Media report on pilot program involving education professors, inmates
WABI (Channel 5) and (Channel 2) reported on a pilot program being tested at the Penobscot County Jail to provide educational opportunities for female inmates. University of Maine鈥檚 College of Education and Human Development, Riverside Adult Education Partnership and Literacy Volunteers of Bangor have teamed up to offer the program. 鈥淲hat Now? What鈥檚 Next?鈥 lets the women choose from services ranging from help with completing high school and preparing for college, to child development and parenting classes, to one-on-one tutoring in reading and writing. 鈥淲hat we came up with collaboratively was a menu of options for the women upon intake to start to think about what鈥檚 going on with their lives now. We kind of don鈥檛 care about the what鈥檚 already been, but what鈥檚 right now, and what鈥檚 next. And that鈥檚 the project that we鈥檝e initiated here at the jail,鈥 said Susan Bennett-Armistead, a project leader and 91福利 literacy professor. So far, about 30 inmates have taken part in a group to improve their writing skills, WABI reported. Organizers also are working to connect the women to resources so they can succeed in the community, the report states.