Calvin Green, who spent 26 years in prison, is now a reentry specialist at Baytown-based Lee College, and leads the only community college class in the state that helps prepare incarcerated Texans for life after prison. Over six weeks, students in the class will talk about the effects of prison on their mental health, set tangible goals for life after they leave and learn how to find employment. “We do real talk,” Green said. “What you say in this classroom changes the trajectory of their future.” More than 250 people were on the waitlist this month alone across the nine prison units that Lee College services, nearly all of which circle the town of Huntsville, the Texas Tribune reports. Inmates in Texas’ other prison units want in, too: Many make requests to transfer to a unit where they can take the class.
Research shows these programs can reduce recidivism and help former inmates join the workforce. The classes’ structured group settings can also help them create social networks and find mentors at a time when many will struggle to rebuild relationships or start new ones. Funding for reentry services has increased in recent years, signaling support for these kinds of programs. Texas lawmakers in 2019 set aside $500,000 for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the city of Houston to help prisoners with the transition, for example. And last year, the U.S. Department of Education reinstated federal Pell Grants for incarcerated students, giving them an extra hand to pay for college and allowing schools to play a larger role in supporting prisoners when they’re released. “I spent too much time playing dominoes, too much time lifting weights. You can’t tell now,” Green joked. “Education, certifications. Those are the ingredients of a solid foundation.”
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