Local Impact, Institutional News

PEI Praised in Post Star

Bennington's Prison Education Initiative (PEI) was the subject of a recent article in the Post Star. The article spoke highly of the initiative's positive results on the lives and prospects of the inmates that participate in the program.

This view is supported by evidence, as, "inmates who participated in educational programs are more than 40 percent less likely to end up back behind bars within three years, the time period in which recidivism is most likely."

The article included several interviews with inmates whose lives have been changed for the better because they have the opportunity to study. This program is based on the premise that, in prison, the opportunity to attain an education becomes all the more vital. Annabel Davis-Goff, the initiative's director, emphasized this, when she said, “Education is a different value if that’s all you have.”

Bennington's partnership with Great Meadow allows inmates to take classes on the subjects of literature, American history, and politics.