Prison inmates bodyslam Harvard in public debate

[Stellar]

Published on Oct 6, 2015
Prison inmates Carl Snyder,, Dyjuan Tatro and Carlos Polanco made national news this week after defeating the debate team at Harvard University. The surprising part of all of this is that people are surprised. Why do we expect that prison inmates are less human and less capable than the rest of us anyway?

Debate Photos: Prisoners vs. Harvard Students
Inmates defeat Harvard students in a debate at a maximum security prison



1 of 7 fullscreen
Carl Snyder, an inmate and member of the Bard Prison Initiative debate team, speaks at a debate

WallStreet Journal

[Number23]

1. I heard about that!! I am so glad you posted this here

I'm having a bit of trouble with your link though. I think this one may work http://www.wsj.com/articles/prisoners-surprised-by-reaction-after-defeating-harvard-in-debate-1444346819


The men in last month’s debate are on a roughly 20-member team at Eastern New York Correctional Facility in the Catskills. They are pursuing degrees through the Bard Prison Initiative, a part of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., which offers about 300 inmates statewide a rigorous college experience.

This is such a fascinating story. I see a Movie of the Week outta this!

[Stellar]

2. Damned, I couldn't figure out why I only got the photo on WSJ.

But the guy on youtube...wow, he was really something.

[stonecutter357]

3. K&R!

[MADem]

4. Well, you know how the GOP are gonna spin this.....

Look, "they" should be "grateful!!!" "They" got a great college education, better than HARVARD--and they got it FREE OF CHARGE!!!!

I really like Dr. Watkins' analysis of this event--he really nails a lot of points.



From left, prison inmates Carl Snyder, Dyjuan Tatro and Carlos Polanco embrace after winning the debate. PHOTO: PETER FOLEY FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

[randys1]

6. Two groups/institutions GOP hates, immensely. Non whites and education.

Did Nixon and Reagan hate education?

Wait, yes Reagan did, we know he started the war on education.

Is there ONE republican since IKE who didnt ?

not sure

[Stellar]

8. Dr. Watkin was truly dynamic!

I've watched that video at least three times...very powerful, very powerful!

[MADem]

5. More on the program.

The Bard Prison Initiative, begun in 2001, aims to give liberal-arts educations to talented, motivated inmates. Program officials say about 10 inmates apply for every spot, through written essays and interviews.

There is no tuition. The initiative’s roughly $2.5 million annual budget comes from private donors and includes money it spends helping other programs follow its model in nine other states.

Last year Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, proposed state grants for college classes for inmates, saying that helping them become productive taxpayers would save money long-term. He dropped the plan after attacks from Republican politicians who argued that many law-abiding families struggled to afford college and shouldn’t have to pay for convicted criminals to get degrees.

The Bard program’s leaders say that of more than 300 alumni who earned degrees while in custody, less than 2% returned to prison within three years, the standard time frame for measuring recidivism.

In New York state as a whole, by contrast, about 40% of ex-offenders end up back in prison, mostly because of parole violations, according to the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/an-unlikely-debate-prison-vs-harvard-1442616928

[Starry Messenger]

7. I also think this story would be a terrific movie.

[Stellar]

9. Movie, yes a beautiful thing.

[MADem]

10. I agree--it almost writes itself. The arc of the story can be predicted but that would not matter.

If they start with individual stories, they can really pull a viewer in and keep 'em there until the Big Finish!!

[Admiral Loinpresser]

11. +1 n/t

[1StrongBlackMan]

12. I am not surprised ...

In another life, I worked in a prison pre-release program. What I found was a bunch of really smart people. Being in prison is NOT a measure of intellectual ability.

[Stellar]

13. hear, hear...

That's pretty much what Dr. Watkins said too.