Ending the Culture of Street Crime and the Oregon Think Tank

The Oregon Think Tank, held at the Oregon State Penitentiary, is in its formative phase.  We currently consist of fifteen inside students; five instructors from Oregon State University, Chemeketa Community College, and the University of Oregon; Melissa Crabbe (Assistant National Director) and two outside alumni from the University of Oregon.  We are working through forming our unique identity here in the West, and are working through logistical limitations to build a more robust group of outside members. 

Although we're still a new group, we've already developed a strong sense of group unity, and have discussed several new projects we'd like to undertake in the area of educational support for the prisons in Salem, Oregon.

Two meetings ago, we discussed the article "Ending the Culture of Street Crime,"  which was co-authored by the Lifers group at Graterford Prison.  This is particularly meaningful as the authors are largely Inside-Out alumni in Pennsylvania, and we were able to interact as an alumni group in Oregon, discussing the perspectives of crime and justice in a formal, academic way.  The article has a lot to say about the potential for mentoring and cultural transformation originating within prisons to affect change on the outside.  Here in Oregon, we had a lot to say about this article: how recognizable some issues were, and how there are regional differences clear in patterns of crime and justice between East and West coasts. 

Many Inside-Out classes use this article to jump-start discussions of crime and justice, but for some of us this was a first read.  I was truly inspired by the model for high-quality research and writing, as well as the commitment this indicated to scholarship and justice work for the Graterford group. 

I encourage everyone to read the article, published by The Prison Journal, and found here: "Ending the Culture of Street Crime." 

Have other alumni read this article in their classes?  I would be very interested in other opinions of this article, whether based on regional differences or other perspectives in criminal justice reform. 

And, above all, I am anxious to hear more about what this means about bridges between the inside and outside: whether that be in scholarship, mentorship, discussion, publishing, or efforts at social change. 

Michigan hosts National Inside-Out Instructor Training

The Theory Group at Ryan Correctional Facility hosted the first National Instructor Training to take place outside of Pennsylvania the week of May 9th. They trained instructors from the Midwest, walking the group through the process of teaching an Inside-Out class.

The curriculum for instructor training was developed by the Think Tank in Graterford Prison outside of Philadelphia. The training involves a week of intensive conversations and exercises, including four days on the outside, and three days spent in the prison, working with a group of inside and outside alumni. They create course curriculum, and test out exercises with the inside group. They read and discuss some of the foundational texts of transformative teaching methods, particularly focusing on Paulo Freire and bell hooks, which leads to the format of openness and mutual learning that is so key to the Inside-Out experience.

Reports back from the Michigan training indicate that the Theory Group (the group of inside and outside participants who meet on an ongoing basis) are an incredibly tight-knit community, who are committed to Inside-Out and to supporting one another as they become regional and national leaders in prison education.

What they've accomplished in forming their community and in hosting this training, is an inspiration to all of us who do this work. Thank you for your commitment and your vision. Hopefully these stories from Michigan will keep coming in!

Final Class Project: Bucknell University and PA State Correctional Institution

The class "Women and the Penal System" class of Spring 2011 completed a powerful set of testimony as their final class project. They solicited reflections on their classroom experiences from former and current inside and outside students. They were not permitted to audio- or video-record the inside students, so they developed a way to represent the inside students' views by having the outside students audio record the inside students' words.

The students performed a simple and moving three-part video, using silhouettes and voices from the inside and the outside. Their videos can be found here at Inside Out Voices on Youtube.

The three videos address the differing expectations and reactions to their Inside-Out classes: one anticipating the class, one during the class, and one reflecting back on their semester together.

I think these stories are incredibly powerful, and that these short videos show great artistry and power. I hope to hear more about this project soon!

National Newsletter: Spring 2011

Hello all,

The third National Inside-Out Newsletter has arrived! It contains news from some of the regional centers for Inside-Out, including Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Philadelphia. There are stories from instructors who are creating new projects, as well as from inside and outside alumni involved with the work of the program.

You can find the newsletter here, and the previous editions are available at the national website, found here.