2023-05-19 16:01:13
In the US, the prison system is a separate industry. Although the number of prisoners has recently fallen slightly, there are still almost 1.7 million people behind bars in the country.
A record. Only China has more prisoners than the US. Their prospects are often bleak: once you get into the American judicial system, you often won’t get out for the rest of your life.
In the US state of Georgia, that is now set to change – via a pilot project at the local university that is intended to give inmates access to the education system.
There is already a first graduating class: a few days ago, nine inmates at Walker State Prison received a college degree, a so-called associate degree, from Georgia State University.
The inmates sat in class for more than 60 hours. “Our students show what people who are incarcerated are capable of,” Patrick Rodriguez told Fox.
The 32-year-old directs Georgia State University’s inmate education program. He was once a convict himself, serving five years for drug trafficking. Had previously been to college. But then he broke off and became a criminal.
Now he wants to expand the education program for prisoners in Georgia. By 2025, four more prisons in the state are to be won over. Already, 50 inmates were waiting at Walker State Prison to get their college degrees. (PS)
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