Nationally, about 68% of inmates released from state prisons were rearrested within three years of release, according to a Justice Department study. Sam Rivera outside the Castle, a residence for the formerly incarcerated. This film following students of the Bard Prison Initiative is a tribute to their ambition and endeavour and an indictment of the absence of funding for such programmes. Sister of Rodney Spivey-Jones. Years later, Im at Fortune, and someone introduces me to a woman. Shawnta Montgomery, Age 33. College Behind Bars first premiered Nov. 25, 2019 on PBS and has since then become popular among Netflix audiences. Scary. Rivera forwarded the text to a friend and added a comment: This is why I do what I do.. being firm in the corner, Easy kibbitzing from the side, Rivera went on. Rivera furrowed his brow, as one who, knowing exactly who Peggy Lee was, was disinclined to admit it at just that moment. If you still have ten per cent after being through prison and abuse of many kinds, then we can start. When you feel threatened, dont react. He can tell the difference between someone who looks tough and someone whos a threat. It unpicks and dispels the myth that prisoners time is their own, to use or waste as they wish, and with it the idea that inmates succeed on educational programmes because they have no distractions. Shawnta Montgomery Profiles | Facebook People named Shawnta Montgomery Find your friends on Facebook Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. (You get in the good habit of bullshitting white people, Rivera remarked later. Montgomery was ordered back to Nassau County criminal court on Feb. 18, officials said. Upstairs, there are comfortable bedrooms for more than eighty residents, but at the moment they were, by the societys rule, empty. But my job is saving lives now. Found of Listen Up Media, Philadelphia Eagles Two-time Super Bowl Champion. In organizations, you have to be careful not to take a political standbut this isnt political. Intentional haircare for the mindfully obsessed . Your voice changed. The same rule that holds in a small regional theatre holds in a nonprofit devoted to post-incarceration transitions: the charismatic figure wins the allegiance of his clientele, at the risk of alienating his colleagues, who, without any malice or even conscious envy, become mindful of what they see as his managerial deficits. Im interested in this brick. Its valuable that Sam has lived experience, Page said. With self-confidence comes motivation, an eagerness to want more for yourself, your family, and an opportunity to be more than you thought you were capable of, thus leaving strong potential to set an example for the next generation and end the cycle of incarceration. Smith, 25, was accused of firing a 9-mm handgun into the Norfolk, Va., home where Montgomery was staying last November. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. of the Fortune Society, explained from her office at the societys administrative headquarters, in Long Island City. All of them are working towards a college degree under Bard Colleges Bard Prison Initiative (BPI). It allowed me to transcend incarceration and gave me the credentials and skills necessary for success after 25 years in a cage. Left: Giovannie Hernandez attends the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS at The Apollo Theater on November 12, 2019 in New York City. Yet, there is one intrinsic benefit to the classical studies Bard Prison Initiative students undertake: They grapple with texts and are drawn into stories that speak of the age-old struggles of the human condition. But these scenes from aPBS documentary airing this month show viewers a different kind of prison life the rigorous pursuit of higher education. Probably the kindest, most loving thing anyones ever done for me, he says. See Shawnta Montgomery's age, phone number, house address, email address, social media accounts, public records, and check for criminal records on Spokeo. We tried to convince the powers that be that this was a shortsighted decision, says Anthony Annucci, the acting commissioner for New Yorks department of corrections, but we couldnt compete with the 20-second soundbite. A recidivism rate among BPI graduates of 4%, compared with the usual 50%, did nothing to change anyones mind. Montgomery; Shawnta Nicole Bibb; Shawnta Nicole Bibb, Age 73. Theres something you could do and you chose not to. Kinzel said. So thats the only bottom I want to hit. Detective Lt. John Azzata said Montgomery is 7 months pregnant. Use (334) 356-1964 to contact Shawnta with caution. I was with my boys, watching a show where theyre imploding a casino, and Im kind of into it. Many students earn certificates in manufacturing that are in high demand in the state, leading graduates to find work and immediately contribute to the economy. I submitted my resignation today.. Montgomery was. Participants have arecidivism rate of 4%, compared to thenational averageof 43%. To the right, a line of older residents, looking a little worn out and a little wise, fill the chairs. Detective Lt. John Azzata said Montgomery is 7months pregnant. Wheres bottom? Giovannie Hernandez, 17 A Roosevelt woman, seven months pregnant, has been charged with manslaughter after she beat her 2-year-old daughter to death for misbehaving while brushing her teeth, police said. There is this opportunity to convert compassion and concern into action. Every New Yorker knows that. And one arrogant woman running for office who was there watching came up to me and said, What was that old con in for? I said, I dont know, I guess for winning three Pulitzer Prizes? He smiled. Lined up beside Rivera at the front of the room, facing the residents and guests, were Stanley Richards, the Fortune Societys executive vice-president, and David Rothenberg, its eighty-seven-year-old founder. College Behind Bars remains especially in the first episode admirably focused on the practicalities of prison life and prison programmes. 'You don't know what you did for me': Released from prison by Obama, now on the dean's list. College Behind Bars will premiere nationwide on PBS on November 25 and 26, 2019. The theatrical side of the Castle is self-evident to its sharper-eyed residents. Angela Scott, an eight-year veteran of the society, has replaced Rivera. Ive looked at programs that were created around recovery protocols, and the theory was: If there was ten per cent left of your rock bottom, they would intentionally bring you down to that zero, and then build you back up. I enrolled in BPIs first cohort and graduated in 2009. Yet, Bard Prison Initiatives stellar outcomes make it ripe for private philanthropic investment. This high standard of education BPI is taught at the same level as Bard College, theliberal arts school in New Yorkis crucial to Hall's hope of Pell Grant expansion. , Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, with BPIs community of alumni, families, staff, faculty, and supporters for a special screening of, Program Specialist Open Society Foundation, Found of Listen Up Media, Philadelphia Eagles Two-time Super Bowl Champion, Canvass Director at JustLeadershipUSA and the Lead National Organizer for Beyond the Box Initiative, Last month, I visited BPIs home at Eastern Correctional Facility. The catchall phrase for the totality is lived experience, the term having migrated here to mean, simply, Ive done time. Either people have lived experience or they dont. No ones ever spoken to them empathetically. Do you want them as responsible, taxpaying citizensor people who have used their time in prison to hone their criminal skills?. At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. How do you know youve hit bottom? View Shawnta Montgomery results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Someone came at him very aggressive, one person explained. There is still so much work to do, to make sure access to higher education behind bars is fully restored, to put an end to mass incarceration, and to make our country live up to its values. As AEI scholar Gerard Robinsoncommented,The right thing to do is not only give them a second chance, but to also admit the fact that many of them didnt receive a first chance at school.. Craig Steven Wilder In the coming years, we will end mass incarceration and restore investments in education to precisely the places where leaders have prioritized punishment. In the late nineteen-sixties, at the peak of his career as an extremely successful Broadway publicist, working with the likes of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, he produced aCanadian play aboutrape in prison called Fortune and Mens Eyes,and realized that the men who weremost stirred bythe play were ex-cons, as they were called then. Lawsuits, Liens or Bankruptcies found on Shawnta's Background Court records found on Shawnta's Family, Friends, Neighbors, or Classmates There is now bipartisan legislation before congress to restore Pell eligibility for people in prison. Current Address: WQPU Spring Valley Rd, Montgomery, AL. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Program Specialist Open Society Foundation. I ran Thursday meeting for years, and then Stanley didthe Fortune vice-presidentand then Sam, Page said. The Castle is the main residential wing of the Fortune Society, a nonprofit organization that has been helping people cope with the aftermath of incarceration since its founding, by the Broadway press agent David Rothenberg, more than fifty years ago. The programme is one of the last survivors of Bill Clintons notorious 1994 crime bill, which eliminated federal aid for higher education in jails. If I wait for the world to be better, then the whole society would have to change, and I dont have a long enough life to wait for that to happen., At a Thursday meeting a couple of weeks later, a recent home-comer praised another Castle client for gently urging him away from a confrontation with someone who pushed himor whom he perceived to have pushed himon the subway. Ill accept you any way you are. Some think that even in prison, they should not have access to it. Take the powerI chose not to do that this time. He glided into the next thought. After 25 years of incarceration, my journey and successes are directly attributable to the opportunity I had to get an education. Our line was: If you smoke weed, and keep doing it, were going to discharge you. So I called the Loesser estate. Kinzel brings his students to prisons to humanize the criminal justice system. On another occasion, Shawnta Montgomery mentioned meeting someone who had worked with Rivera in the past: He said, Sam tried to fix me, but he couldnt. But he sends his regards., I couldnt fix him? Rivera said, with some vehemence. That foundation thats still there., David Rothenberg founded the Fortune Society almost by accident. People who have just come home meet interviewers in mock interviews. As the car pulled up to the Castle, a group of residents, all masked, were waiting on the steps. There is still so much work to do, to make sure access to higher education behind bars is fully restored, to put an end to mass incarceration, and to make our country live up to its values. Log In or Sign Up Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery Two dozen similar programs exist in 28 states, though Bards is the most highly-regarded. That person I was is not who I am now. That, the interviewer explained, is a version of the perfect answer, which the residents work to adapt. The funding continuesunder the Trump administration and Asnuntuck officials saidthey are happy to continue as long as the federal government allows them to. Youre always coming home., He has a favorite aphorism about those whom he always calls his clients, which on another afternoon he stressed more fiercely than his usually equable tone allows. Taxpayer dollars are not at work. One Thursday, Shawnta Montgomery, who loves to tease Rivera for his sincerity and self-seriousness, was on the right, too, closer up. You keep coming home. Tamika Graham, 17 Above all, what shines through is gratitude. benefiting from their contributions as advocates and leaders. As a formerly incarcerated woman who has been working at this for nearly twenty years, I can tell you: College Behind Bars could not arrive a better time. (All Photos by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Skiff Mountain Films), .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. Thats the trick. They have to be sleeping under a bridge before they can officially be classed as homeless. In the late nineteen-nineties, Page came upon the empty Catholic girls school. Yet I know that Sam wasnt afraid, and he could have whipped this guys ass. She had just come home after doing years for a D.U.I. This makes his conversation a singular braid of show-biz anecdotes and social-activist exhortations. In the program, the inmates memorize the opening section of "Moby Dick," participate in classroom discussion onthe ethics of stem cells and vigorously weigh the benefits of NATO as part of a viral debate team. Lawmakersargued at the time that Pell Grants, a form of federal student aid for high-need college students, should not be spent on convicts. The autopsy showed that Dishawna died of a lacerated liver. Id like to offer it to you. The charges each carry a potential penalty of up to 25 years in prison. Some argue that time and resources would be better spent teaching prisoners skills or trades so that they can obtain employment after graduation as laborers. So thats my work, finding the foundation that remains. Was anyone around this week when I got stepped to?. Studied at Virginia College Class of 2014 High school Went to Belmont High School Dayton Ohio 1995 - 1997 Went to West Carrollton Photos See all photos Others Named Shawnta Montgomery Shawnta Montgomery See more Others With a Similar Name Mo Montgomery Erin Montgomery Mikeylyles Montgomery Fetty Shawnta Shelby Montgomery Taylor R Montgomery Sometimes doing nothing is the best decision we can make, right? And I was with one of my mentors, watching these great little kids playing in this playground. You know who Peggy Lee is? he asked. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. "Iwant people to walk away from this film understanding that there are many more people who want to be involved in programs like this that are incarcerated, but they don't have the access or the possibility of doing so.". "Do you want the guy that got educationinside and is likely to get a job? This is about undoing a mistake.. January 18, 2023 2:32 pm. My life styleIm not proud of itbut I was a stickup kid my whole life. I discovered liberation in education. The Castle began when we kept seeing that there was an urgent need for housing for people released who became homeless, JoAnne Page, the president and C.E.O. Youre going to declare that its as low as youre going to let yourself go. Phone Number: (757) 237-IJJT. The study projected large benefits toreinstating Pell Grant access to incarcerated individuals, finding that inmatesleavingprison will getjobs, contribute to the economyand will be less likely togo back to prison. I got my job and my apartment is a motto of success. So, when Im there, like thishe became the man he is in meetings, hands relaxed by his sides, a half smile on his facethen Im sending the message that you can be both, a tough guy who is open and not frightened. The crime is not who you are, its what you did. David said once, to a journalist who asked, How can you work with these violent criminals?, Well, how would you like to be identified for your entire life by the one worst thing youve ever done? Then on Thursday you go over to Moms and she makes fried chicken, and how can you say no? It wasnt always this way. The only person youre fooling is you. Rivera emphasizes that change happens only hour by hour and day by dayand that, nonetheless, you can wake up one day and find that the hours of work have accumulated into months and then years. Sun Tzu said if you know the outcome of the fight anyway, you have no need to fight. Andrew Cuomo alsopledgedstate funding for the program in 2014, but backlash led him to withdraw the policy proposal. 4 following. Ninety-five percent of people who are in prison will get out, Ken Burns,executive producer ofthe PBS film, told USA TODAY. Page emphasizes the societys open doors policy. Yeah, theres a line, I think its from there, that I always repeat. Health/beauty. Resignation not accepted! Easy called out, in turn. Nassau County police said Monday that Shawnta Montgomery of Roosevelt was arrested after an autopsy revealed that her daughter, Dishawna, died Friday from a lacerated liver. Im not going to expel someone for smoking marijuana. Im not used to having anyone take anything from me. I couldnt have stood there with this guy spitting in my face saying the things he was saying. Incarcerated at 17, Jule Hall spent more than 20 years in prison and is one of the main figures in the PBS documentary, which airsMonday and Tuesday. I spent more of my life in prison than free. Lets work on your foundationwhat will keep you standing, even if you start to use drugs again, even if you went back to prison. Many of us have done it. It should not be strange to hear prisoners talk about The Oresteia or Moby-Dick or eukaryotic cell structure but it is. Government Affairs and Advancement Officer for the Bard Prison Initiative, BPI and College Behind Bars in The Appeal, College Behind Bars review how education can unlock prisoners potential, Op-Ed College Programs in Prison Show the Value of Educating Every American. People say Hepburn and Tracy. This story has been shared 100,523 times. Its hard., Rivera grew gentler: Can I talk about that? Then, in late May, after the standard announcements of a Thursday meeting, Rivera said, as smoothly as he could, So, I have an announcement. Taconic inmate Shawnta Montgomery's account of an upbringing and life that brought about the death of her young daughter outlines a path that is surely common to many. That is because of the determination of formerly-incarcerated advocates and leaders across the country. Nearly killed by his stepfather, he turned to crime, and by 18, he was in prison after shooting at a police officerduring a traffic stop. Im a big man, and I can look intimidating. He crossed his arms and looked out at an imagined audience. So, one night Miss Peggy Lee called me at midnight and said, I want to do a show of Frank Loessers music, Rothenberg was saying in the car. 4,221 Followers, 4 Following, 172 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Nourished by Shawnta Haircare (@nourishedbyshawnta) nourishedbyshawnta. Dont answer! The BPI provides courses for associate degrees (between a high school diploma and a bachelors degree) and bachelors degrees inside six New York prisons, using the same curriculum as it does on the outside. It is against the law in New York City to ask a job candidate about his or her criminal record, but it is legal, after a job has been offered, to run a search on the prospective hire. A pregnant 20-year-old Long Island woman has been charged with manslaughter in the death of her 2-year-old daughter. Shawnta Montgomery, 20, who lives on Hudson Avenue in Roosevelt, pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter at her arraignment Monday in First District Court in Hempstead, court officials said. But its real point, Rivera confided, is to conduct a group-therapy session for seventy-five people, which they say you cant do. His goal was to get the people in the room, having come home, to stay home. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey, and has two teen-age sons and a daughter in her twenties. Montgomery, who was arrested Sunday, faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted. Because I need the sheet music, she said. Im aware of the stresses on him, Webb said. One Thursday, Shawnta Montgomery, who loves to tease Rivera for his sincerity and self-seriousness, was on the right, too, closer up. Email Address: s YIJY @netzero.net. Thats why I say, If youre going around meto smoke or get high or whateveryoure not fooling me. As a formerly incarcerated woman who has been working at this for nearly twenty years, I can tell you: could not arrive a better time. Thursday meetings are always essentialwe realized that if we had rooms and no services we were just a hotel, he said. For the longest time, I really didn't understand the value of education. And he was right.. With a shaved head and an earring in each ear, he had led the meeting for about two years, with good humor and disciplinelike ones ideal of a staff sergeant, who creates maximum morale but with minimal opportunity for goofing off. So hes, you know, the whole dealthe warrior-monk kind of guy. I keep telling him thatyou just have to accept that, wherever you go, there will be friction between you and the people you work with, and you have to work through it. Left: Jule Hall attends the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS after-party at Red Rooster on November 12, 2019 in New York City; Right: Vivian Nixon and Max Kenner on the red carpet before the screening The Apollo Theater. By taking up issues such as mental health and marijuana legalization, the countrys youngest M.P. To every one of you tonight who contributed to this program, either through your time and commitment or through private donations, thank you. I was thrilled but not surprised, Dyjuan, when BPI beat Harvard. And sometimes people of color introduce themselves that wayI was in prison. But thats not you! Tension grows between the charismatic person and the administrators, who have a clear idea of the dogged and unglamorous work required to sustain the institutional structure. (The computer room is not a place to come to hang out, he announced as one meeting began. I know it wasnt easy for them, but my family was there for me the entire time I was in prison, and theyre here tonight. The crowd, including the original speaker, laughed at Riveras earnest repetition of bottom, but he had made his point: they couldnt afford the indulgence of self-dramatization. Jones hopes change will come as policymakers realize tough-on-crime policies that exclude incarcerated individuals from opportunities don't work. Youre putting words to systems that youve recognized your whole life, but you never had a word for. It's not that often that you see such a clear narrative of this policy change," said CaseyGoldvale, who co-wrote the study. But no one, as Rothenberg says, goes away for thirty years for jumping a turnstile, and many people at the Castle have been away for thirty years. Lt. John Azzata, commanding officer of the Nassau police homicide squad. As things stand, it is both of these things, intensely. Shawnta Montgomery and Tamika Graham. More than half the people coming out of state prison to New York City right now are being dumped in shelters. My kids do that, Rivera said. Heartfelt testimonies from current and past participants abound about the internal transformations wrought. Everyone watched Susskind on Sunday nights, Rothenberg recalled. Of Native American and Puerto Rican parentage, he has the build of the fullback he once was. Education experts argue the benefit of expanding college prison programs is both personal and fiscal. It is enough to evoke the difference between their lives and normal lives without overwhelming or numbing the viewer with a welter of miseries and narratives that become indistinguishable. I was ready to do something about it, but he told me, Just let it go, and I did., Rivera seized the moment: What do we mean when we say were going to lose it? Last month, Congress introduced bills that wouldreinstate Pell Grant eligibility for those incarceratedas part ofwider college affordability legislation. We have some of the people with the worst records in New York City coming for active services, but no metal detectors. You have to start again on Friday. Left: Malcolm Jenkins and Sebastian Yoon speak on stage at the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS at The Apollo Theater on November 12, 2019 in New York City; Right: Malcolm Jenkins on the red carpet at the screening. The key is going back on the diet on Friday, after you screw up on Thursday, and not to wait till Monday to start again. He paused and waited for his food to arrive. CLARKSVILLE, TN - Award . In the hope of rescuing a different future for us all, we must take some lessons from BPIthis program has much to teach us about the role of education in society. You did. (The right answer is: I love to work with others.) Whats your greatest weakness. Conversations with others in the organization suggest that the issue was a familiar one, especially within nonprofits. Page insists that the organization will go on more or less intact. Unlike other forms of student aid, Pell Grants are not loans anddonot need to be repaid. I got involved in a bad situation or I found myself in a circumstance in which someone got hurt segues into the first-person active: Im putting my life together and reconnecting with my family now., Sooner or later, though, the complicated language settles, for a newcomer, into a basic formula of introduction: Ive been away. He used to come to Fortune.. Rothenberg takes a late lunch or an early dinner most days at Trufa. The most effective argument at the time (and likely today) is that taxpayer dollars should not subsidize free college for criminals, especially when the majority of the nation cannot afford it.
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