New York City Public Advocate. Our line was: If you smoke weed, and keep doing it, were going to discharge you. Prosecutors said Montgomery admitted to "punching her own baby," Dizhawna Montgomery, after she acted up while brushing her teeth Friday. Doing nothing is doing something. A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism. But its real point, Rivera confided, is to conduct a group-therapy session for seventy-five people, which they say you cant do. His goal was to get the people in the room, having come home, to stay home. Shawnta J Montgomery 1979 Shawnta J Montgomery, born 1979. "What BPI has achieved is exceptional, but I think it's only a small part of what can be done if we get serious about this," Hall said. Itwill impact thousands of people's lives, millions over time, and it also makes fiscal sense. 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 . Youre gonna lose your housing. As a formerly incarcerated woman who has been working at this for nearly twenty years, I can tell you: could not arrive a better time. A balloon filled with the helium of unrealistic hope was emptied, and then refilled with the warm air of actuality. Craig Steven Wilder and Dyjuan Tatro speak on stage at the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS at The Apollo Theater on November 12, 2019 in New York City. They are investigating who owns the weapon, he said. Studies reckon that every $1 invested in higher education in prison saves the public $5 overall. Government Affairs and Advancement Officer for the Bard Prison Initiative. Asnuntuck Community College in northern Connecticut, for example, is feeling the effects of expanding Pell Grants to prisoners. Being in college also gave me hope and purpose. Late night studying. Were now making statements.). I enrolled in BPIs first cohort and graduated in 2009. We came across as participating in the punishment, he said. Wesley Caines, 09 Sister of Rodney Spivey-Jones. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, I went to McDonalds drive-thru for lunch but left with bags of cash instead, Carole Baskins dead husband found alive but no one noticed last year, Ex-'SNL' star talks MLK Jr. 'penis' statue in 'Daily Show' debut: 'Can't unsee it', The holiday hubbub is taking over Midtown NYC and beyond, Why NYC's new vice economy weed, casinos might be doomed, Conor Kennedy gifts pal Andrew Warren rare Dior purse at Miami bash, The pained life of Riley Keough, Lisa Marie Presleys actress daughter, Penelope Disick rates brother Masons epic sneaker collection: Going to steal, Kitten born with same 'Zorro' mask as her father, Lisa Marie Presley's grave prepped at Graceland across from Elvis'. (Lesseps arranged a beauty day for the women of the Castle, which was broadcast on Housewives.). There is now bipartisan legislation before congress to restore Pell eligibility for people in prison. New York Gov. A longtime resident called E., a formidable Jamaican with the voice, and the authority, of Laurence Fishburne, sits in the far-left corner. If you still have ten per cent after being through prison and abuse of many kinds, then we can start. Coming home means learning the language and the rituals shared by the society outside prison walls. All of us, of course, have to learn to navigate the waters of such interviews by telling the truth while putting the best face on previous failures. There is still so much work to do, to make sure access to higher education behind bars is fully restored, to put an end to mass incarceration, and to make our country live up to its values. Botstein said thefilmmakers challenge viewers to rethink their views of felons bynot immediately revealing the BPI students' crimes, unlike most other films and books on the subject of college in prison. In the coming years, we will end mass incarceration and restore investments in education to precisely the places where leaders have prioritized punishment. How ya doing? Sam Rivera laughed, and his audience wasnt quite sure whether to laugh with him or not. As a formerly incarcerated woman who has been working at this for nearly twenty years, I can tell you: College Behind Bars could not arrive a better time. 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. Scary. Rivera forwarded the text to a friend and added a comment: This is why I do what I do.. This isnt the picturemost Americans haveof prison. In 2005, more than a decade after the ban,there were just 12. And the cry went around the gallery: Resignation not accepted!, Rivera tried to quiet them. Man is mind. Incarcerated individuals see their lives turned around by education, and the economy receivesa boost from more productive citizens and reduced recidivism rates. Many students earn certificates in manufacturing that are in high demand in the state, leading graduates to find work and immediately contribute to the economy. 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. Ive never met anyone who O.D.d on marijuana. (Page said that Fortune would never force a client out just for smoking marijuana. 4 following. And More; Phone & Email (2) We found 2 phone numbers and email addresses. Holding out his right arm, he might say, This is the arm that Liz Taylor cried on at the opening night of Dick Burtons Hamlet in 1964, and then avow, The mistake you make is thinking that theyre ever honest about crime numbers. The Castle began when we kept seeing that there was an urgent need for housing for people released who became homeless, JoAnne Page, the president and C.E.O. And sometimes people of color introduce themselves that wayI was in prison. But thats not you! Seeing yourself from outside.. I know and you know, so why dont we pretend the fight is over and move on?. Taconic inmate Shawnta Montgomerys account of an upbringing and life that brought about the death of her young daughter outlines a path that is surely common to many. It also allows the films focus to remain on the educational programme and its effects. Every prisoner here comes with a wealth of compelling backstory, but it is a tribute to the discipline and focus of the film-makers that only a few are related in full. Current Address: WQPU Spring Valley Rd, Montgomery, AL. Theres nothing you could do., Heres the deal, Rivera said. You did. I submitted my resignation today.. Her age is 73. Part of what I have is the contradiction of my appearance, he explained one evening. 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. The crime is not who you are.. Still, Rivera admitted that he had decided to leave long before the protests started. 'You don't know what you did for me': Released from prison by Obama, now on the dean's list. Thats an action. Three days after they moved into German's Hudson Avenue home, on Jan. 4, Nassau police were called to the house. Thats the only way it happens. And Fortune froze. He was frustrated that, even though the staff was almost fifty per cent Black, it took weeks for its leaders to speak out. Montgomery said. Youre always coming home., He has a favorite aphorism about those whom he always calls his clients, which on another afternoon he stressed more fiercely than his usually equable tone allows. For the first time in more than two decades, a push to lift this ban is sparking bipartisan support. And most of the people coming home will see somebody in that room they did time with. The first-floor room where the Thursday meeting takes place is decorated with a plush rug and photographs of the Castle from back when it was a Catholic girls school, and a poster-size Times article about the Fortune kitchen, which has a reputation for seriously good cooking. Tell me, if I do will anything come up? The candidate, trained in previous classes, struggled to recall the ideal answer, which is something like: Yes, when I was younger and behaving stupidly, an unfortunate situation occurred and someone got badly hurt. In New York, where BPI operates,42.6% of state prisoners released in 2012 returned to prison in the following three years, the state reported. But, where in the movie version the returning local hero would be surrounded by a crowd, Rivera quickly sought out one-on-one encounters. All rights reserved. Could I work with her? Lifting the ban on Pell Grants for those in prison may save more than$365 million, according to a study this year by the Vera Institute of Justice and the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality. We become civic beings, says Woon. "If I havesomeone coming home on parole, who do you want living next to you?" Giovannie Hernandez, 17 Its hard coming from doing a whole lot of time. (Feb. 15, 2010) Credit: James Carbone. But my job is saving lives now. Peer Recovery Counselor, Fortune Society. 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.". ON NOVEMBER 12, we brought together the filmmakers of College Behind Bars, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, with BPIs community of alumni, families, staff, faculty, and supporters for a special screening of College Behind Bars at the legendary Apollo Theater. So thats the only bottom I want to hit. Privacy Policy |Terms of service |Subscription terms |Your ad choices |Cookie Settings |California Privacy Rights |About Us |Contact Newsday |Reprints & permissions |Advertise with Newsday |Help. 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. For formerly incarcerated individuals, educational expertsand advocates, its about time. But our values just arent well aligned anymore., Rivera cited the societys response to the protests in New York and across the country. Conversations with others in the organization suggest that the issue was a familiar one, especially within nonprofits. It was six oclock on a Thursday evening last fall at the Castle, at 140th Street and Riverside Drive, and the weekly meeting was just beginning. You can get addicted to education. The theatrical side of the Castle is self-evident to its sharper-eyed residents. Explore our interactive graphic to follow the journeys of three BPI alumni through college and career. Rivera and Rothenberg were like a couple who had been working in a hardware store for too many decades; they enjoyed each other and gibed at each other, and by now the enjoyment had become the gibing. The same rule that holds in a small regional theatre holds in a nonprofit devoted to post-incarceration transitions: the charismatic figure wins the allegiance of his clientele, at the risk of alienating his colleagues, who, without any malice or even conscious envy, become mindful of what they see as his managerial deficits. In the hope of rescuing a different future for us all, we must take some lessons from BPIthis program has much to teach us about the role of education in society. Health/beauty. 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. Like anyone who is naturally good at something, Sam Rivera got to be naturally good at his work by thinking constantly about his performance and being acutely aware of what he is doing as he does it. Rivera told them that he was leaving to become the executive director of a harm reduction group, an organization that promotes health among drug addicts and sex workers, providing condoms, clean syringes, training in overdose reversal, and the like. While reading books and writing essays in my cell, often late at night when it was quiet, the prison walls faded, my loneliness faded, and I became free. "I've never seen her strike that baby," said Maxwell. I discovered liberation in education. The quote is mine, so Im gonna own it, he said. It unpicks and dispels the myth that prisoners time is their own, to use or waste as they wish, and with it the idea that inmates succeed on educational programmes because they have no distractions. I know it wasnt easy for them, but my family was there for me the entire time I was in prison, and theyre here tonight. Its valuable that Sam has lived experience, Page said. And then you get to know the person, as opposed to the audition. 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. shawnta montgomery now. Intentional haircare for the mindfully obsessed . benefiting from their contributions as advocates and leaders. If I wait for the world to be better, then the whole society would have to change, and I dont have a long enough life to wait for that to happen., At a Thursday meeting a couple of weeks later, a recent home-comer praised another Castle client for gently urging him away from a confrontation with someone who pushed himor whom he perceived to have pushed himon the subway. There is now bipartisan legislation before congress to restore Pell eligibility for people in prison. No one ever taught me any of that, said student Giovanni a quip that became the title of the PBS seriess first episode. Rivera considers this view the kind of luxury that only people who are not struggling to stay home can indulge in. Lets not make it about the dynamite. (All Photos by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Skiff Mountain Films), .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }. Yet, there is one intrinsic benefit to the classical studies Bard Prison Initiative students undertake: They grapple with texts and are drawn into stories that speak of the age-old struggles of the human condition. Yet I know that Sam wasnt afraid, and he could have whipped this guys ass. Today, working with colleagues who are compassionate and committed to social justice, I feel optimistic and completely at home. We are here because of the compelling stories of those that have been impacted and the fact that their stories of transformations and impacts aren't exceptions, they are the norm, Jones said. View Shawnta Montgomery's record in Gaffney, SC including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. (The right answer is: I love to work with others.) Whats your greatest weakness. Directed by Lynn Novick and executive-produced by Ken Burns (maker of the celebrated 1990 series The Civil War and many others, including last years Country Music), it follows several prisoners of New York states Eastern Correctional Facility a maximum-security prison for men and one at Taconic Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison for women. Youre putting words to systems that youve recognized your whole life, but you never had a word for. Is it idealistic, even frivolous, for men and women in prison to be reading classical literature? As the car pulled up to the Castle, a group of residents, all masked, were waiting on the steps. So thats my work, finding the foundation that remains. Shawnta lives at 121 Spring Valley Rd, Montgomery, AL. Among the central skills that the Fortune Society teaches is how, in a job interview, to tell the truth while putting the best face on a previous failure. 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. 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. Program Specialist Open Society Foundation. 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