Teach in Prison

SAN QUENTIN ALL ACCESS COMPUTER CENTER (SQAACC)

The California prison system is one of the worst man-made disasters in the state’s history, and we can scarcely conceive of a time when UC Berkeley’s dedication to public service matched a population’s need more profoundly. Overcrowding in California’s prisons has led to its medical system’s placement into federal receivership, a $1.2 billion dollar jail-constriction bill, and a federal order to release as many as 57,000 people to restore a minimally acceptable level of living conditions.

Currently, San Quentin State Prison houses over 5,000 inmates with access to a total of three general-purpose computers in the library. Since parole failures constitute the largest number of admissions into California’s prison system, by working with current inmates we have access to the state’s most at-risk population for future incarceration. Expanding upon a thriving service-learning project that currently sends 70 undergraduates to teach and tutor at San Quentin, we have designed two curricula of basic and advanced computer education to introduce inside of the prison. Although our program and computer center will be open to as many inmates as possible, our research with focus on inmates who are approaching their release dates. Data will be collected to monitor their employability and wage levels upon release. Even though inmate vocational and education programs are among the most cost–effective correctional strategies for reducing recidivism, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office the state lacks the capability to track and measure parolee employment or recidivism data to determine which vocational education programs are most effective.

ABOUT THE LAB

Using existing volunteers from within the Teach in Prison program, we will instruct up to two CAD classes per week, and up to four basic computer literacy classes per week. Our program will design each lesson, and the overall course will be worked into our current curriculum. During times when our program is not visiting the prison, we will hope inmate-students and their full-time educators use the lab to reinforce the subjects we have covered, or introduce new ideas to explore. The lab will be maintained by San Quentin’s internal IT department.

SQAACC will consist of up to fifteen workstations, meeting these minimum system requirements: 2.5GHz processors; 2GB RAM; 80GB hard drive; SolidWorks Premium; Windows XP or Vista; Microsoft Office. For acquiring bulk numbers of these workstations, we have been in contact with several manufacturers, including Dell and HP. We are also approaching local businesses for possible donations.

Project mission:

SAN QUENTIN ALL ACCESS COMPUTER CENTER PHASE I: DEPLOYMENT

It’s our current goal to raise $20,000 by August 31st to assist in purchasing computers and industry-standard CAD software.

Required resources:

1. Total project needs: $20,000
2. In-kind contribution needs: We are currently seeking laptop donations. There are no system requirements, except that individual computer donations must have a wireless network card. Any existing data on the computer will be permanently erased with protocols approved by the U.S. Department of Defense.
3. Other:

   DONATION MATCHING: If you or your company is interested in launching a fund-matching campaign, we’re interested in talking to you! Please contact us using the link above.

   All donations will receive tax-exemption receipts.

News:

• http://www.citris-uc.org/news/big-ideas-winners-2009

Additional info:

ABOUT THE TEACH IN PRISON PROGRAM

For nearly a decade, UC Berkeley’s Teach in Prison program has taken undergraduates into San Quentin State Prison to teach and tutor in basic reading, writing, and math. Initially, the program’s single goal was to prepare inmate-students in achieving their high school General Education Development (GED) degree.

However, utilizing the innumerable skillsets held on the Berkeley campus, the current group of coordinators has extended its prison footprint into the departments of Arts, ESL, Vocation, Film, and Print Shop. Additionally, the UC Berkley student roster has increased by 400%, with 70 volunteers now covering the prison’s 4-day school week. Despite our significant growth within the prison, on-campus interest continues to grow at a rate faster than we are able to accommodate. In keeping with the campus’ overall mission of dedication to the community, the improvement of academics within the San Quentin educational program is the primary focus of the Teach in Prison program. Building upon our focus and growth, and with the assistance of CITRIS, we believe we are in a unique position to affect a greater improvement than ever before.