Morehouse College receives funds for prison education program

Credit: David Collins

Credit: David Collins

The Higher Education in Prisons Program’s goal is to position participants for a “second chance so that they can build viable lives after they leave,” Morehouse President David A. Thomas said Thursday in a news release. “Our hope with the work that we are doing is that in some way those men getting exposure to the educational resources, pedagogy, and experiences that we know how to provide will increase their human capital.”

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Ga., joined Thomas and others at Morehouse to announce the funds and said Morehouse’s program is much needed due to challenges that come after a person has served their sentence in prison.

“Few communities need this support more than incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals,” she said. “Historically, we haven’t invested in the futures of incarcerated individuals, and this helps no one. Our prison population — overwhelmingly and disproportionately — is comprised of Black men. It continues to grow, and the recidivism rates are sky high.”

Kipton E. Jensen, a Morehouse professor who helped found the program, said he’s seen it be transformational for everyone involved: “I’ve come alive in the last five years (since the prison program’s inception). I’ve seen students and faculty come alive, and, primarily, I’ve seen men inside come alive.”