UNC, it’s graded by instructors and the graded assignment is sent back to the students in the prisons.”
The courses are all transferrable, said Ginsburg, so if a student wishes to continue education at another university, they will have the credits.
“It builds skills and it provides credits, so in very practical ways it (the program) can change people’s lives,” Ginsburg said. “We really look at empowerment and what it takes to empower one’s self, whether in or out of prison. Empowerment is crucial for all of us … but certainly people in prison are in great need of it. When they’re empowered through education, it empowers their families, it empowers their communities, it empowers everyone around them.”
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