But my job is saving lives now. Detective Lt. John Azzata said Montgomery is 7months pregnant. Now that Ive been home for a few years, I appreciate even more what it means to be a Bard alum. Rivera was sitting over dinner at Trufa, an eclectic little restaurant at Broadway and 140th Street. Now, I dont believe thats true. Intentional haircare for the mindfully obsessed . [My mothers] voice is important in this film and this conversation. Instead of congratulating him, Rivera exclaimed, You gotta accept that getting one degree is enough. He reminded Webb that the point of the Castle was to get out of the Castle, and that the choice of when to leave would not always be left to the resident. Alienation. Man is mind. Then on Sunday, detectives arrested Montgomery after she "made admissions to us of striking that child multiple times," said Det. The charges each carry a potential penalty of up to 25 years in prison. Copyright 2023 Newsday. (The right answer is: I love to work with others.) Whats your greatest weakness. That foundation thats still there., David Rothenberg founded the Fortune Society almost by accident. Shawnta Montgomery had suffered what police described as "an accidental fall down the stairs." The second call to the house came Friday around 9:10 a.m., when Nassau police responded to a 911 call . Lets hold that, because I definitely want to know about this brick. Two dozen similar programs exist in 28 states, though Bards is the most highly-regarded. Become a BPI supporter today and join a passionate community that believes in the power of education. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. There was this wonderful arts editor at the Times, who was always kind to me, helped me understand what worked and what didnt. At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. being firm in the corner, Easy kibbitzing from the side, Rivera went on. But if we lift up our collective voices, we have a greater chance of convincing those in power to support it. And one arrogant woman running for office who was there watching came up to me and said, What was that old con in for? I said, I dont know, I guess for winning three Pulitzer Prizes? He smiled. It should not be strange to hear prisoners talk about The Oresteia or Moby-Dick or eukaryotic cell structure but it is. More often than not, violence, isolation and angerare what come to mind. Use (334) 356-1964 to contact Shawnta with caution. Asnuntuck Community College in northern Connecticut, for example, is feeling the effects of expanding Pell Grants to prisoners. Sam Rivera outside the Castle, a residence for the formerly incarcerated. The headcount which drags prisoners back to their cells five times a day is disruptive enough, but the constant noise and unrest means that a lot of the students work from late at night until early in the morning; it is the only time that they can trust they wont be interrupted. And those people really dont last that long. And I began to transition from full-time press agent and part-time prison activist to full-time prison activist and part-time press agent. How ya doing? Sam Rivera laughed, and his audience wasnt quite sure whether to laugh with him or not. Thats why I say, If youre going around meto smoke or get high or whateveryoure not fooling me. Client Services Associate at Brooklyn Community Bail Fund. Various guests may appear, too, ranging from John Edward Wetzel, the secretary of corrections for the State of Pennsylvania, to Luann de Lesseps, the Real Housewives of New York star who once spent a night in jail. College Behind Bars will premiere nationwide on PBS on November 25 and 26, 2019. Executive Producer, College Behind Bars. December 17, 2021 until valhalla marines "Inside the walls of a classroom, you escape the walls of a cell and you become an individual again.". Theres nothing you could do., Heres the deal, Rivera said. I would have loved to stay at Fortune, he said in early June. shawnta montgomery now. I called the producer and said, Have you ever had six former prisoners? She said, I want em but I cant get em. I said, I can. So we went on, and the next morning, after the show, I got call after call after call. A longtime resident called E., a formidable Jamaican with the voice, and the authority, of Laurence Fishburne, sits in the far-left corner. Studied at Virginia College Class of 2014 High school Went to Belmont High School Dayton Ohio 1995 - 1997 Went to West Carrollton Photos See all photos Others Named Shawnta Montgomery Shawnta Montgomery See more Others With a Similar Name Mo Montgomery Erin Montgomery Mikeylyles Montgomery Fetty Shawnta Shelby Montgomery Taylor R Montgomery To the right, a line of older residents, looking a little worn out and a little wise, fill the chairs. ROOSEVELT, NY Police have charged 20-year-old Shawnta Montgomery, of Roosevelt, with first-degree manslaughter. Shawnta Montgomery, another BPI alum, works as a peer recovery coach at the Fortune Society, a New York City nonprofit group focused on integrating formerly incarcerated individuals back into. View Shawnta Montgomery's record in Gaffney, SC including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Last month, I visited BPIs home at Eastern Correctional Facility. shawnta montgomery now. Shawnta Montgomery and Tamika Graham. What is your greatest strength in a work situation? In prison, Rivera recalled, he helped care for sick inmates during the height of the AIDS crisis, and he has done the same sort of work ever since. The film trails Hall, a2011Bard Prison Initiative graduate whoearned a bachelor's degreein German studies, as he navigates the parole process, is released from prison and enters the workforce. Student Shawnta Montgomery spoke inspiring words at her graduation ceremony: "Inside the walls of a classroom, you escape the walls of a cell and you become an individual again." Montgomery was graduating from the Bard Prison Initiative program, featured in the new PBS and Ken Burns documentary, College Behind Bars. The funding continuesunder the Trump administration and Asnuntuck officials saidthey are happy to continue as long as the federal government allows them to. There may be a bottom below the bottom youve hit already! Craig Steven Wilder Was anyone around this week when I got stepped to?. Right: Max Kenner speaks on stage at the screening. This film following students of the Bard Prison Initiative is a tribute to their ambition and endeavour and an indictment of the absence of funding for such programmes. To every one of you tonight who contributed to this program, either through your time and commitment or through private donations, thank you. First-year students at Eastern Correctional Facility. Take the powerI chose not to do that this time. He glided into the next thought. Sam has gotten so adept at avoiding conflict that he avoids conflict when he needs to engage in it, he said. Three days after they moved into German's Hudson Avenue home, on Jan. 4, Nassau police were called to the house. Lt. John Azzata, commanding officer of the Nassau police homicide squad. "There is some indication to us, which we are investigating, that there had been notifications to authorities in the Virginia area," Azzata said. Though the program is now mostly privately funded, it previously received federal funding until the government ceased providing educational subsidies to prisons under the 1994 crime bill. , Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, with BPIs community of alumni, families, staff, faculty, and supporters for a special screening of, Program Specialist Open Society Foundation, Found of Listen Up Media, Philadelphia Eagles Two-time Super Bowl Champion, Canvass Director at JustLeadershipUSA and the Lead National Organizer for Beyond the Box Initiative, Last month, I visited BPIs home at Eastern Correctional Facility. Sister of Rodney Spivey-Jones. I was driving by a playground once, near where I grew up. I heard it., Its hard having something taken from you. Goldvale said the study foundmany at the local and state levelare intrigued by the expansion of Pell Grants to prisons. When a client had confronted him, Rivera hugged the man, literally, until the confrontation ended. If I find myself threatened by the possibility of a confrontation on the streetjust a car-cutoff thing, you know; happens every dayIve found myself literally running in the other direction to remove myself from those reflexes and that risk. The aim is to learn a new language of performance in order to have a new chance at life. Explore our interactive graphic to follow the journeys of three BPI alumni through college and career. Wesley Caines, 09 I am so glad that the cameras were there that day, because what happened on that stage, and what is happening at BPI, will change Americas understanding of who incarcerated people are, and what they are capable of. In the coming years, we will end mass incarceration and restore investments in education to precisely the places where leaders have prioritized punishment. Week after week, the same seats are almost always occupied by the same people. All Rights Reserved. Above all, what shines through is gratitude. What does it mean to live a good life? Sam said, Youre going to have the same river view, and, to make a long story short, it happened. nothing. Doing nothing is doing something. Current Address: WQPU Spring Valley Rd, Montgomery, AL. Late night studying. Get the latest news about BPI and our work. Jumaane Williams "This isn't about giving people in prisonsomething new," Brumfieldsaid. (Uh, my greatest weakness? Program Associate with the Ford Foundation. My kids do that, Rivera said. Astudyfrom RAND estimates that for every $1 invested in the program, the country saves five dollars in re-incarceration costs over three years. Dizhawna, who was nicknamed "Da Da," turned 2 on Christmas Day. When it comes to education behind bars, Kinzel said the debate boils down to a simple question. A language of elaborate indirection fills the room. Unlike other forms of student aid, Pell Grants are not loans anddonot need to be repaid. Justice involved means that someone was arrested for or convicted of a crime; been upstate means imprisoned at northern-county places like Attica or Auburn (where license plates are made) or at Sing Sing (where the electric chair Old Sparky once stood). Though it cannot begin to be quantified, the sense of authentic freedom education brings to those behind bars may be even more lasting than any return on investment. Though the two types of study are not mutually exclusive, trades are typically emphasized for certain types of learners at the expense of the liberal arts. Although he disavowed any internal conflict, there clearly had been complicated feelings between him and some of the top people at the Fortune headquarters. Yet heremains spiritually on both sides of the doorway. The four-part series tracks a fascinating prison education initiative Bard began in 1999, which now serves 300 individuals. The programme is one of the last survivors of Bill Clintons notorious 1994 crime bill, which eliminated federal aid for higher education in jails. Almost as an afterthought, he began a help line for such peopleReally, only an extra desk in the officeand watched it blossom into a lifetimes work. Its changing fundamentally the way I think, behave and interact with people, says Dyjuan Tatro (the eukaryotic expert). Rivera can keep the room buoyant with a jokeusually at the expense of Rothenberg, who, as the household saint, can afford to have a few jokes told at his expense (and whose aura is very different from Riveras: small, high-strung, gay, and Jewish). You cant emphasize enough things that may seem superficial. She was stabbed multiple times. And youre calling me at midnight about this because? I said. (The computer room is not a place to come to hang out, he announced as one meeting began. The autopsy uncovered prior abuse as well. Smith, 25, was accused of firing a 9-mm handgun into the Norfolk, Va., home where Montgomery was staying last November. He had never been given permission. The documentary provides a fascinating window into the initiatives prison classrooms: Classic Greek literature, Shakespeare, history, writing seminars, Chinese. So, when Im there, like thishe became the man he is in meetings, hands relaxed by his sides, a half smile on his facethen Im sending the message that you can be both, a tough guy who is open and not frightened. There is now bipartisan legislation before congress to restore Pell eligibility for people in prison. And More; Phone & Email (2) We found 2 phone numbers and email addresses. So, I tell the story. Im not used to having anyone take anything from me. I almost lost it, the home-comer recounted. I think she killed some editor from the Times, they said. He swallowed hard and said, That was the moral test for me. (If you call someones bullshit poetry, they wont be that offended, even if youre telling them you dont want to hear it.) On this evening, for instance, someone used a formula familiar from twelve-step programs: You have to hit bottom before you can come back up. This sentiment went around the room with echoing fervor. I had a mentor once, and I was telling him everything I was doing, and he said, Where is Sam in this? That was hugely helpful to me. But, where in the movie version the returning local hero would be surrounded by a crowd, Rivera quickly sought out one-on-one encounters. ", 68% of inmates released from state prisons were rearrested, 42.6% of state prisoners released in 2012 returned to prison, Released from prison by Obama, now on the dean's list, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Upstairs, there are comfortable bedrooms for more than eighty residents, but at the moment they were, by the societys rule, empty. "That was the first time in my life that I really was empowered and felt kind of proud of myself," Kinzel said. There are 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States, some of whom wound up there because the education system failed them previously. Incarcerated at 17, Jule Hall spent more than 20 years in prison and is one of the main figures in the PBS documentary, which airsMonday and Tuesday. The four-part series follows men and women incarcerated in maximum and medium security prisons across New York state over the span of four years, as they attempt to gain college degrees through the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), one of the most rigorous prison education programs in the U.S. BPI operates out of six New York State prisons. Ive come home. At the Thursday meeting last fall, when a recent arrival said that he had been awayperhaps for ten or twenty or thirty yearsthere was a round of applause, and Rivera, officially the associate vice-president of housing at Fortune but in truth its resident guru and presiding demiurge, was there to say, gently, Welcome home, brother.. In 2014, I watched the BPI Debate Union beat West Point and decided to join. My life styleIm not proud of itbut I was a stickup kid my whole life. Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison. But youre gonna lose it. You can get addicted to education. Then on Thursday you go over to Moms and she makes fried chicken, and how can you say no? Thats the only way it happens. Recently, controversy had arisen about the release of long-term prisoners guilty of notoriously violent crimes, and Rivera and Rothenberg began discussing the difficulties of reconciling the work at Fortune with their sense of moral order. Its Mom. Your support helps make this possible. 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