A narrative about prison

More than 700,000 people are released from prisons each year but four out of 10 of them
end up back in prison because of committing new crimes or violated the terms of their release.
To end this is to provide education to Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) while incarcerated but
preparing them with the needed vocational skills and education to successfully reintegrate back
into society is challenging. Further, the stigma of having a felony conviction record is often a key
barrier to employment after prison. Adding to these, many states experienced 2008 recession
with deep funding cuts – limiting critical rehabilitation, including education, opportunities for
PDLs.

Criminality rate in MIMAROPA dropped off last 2016 and records showed that a number
of PDLs are still isolated and placed in environment that exists in prison walls and blankets
inmates in every aspect of their incarceration. This environment consists of a myriad of factors
that are by-products of both the prison and the inmates which are often negative in nature
(Bradford, 2006).

To address this and develop advanced education programs in prisons is to partner with
external institutions. This opportunity complements the College of Teacher Education Extension
Program which worked in collaboration with Bureau of Jail Management and Penology San Jose
District Jail, Alternative Learning System and Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority for a three-year plan starting January 2018 to January 2021. This project successfully
accomplished its first year implementation to help build a community persistent and committed
to practice and sustain the acquired knowledge and skills for Persons Deprived of Liberty.