By C1 Staff
NEW YORK — An Attica inmate was recently published in the New York Times, where he advocated for allowing prison cell televisions to run educational programming to help inmates become better people.
John J. Lennon wrote in his piece that prison officials are “all for” TVs in the cells, which cuts down on violence in the facility. Though this keeps inmates happy and manageable, Lennon posits that the TVs could be put to better use: educating the inmates.
He submits that the TVs could stream massive open online courses (MOOCs) a few times a week, educating inmates in subjects like psychology, sociology, existentialism, economics and political science.
He continues to say that education was highly touted in the 1980s, when there were 350 college degree programs for prisoners nationwide. But that dropped in the ‘90s as the public became tougher on crime and less sympathetic to those who committed it.
Uneducated prisoners are simply recycled in the system, which is causing the prison population to soar.
The piece is in response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to expand educational programs behind bars and the backlash that’s appeared along with it. The public can’t seem to stomach obeying the law, paying taxes, and now footing the bill for an inmate to get an education.
Lennon argues that inmates who are allowed to learn become better people, and have less of a chance of committing a new crime once released.
“A majority of us will leave prison one day,” Lennon writes. “We need to be prepared to return to the outside world and stay there.”