Prisoners receive college education through Calvin Prison Initiative
Melissa Frick @hollandsentinel 616-546-4279
The 15 inmates received their Associate of Arts degrees after three years of study through the Calvin Prison Initiative.
After three years of studying behind bars, 15 inmates from Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility received their Calvin College Associate of Arts degrees on Monday.
The prisoners reached a milestone on their five-year road to completing a bachelor's degree in Ministry Leadership through the Calvin Prison Initiative.
The program is a partnership between Calvin College, Calvin Theological Seminary and the Michigan Department of Corrections. Allowing prisoners to pursue a college education, CPI seeks to instill hope within prisoners through education, despite their incarceration.
“At Calvin, we believe education always comes with moral foundation, and we own that,” said CPI Co-Director Todd Cioffi. “We say that the classroom is an intersection between learning and moral/spiritual development. Education is there to make you a good person.”
The program is funded by outside private donors and foundations, Cioffi said.
During the graduation May 21, Calvin College Provost Cheryl Brandsen summarized the program’s mission of hope by citing Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Accepting 20 inmates a year, the program is two-thirds inmates who are incarcerated for life, and the rest are those with long-term sentences. Cioffi said they hope the result of the program would be to convey that the "lifers" still have value and deserve education. With their education, they are expected to become leaders, mentors and tutors within the prisons.
"This program has changed my life," said CPI student inmate Dustin in a prepared statement from Calvin College. "It's given me an opportunity to be the person I feel like I was always meant to be. College in prison is something that's becoming almost non-existent. For an institution to come in here and offer a fully accredited bachelor's degree is unbelievable."
The idea for the Calvin Prison Initiative was born when members of the Calvin Theological Seminary visited the Angola Louisiana State Penitentiary, dubbed the “Bloodiest Prison in America.” It was there that a program had been installed, which allowed prisoners to graduate from a seminary program and become Christian leaders within the prison. Because of this program, violence at the prison dropped by 85 percent.
Calvin Seminary professors brought this idea back to Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facilities, and with that the Calvin Prison Initiative was born. They began with a program where inmates were able to join the seminary after one year of studying. However, after realizing that many inmates didn't have a college education to begin with, they paired with Calvin College to offer inmates a college degree. This year's class of inmates were the first within the program to complete their associate degrees.
Calvin Theological Seminary professor of preaching John Rottman said the program hopes to continue to make an impact on the prisoners.
Student inmates pursue the exact same liberal arts education that a Calvin College student would; the prison’s program is accredited, and prisoners are taught the same educational content, by the same professors, as at Calvin College.
CPI students are also held at the same application standards as students on the main campus. The program looks for students with academic promise and leadership experience, and requires character references. The Department of Corrections has its own criteria, only accepting students with good track records.
Prisoners experience a "typical school day" as full-time students. They have class most days of the week, and have study hall when they’re not in class. They also have access to computers and a full library.
Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility Warden DeWayne Burton spoke of the impact of the program at the graduation ceremony.
"This program has changed the landscape at the prison," he said. "Leadership is not about a title. It's about impact, influence and aspiration. Impact includes results, and influence involves passion."
Cioffi said educational prison programs not only create better environments within prisons, but can help our society as well.
"We've been really amazed at the impact this program has had," Cioffi said. "We believe if there are more programs like this within the state, it would change the prison environments. And when they leave after undergoing these educations, there's a lower risk of them coming back, which leads to a better society."