Education Frustration From Canon City

As I sit in my home, a Colorado State Prison cell, and read an article by Marcia Darnell that was in the Perspective section on Sunday, Sept. 28, I cannot believe the ignorance and lack of knowledge in these words.

First of all, the article says that, "Education is a high priority of the prison system, too. Inmates who lack a high school diploma or GED are required to go to class."

Well, of course the corrections department requires an inmate to go to class if they don't have a diploma or GED!

It would conflict with laws and policy they have requiring an inmate to have such a diploma or GED before they can put them to work!

How come it is that where I am at, in solitary confinement, unable to work, they don't require no such participation?

The article also goes on to say, "For those with more education, like my brother, educational and vocational programs are tied into the community college system, meaning prisoners can leave the facility and slide right into a classroom."

OK, educational and vocational programs are absolutely not tied in to the community college system!

And the idea that "prisoners can leave the facility and slide right into a classroom" is absolutely ludicrous! Such activity might be possible for no more than 2 percent of the prison population at best.

I had my diploma upon arrival in the Department of Corrections nearly two years ago and since then have made repeated attempts to receive any kind of information that could get me started in post-secondary education courses.

I have tried to find out if the system provides any educational opportunity I could participate in to receive a college degree but to no avail.

For two years, "the buck has been passed." I have exhausted the only available grievance process. I am now housed in a maximum security prison.

What better time than 24-hour lock down could there be for an inmate to occupy his time with college correspondence?

How come here, out of the general population, they do not require an inmate to participate in getting their diplomas or GED's?

I have even made attempts at participating in an outside college for correspondence courses I could participate in at my own expense. Of course, I was denied that opportunity also!

Darnell wrote: "Prisons today offer many resources to help inmates refocus and prepare for a positive future," and that these days it is "easier than it used to be" for a prisoner to refocus and prepare for this more positive future.

The "old-timers" that were in the system then and are in the system with me now beg to differ.

Let me first say that there is a very disruptive factor for any inmate to even consider focusing on anything at all.

The fact is that inside prisons, hearing committees are only required to prove a preponderance of evidence against an offender accused of violating the code of penal discipline.

Basically all they have to do is have a correctional officer say that they "pondered" and that they "believe" that you violated the COPD and you are guilty.

No real evidence or any evidence at all for that matter. What I'm getting at is that this process is a major disruption in the positive progression of all offenders.

You could say that 25 percent of the population at any given facility is the segregation unit, where inmates are continually "shuffled" to and from the "hole" to the "yard" and back again for minor incidents and no justification.

Last year, I spent just about every other month in the hole, punished for things I didn't do, provided a preponderance of evidence, with basically no evidence.

The Denver Post