"College Behind Bars" Screening [Rescheduled]

College Behind Bars tells the story of a group of incarcerated men and women working to earn college degrees in one of the most rigorous and effective prison education programs in the United States – the Bard Prison Initiative. Shot over four years in maximum and medium security prisons in New York State, the film takes viewers on a stark and intimate journey into one of the most pressing issues in our criminal justice system – our failure to provide meaningful rehabilitation for the over two million incarcerated Americans. Through the personal stories of the students and their families, the film reveals the transformative power of higher education and puts a human face on America’s criminal justice crisis.

College Behind Bars raises a number of ethical questions about both higher education and incarceration in the United States. Who in the United States has access to educational opportunity and higher education? In what ways is the answer to this question connected to mass incarceration in the United States? Is public resistance to state funded higher education for incarcerated people justified? What is the purpose of prisons? If the United States prison system is meant to be a “corrections” system, what role ought “rehabilitation” play in that system? What is rehabilitation, and what role can or should higher education play in it?

The event will be hosted via Zoom on Tuesday, October 6th from 5 - 7 pm. We will screen portions (approximately 90 minutes) of the full four-hour documentary series. The screening will be followed by a Zoom discussion moderated by Dr. Chris Wells immediately following the film. Please join with the Zoom Meeting ID: 940 1877 7926 and e-mail ethics@lsu.edu for the Zoom passcode.