Three years ago, I stepped out of my comfort zone and into a classroom that changed my perception of education forever. It was a class taught behind the walls of the Oregon State Penitentiary and involved fifteen University Robert D. Clark Honors College freshmen and fifteen inmates of OSP. This class was taught through the national Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, which works to bring college and incarcerated students together for advanced study and dialogue on a wide variety of topics.
During that first class, I realized that I had harbored stereotypes and inner barriers, not only pertaining to incarcerated men and women, but also to those who are outside my perceived peer group. I discovered that my classmates had profound insights into all facets of life, society, and broad questions of ethics and morality.
I didn’t realize that, in addition to personal transformation, I had also signed up for entry into a larger conversation on issues of prisons and the rights of incarcerated individuals. I did not know that I would soon be involved with a whole series of classes, independent studies, conferences, trainings and research projects regarding the criminal justice system.
I want to invite all members of the campus community and broader Eugene to join the conversation. The Savage Committee on International Relations and Peace (with the Clark Honors College and the Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center) is sponsoring a visit from Sister Helen Prejean, a leading anti-death penalty activist, author and scholar. She has written two books about her experiences as a spiritual advisor to death row inmates and her work to abolish capital punishment. Her book, “Dead Man Walking,” was adapted for film and will be screened Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. in the LLC Performance Hall, with a presentation by Willamette University professor William Long (sponsored by University Housing and the Clark Honors College). We also invite the community to Sister Helen Prejean’s presentation “Inalienable Human Rights Today,” part of the Savage Committee series “Human Rights in Question” in Knight Law School, Room 175 at 7 p.m. on Jan. 25.
But Sister Helen’s visit is far from the only example of the University’s continued participation in dialogue about prisons. Three Inside-Out courses have now been offered through the Clark Honors College, and this program will soon expand to include non-honors students. Because of the University’s commitment, Inside-Out instructors from the Northwest region will be meeting on campus for collaboration on research projects, evaluation and program expansion. Any University faculty members interested in learning more about this program are invited to attend a presentation by Inside-Out National Director Lori Pompa in the Clark Honors College library at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 25.
As a final example of campus involvement in the question of human rights and incarcerated individuals, the Center for Intercultural Dialogue has identified incarceration rights as a central issue in the larger question of international peace. Humanities professor Steven Shankman is head of the Center, and is chair for Transcultural Studies, Interreligious Dialogue, and Peace for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He has taught the three Inside-Out courses at the University and has worked to bring the question of prisons into public discourse. He cites the U.N.’s 2008 Global Peace Index, which ranks the United States 97th and identifies the high incarceration rate as a central factor in this low global position.
These are complicated issues that impact us all. Please join the dialogue.
For more information on the Inside-Out Program, please visit www.insideoutcenter.org, or view this short documentary about the class at www.vimeo.com/5193052.
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Granting human rights to all
Daily Emerald
January 12, 2010
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