Incarcerated veterans Carson City fundraiser allows 15 inmates to attend college
Fifteen incarcerated inmates, some being U.S. military veterans held at the Warm Springs Corrections Center in Carson City will be taking Western Nevada College classes with scholarships generated through an inmate barbecue fundraiser held earlier this year.
The Nevada Department of Corrections said the scholarships were made possible through the Veterans Integration Program organized and attended by inmates and Western Nevada College staff. A $4,500 check was presented Wednesday from WSCC Warden Harold Wickham to Kevin Burns, director of Veteran’s Resource Center at the Western Nevada College.
Incarcerated veterans and staff planned the barbeque, cooked steaks and offered the specially priced lunches to the inmates ultimately raising more than $4,000.
“I’m really proud of the efforts of my staff and the inmates,” stated Warden Wickham. “Inmates taking responsibility and working to fund their own education in custody is pretty groundbreaking. We hope to set the example for other facilities to follow.”
This is just one of the innovative programs coming to the Nevada Department of Corrections. The department has been undergoing a change in philosophy since James Dzurenda took over as Director and made it their mission to “incorporate proven rehabilitation initiatives that prepare individuals for successful reintegration into our communities.”
“Our mission is about inmates changing their behavior, and we’ve seen some proof that it works in the inmates who participate in these programs,” explained the Warden. “Since we’ve started the Veterans program, for example, there have been less incidents, less fights… inmates are working toward a common goal and are motivated to do better. We really have seen changes already.”
Inmates had to apply to be accepted into the college courses which are taught on site at the prison and lead to a 2 year Associate’s Degree if completed. Each applicant was required to pen an essay which were then reviewed by WNC administrators and 15 inmates were chosen. The first classes offered are Sociology, Business Math and U.S. History and will be taught through the fall semester.
“We expect the inmates who go through these programs to be better equipped for the real world when they get released,” added Warden Wickham. “Ultimately, this is a win - win for us and for the community.”
WNC Veterans Resource Director Kevin Burns helped structure the Veterans Integration Program at Warm Springs Correctional Center last January so inmates can work toward an Associate of General Studies degree while incarcerated. It’s the first time since 2009 that inmates can take classes through WNC.
“Obviously we want to fill more seats in the classes there,” Burns said. “Studies show that as educational levels go up, recidivism rates go down. We are really trying to push recidivism rates down and give these guys some skill sets so when they get out of there, they can do something.”
Burns met with WSCC administrators on Wednesday to celebrate the fundraising effort that was coordinated and orchestrated by the inmates themselves. To make the barbecue fundraiser successful, Burns said that the Warm Springs inmates ordered from a menu, then paid for their selections.
Burns and Rick Vlach, an assistant for WNC’s WRC and a pre-admissions adviser, transported more than 160 steaks, 200 pork chops and 200 hamburger patties, baked beans, fruit and potato salad from Costco to Warm Springs for the barbecue. Lisa Walsh, the associate warden from Warm Springs, purchased $5,000 in food for the barbecue after collecting money from the prisoners’ accounts.
Walsh said that the scholarships, as well as the classes, are available to any inmate in the general population, which numbers more than 500. Walsh said that some of the classes include as many as 20 student inmates. Inmates must apply for the scholarships to be considered.
“This is not affecting the taxpayers whatsoever,” said Walsh, who has helped establish WSCC programs where inmates care for unwanted/aggressive dogs and motherless kittens. “Their families are sending them to school or they have saved their money and are paying for their own schooling, or they are benefiting from the fundraiser scholarships.”
In the future, WSCC will be able to track those inmates who took classes before being released from the correctional center.
“We have a list of all the students who have received a scholarship and we’ll know those who will earn an associate degree,” Walsh said.
Eventually, Burns hopes to diversify the class offerings to inmates.
“We want to expand next into the Career and Technical field,” Burns said. “I would love to have a welding shop set up there so we can get these guys some certifications before they step out of the door for the last time.”
Providing inmates with a relevant education and skills can determine whether they become employed after leaving the correctional facility.
“One of the things you have to look at is what fields are going to hire ex-cons, and that’s a tricky subject, but when you look at some of the traditional blue-collar fields like welding, automotive shops and those kinds of things, we think we can get them job placement much easier in those fields,” Burns said.
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