April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
GREENE CORRECTIONAL
Siena partnership educates inmates
He's also on his ninth college course at medium-security Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie.
"I feel like I've really changed the trajectory of my life since I've been incarcerated," he told The Evangelist. "It was a blessing in disguise. I really grew up."
Mr. Rogonia has taken courses through Marist College in Poughkeepsie and Siena College in Loudonville while in prison, including abnormal psychology, writing, finite math and the history of economic thought. He also answers phones for the Department of Motor Vehicles 40 hours a week.
A Catholic, Mr. Rogonia had dropped out of high school and said he felt directionless until he enrolled in the programs. Now, "what I really want to do is get a business degree," he said. "The college classes are great. It gives me meaning, something to look forward to, an escape. I realize it's not easy out there, [and] I'm more prepared now."
He said he wants to be a tax-paying citizen and is looking into a college program Siena professors have recommended, as well as working for his uncle's construction company. He's also researching the requirements of owner occupancy loans so he can become a landlord.
'A lot of ideas'
"I have a lot of ideas. I'm really proud of my accomplishments," he said. The Siena program is "really a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I couldn't be more thankful for it."
Education programs in prisons were widely available until 1994, when Congress denied federal Pell grants to incarcerated people. Private groups have since filled the gaps. Before Marist College helped out at Greene Correctional, the prison only offered correspondence courses, and inmates could only study in their cells.
The late Rev. Matthew Conlin, OFM, former president and English professor at Siena, began that college's prison education program at Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility in Wilton - which is closing this summer - in 2010. There was no funding, but a few professors volunteered to teach courses and even pooled their own money for textbooks.
In 2012, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer who was placed at Siena to facilitate the college's prison program found that it was not sustainable.
"It's rare to find somebody who will teach for free every single semester," explained the volunteer, Emily Patka.
Ms. Patka immersed herself in connecting with prison advocacy organizations and learning to write grants, ultimately networking with Hudson Link, an Ossining-based non-profit that runs higher education programs in prisons throughout New York State.
Linked up
As Mt. McGregor inmates were being relocated, Ms. Patka discovered that Greene Correctional was seeking another college program. She was hired by Hudson Link and helped Greene become the first upstate facility in its network.
Siena professors now receive a small stipend for volunteering, using Hudson Link funds and two $60,000 grants Ms. Patka won from two Catholic foundations. The grants also cover books and other materials. She hopes to eventually offer instructors an adjunct rate.
It made perfect sense to her to approach Catholic organizations for funding.
"The reason why Siena started this in the first place was the Franciscan mission of service," she said. "This program is a really excellent way of living that out."
Ms. Patka holds information sessions at Greene for interested inmates, who then apply to pre-college and college programs, completing essays and interviews. The prison requires a clean disciplinary record; being no less than one year away from parole board appearance, work release board appearance or conditional release date; and a high school diploma or the equivalent.
There are separate programs at the prison for high school equivalency, as well as vocational, substance abuse and anger management programs. There are also transitional services for those being released from prison.
Positive effect
When inmates apply to take college courses, Hudson Link does not screen them according to the nature of their crimes. Corrections officers are always nearby when classes are in session, but they allow instructors privacy with their students.
The Siena/Hudson Link/Greene partnership currently has 13 students in the pre-college program and 27 in the college program. About 80 percent of Hudson Link's alumni are employed within six months of release; their recidivism rate is less than one percent, compared with a 40 percent overall national recidivism rate.
The organization says this saves taxpayers more than $10 million a year.
"They're going to be our neighbors," Ms. Patka said of the inmates. "I would rather have someone come out prepared and ready to take on the world than somebody re-offending."
Students visit the Hudson Link office after they're released and receive a laptop and business clothes. The organization also hosts alumni networking events: "We really try to build community."[[In-content Ad]]
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