A Palm Beach State College degree and a second chance

On Aug. 9, Christopher Lang stood before his fellow graduates, all turned out in black gowns and mortarboards and most adorned with yellow sashes signifying honor society membership. He urged them to further their education and their lives. “We can do anything we want to do, let’s make sure it’s worthy,” he said to much applause.

But his was not just another inspirational graduation speech heard at countless ceremonies across the country. This graduation took place inside Martin Correctional Institute (MCI), a men’s state prison in Indiantown, Florida. Twenty-two inmates from MCI and Sago Palm Re-Entry center in Palm Beach County received associate in science degrees in either Landscape and Horticulture Management or Hospitality and Tourism Management from Palm Beach State College.

For many of those who participated, it’s a chance for redemption. “This experience was life changing,” said 25-year-old Da-Vonne Mitchell. “I came a long way from who I was when I entered prison five years ago, I was always getting in trouble.” Now Mitchell, who graduated cum laude and is set to be released within a few weeks, plans to use his horticulture degree to work on his family farm and set up a produce shop. One of those who taught Mitchell, PBSC Horticulture Professor William Donovan, described the students from Martin Correctional as among the best he’s ever had.  “They were extremely motivated, they came to class prepared and they were inquisitive and engaged,” he said.

Indeed, 21 out of the 22 graduates were members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. “That’s a statistic any college program would be proud of,” said PBSC English Professor Allan Nosworthy, who gave the commencement address. In his speech, he said: “These students put in the time necessary to transform themselves. The harder I pushed them, the harder they worked.”

While some may oppose expanding higher educational opportunities to prisoners, statistics support the benefits of doing so. It reduces the chances of recidivism, or reoffending with three years of release, increases graduates’ employment and earning potential upon release and saves taxpayers money, according to the Vera Institute, an independent research and policy organization focusing on criminal justice. Additionally, research from the Rand Corporation found that inmates were 43% less likely to return to prison within three years than prisoners who did not.  Rand estimates that for every one dollar invested in correctional education programs, four to five dollars are saved on three year-incarceration costs.

Palm Beach State College’s program is made possible thanks to the Higher Education in Prisons (HEP) program in Florida. HEP evolved from the Second Chance Pell experiment created in 2015 to make higher education more accessible in prisons. The experimental program awarded Pell Grants—needs-based financial aid—to incarcerated individuals looking to earn college degrees. About 40,000 students nationwide participated in the program between 2016 and 2022, according to a study done by the Vera Institute, a prisoner’s rights organization.

PBSC, which started its program in 2022, is one of only four colleges participating in HEP at select Florida prisons.

“This has been a passion project, and I have learned so much,” said PSBC Associate Dean Becky Mercer, who led the College’s HEP program. “It was a privilege to represent PBSC and demonstrate our commitment to making an impact in the world for current and future generations.”

PBSC and Miami Dade College offer associate degrees and Florida Gateway College and Ashland University in Ohio offer both associate and bachelor’s degrees. Nationwide, approximately 40,000 incarcerated students participated in the program between 2016 and 2022, according to the Vera Institute.

“As a society, we need to decide how we are best going to work with those who are incarcerated,” said PBSC’s Nosworthy. “Do we incarcerate to punish and punish only, or do we incarcerate to rehabilitate where rehabilitation is possible?”

For 28-year-old Christopher Jones, who is two years away from completing a six-year sentence, the program provided an opportunity to do the latter. “Before getting this degree I was doing idle time,” he said. “Now I just want get out and be productive.” Jones, who plans to help his dad with his landscaping business once he is released, is committed to returning to PBSC to get a bachelor’s degree as soon as possible.

For others, the program offered something more intangible.  “The professors actually cared about what we learned and got out of the course,” said Johnny Bowman, III, a 32-year-old who is fourteen years into his seventeen-year sentence. “I felt more empowered because the teachers made me feel like a person, not just an inmate.”

“Many of the graduates feel like they have let their families down by being incarcerated,” said Tim Mirly, Education Supervisor at the Florida Department of Corrections. “This is a way to show their loved ones, especially their children, that they have accomplished something important.”

That sense of accomplishment was a common sentiment among the graduates. “I feel like I have turned a bad situation into something good,” said Kristopher Bieger. His parents were thrilled he was given the opportunity. “This is setting a positive foundation for all of these men once they reenter society,” said Kristopher’s father Norm Bieger.

While the benefits of the PBSC program are evident two years after it began, creating the managing such a new program wasn’t always easy. Operating within the confines of the prison system posed challenges.  Financial aid and application processes needed to be revamped.  PBSC also needed to redesign how the courses work as inmates do not have internet access. A new tablet-based learning program was created to address the issue. Even the way courses were taught had to be reimagined.  Donovan noted that instead of taking horticulture students outside to learn about different plants by creating an herbarium, he got permission from Martin Correctional to bring in various plant specimens for students to create herbarium books of pressed plants.

The prisons also had much to learn.  “As we were doing this program for the first time, there was a steep learning curve, but that curve has been flattened,” said Mirly.  Once up and running, the program ran smoothly, he said. “There were no behavior or other issues and faculty said they often preferred teaching our students as they were more focused without phones to distract them,” Mirly added. “They were very motivated.”

Those closely involved with the initiative found it inspirational. “It was clear as the program progressed, that students had a lot of regret for their past and for the first time, hope for their future,” said PBSC’s Nosworthy.