After two students shared their class presentations — an inside student discussed redlining and an outside student discussed treatment of people with autism — two other students shared their thoughts on the Inside-Out program.
Ashma, an inside student selected by the outside students to share his reflections, talked about the importance of education and how he appreciated being treated as an equal in the class. He said the class was an experience he would never forget.
“This class made you do the things you would usually say ‘no’ to, but with all the support that is given to you, you have no reason not to succeed and go further than you could even imagine,” he said. “Public speaking will bring the best out of you inside and outside.
“No matter what either the inside or outside students thought before we started, it wasn't the same when it came to an end. Not only did it further our education, but it was a life experience we'll never forget.”
McKenna Loney, a second-year student at Penn State Brandywine, was selected by the inside students to share her reflections. She learned of the program in the spring when she saw a flyer advertising it and was curious about the connection between the campus and a jail. Loney said she and other students overcame both their own anxieties about a class held in a jail as well as concerns expressed by family and friends.
“This was not only a rare opportunity but also an unconventional one,” she said. “For some outside students, our perspectives changed. We were undoing all these wrong ideas that we had been taught growing up. For other outside students, this did not change actually, because they had personal experience with family or friends who are or were formerly incarcerated. They already knew and saw you guys as people.”
Loney said she and the other students learned much more in the class than how to be an effective speaker — and she was emotional in describing what she observed about the need for prison reform.
“We also learned from this course the not-so-great things, like how dehumanizing our country's mass incarceration system is from a large to small scale,” she said, “and firsthand all the outside students got to see and hear some of these small, harmful things. People who are incarcerated in this country are not being rehabilitated. It seems like they're just being stripped of more of their rights. But it's already showing that here at George Hill, that is starting to change and change for the good.
“In this class, we questioned our morals, not just about incarcerated people's experiences and how we felt about it, but through each other's presentation topics like the ones that we saw tonight on some social issues in this country. This class has also shaped us into more aware, well-educated, empathetic people and citizens of the world.”
Putman — who plans to continue the course each fall semester — acknowledged that the experience was transformative for her as well. She explained that although she has taught courses on mass incarceration and is well informed on issues surrounding prison reform, she had never been inside a correctional facility before meeting with Shaw about the program.
“I had to confront many of my own ideas and stereotypes about what my inside students would be like and how I would feel that first day I came to interview the group of men who were interested in taking my course,” Putman said. “Teaching this class, and meeting each and every person I'm fortunate to now know better, has pushed me to grow, to learn, and to share what I've learned with others.”
She said each of three key groups — the inside students, the outside students and the employees at the correctional facility — “has taught me something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
On behalf of the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, Shaw and Williams expressed their gratitude to Putman and Penn State.
“Dr. Angela Putman and Penn State Brandywine provided an opportunity for those entrusted in our care to enhance learning, have a voice and instill confidence,” said Shaw, who worked closely with Putman to plan and implement the course. “Through the college course, for three hours every week, students fostered a rich and powerful learning experience. The impactful collaboration between inside and outside students highlights that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can come together and achieve a common goal.”
As the closing ceremony came to an end, Putman asked those assembled to reflect on what the course and the experience meant for the participants.
“I hope that you leave tonight having a greater understanding of the importance of college courses like this one that bring together university students with people experiencing incarceration, so they can learn from one another and further their education in the same physical space,” she said.