Had he not gone to prison, one inmate said, he would have ended up dead or killing someone. Instead, he may be first in his family to finish college.
This story about prison education programs was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s newsletter.
Last October, 23 years after he received a life sentence, he was released. Now Arrowood, 49, counts the days he’s spent on the outside rekindling a connection with his 25-year-old daughter, Lena, and finding joy even in Los Angeles’ epic traffic jams. On his 127th day of freedom, he was sitting among the palm trees on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles, just 24 credits away from earning a bachelor’s degree.
The prison where Arrowood enrolled in college is aiming for an even bigger impact. California State Prison, Los Angeles County has helped create a bachelor’s degree program for prisoners, including those with life sentences. The hope: that the benefits of an education will ripple out not just to the men who sign up, but to other inmates and even family members.
“It’s about making people who can reach all of their potential, rather than just [telling released prisoners]: ‘Don’t stab someone,’ ” says English professor Bidhan Roy. “Critical self-reflection is really important. You can’t just teach them to do spreadsheets and expect them to do well.” Under President Barack Obama’s administration, a pilot program to allow Pell Grant financial aid for some prisoners led to a boom in incarcerated college students. More than 5,000 prisoners took college classes in the fall of 2017, more than triple the previous year’s total of 1,504. Cal State LA is part of the Pell Grant pilot, but collected just $6,000 last year from that source.
Arrowood says his grades improved dramatically when he switched from correspondence courses to Cal State LA’s in-person classes. “With professors actually there to guide you and work with you one-on-one it makes a world of difference,” he said. His efforts were an inspiration to his 40-year-old sister, who went back to college herself. But he’s most proud of the impact his education is having on his stepdaughter Zion Holmes.
“He’s a lot more studious than I am,” Holmes said. Her stepfather, an early riser who’s up at 4 a.m. most days, got A’s in both of his classes last semester. “I haven’t done that … yet,” she said. “If California plays out well and the statistics continue to hold, we could see a major change in recidivism rates and prison population,” Walsh said.
But some worry for-credit classes may move too fast. Jody Lewen is the executive director of the Prison University Project, a private group that has conducted college classes at San Quentin prison for almost 20 years. She said many prisoners need remedial education. Some “may not have read an entire book in their life,” she said.
He said that before he went to jail, he had a ferocious temper. Now, Arrowood tries to deal with his anger by expressing his feelings. That has led to problems. “I’m mindful that can sound intimidating to others, especially looking at who I was,” he said. “I’ve had to adjust.
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