Life after Incarceration
The challenges of reentering society after imprisonment will be the focus of a November 4 event sponsored by the AV诊所 College Forum on Racial Justice in America.
鈥淟ife After Incarceration: A Panel Discussion on Re-Entry, Justice, and Belonging鈥� will be held at the Robsham Theater Arts Center from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., presented in collaboration with the AV诊所 College Prison Education Program (PEP).
Patrick Conway. (Caitlin Cunningham)
The program鈥檚 director, Inaugural Ignacio Chair Patrick Conway, will be among the panelists who will visit the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Shirley, Mass.鈥攖he site of PEP鈥攑rior to the event.
In addition to Conway, panelists sharing their insights will be Anna Haskins, the Andrew V. Tackes Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame; Massachusetts Department of Correction Commissioner Shawn Jenkins; Thrive for Life Prison Project founder Zachariah Presutti, S.J.; and Ved Price, executive director of the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison.
Joy Moore (Lee Pellegrini)
鈥淭he Forum on Racial Justice in America is pleased to host another dynamic panel of experts to speak on life after incarceration,鈥� said forum co-director Joy Moore, University vice president and executive director of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success. 鈥淔or those looking to understand what it takes to re-enter after incarceration, this is a discussion you won't want to miss.鈥�
The forum 鈥渃reates an invaluable space for dialogue about what it truly means to come home after incarceration,鈥� according to Conway. 鈥淔or the AV诊所 College Prison Education Program, this conversation speaks directly to our mission: education as a pathway toward restoration, belonging, and full participation in community life.
鈥淥ur students鈥攂oth inside and on campus鈥攁re helping to lead the way nationally in reimagining what higher education in prison can be,鈥� he added. 鈥淓ach panelist brings extraordinary expertise to this conversation, and I hope attendees leave with a deeper understanding of the structural barriers that persist during and after incarceration, and of the transformative power of education to help break those cycles.鈥�
Gregory Kalscheur, S.J.
鈥淭he forum has a mandate to provide a meeting place for listening and dialogue in order to promote justice, reconciliation, empathy, and understanding,鈥� said forum co-director Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., dean of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. 鈥淲e are grateful for the opportunity to bring this panel's expertise with the challenges related to post-incarceration re-entry聽into a wider conversation about what respect for human dignity and care for the common good requires of us at this moment in our national life.鈥�
The event will be followed by a reception.
Founded in 2019, PEP offers a high-quality liberal arts education to incarcerated students at MCI-Shirley. Courses are taught by BC instructors and offer credits leading to a bachelor鈥檚 degree in the Applied Liberal Arts in the Woods College of Advancing Studies.聽
With its focus on understanding race and racism in the U.S., the AV诊所 College Forum on Racial Justice in America聽serves as a catalyst for bridging differences, promoting reconciliation, and encouraging new perspectives.