College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary film series directed by award-winning filmmaker Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns, tells the story of a small group of incarcerated men and women struggling to earn college degrees and turn their lives around 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 four-hour film takes viewers on a stark and intimate journey into one of the most pressing issues of our time—our failure to provide meaningful rehabilitation for the over two million Americans living behind bars. 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. It raises questions we urgently need to address: What is prison for? Who has access to educational opportunity? Who among us is capable of academic excellence? How can we have justice without redemption?
This event will feature a screening of scenes from the film and a Q&A with the director and producer of the film and alumni of the Bard Prison Initiative.
The series airs on PBS on November 25 and 26.
Speakers
-
-
Alex Duran
Speaker
Alex Duran is a program specialist in the Open Society-U.S. Justice Team and an alumnus of the Bard Prison Initiative.
-
Max Kenner
Speaker
Max Kenner is the executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative.
-
Sebastian Yoon
Speaker
Sebastian Yoon is a program specialist in the Open Society-U.S. Democracy Team and an alumnus of the Bard Prison Initiative.
Read more
Homicide Reduction
Q&A: How One Colombian City Is Tackling Violent Crime
Palmira, Colombia, is one of the most violent cities in the world. But a prevention program focusing on youth has reduced crime significantly—and earned it an international peace prize. The city’s mayor on what’s working.
In Remembrance
Lani Guinier’s Overlooked Education Legacy
The late Lani Guinier thought deeply about the intersection between education and criminal justice. Her leadership at Open Society helped pave the way to colleges across the country offering higher education to the incarcerated.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Challenging Mexico’s Abusive Preventative Detention System
Mónica Esparza’s case is one of the most notorious cases of extreme gender violence carried out by Mexican authorities. What her story teaches about how to combat the country’s scourge of gender-based violence.