by Andy Watts, Huffington Post
Education in prison creates social change. It does so through sharing knowledge. It works on the identity, dignity, possibility, humanity, history and individuality of the prisoners living their hours and days behind walls and bars. What kind of social change does it generate? Sure, recidivism rates are affected; poverty rates and job opportunities, too. Self-worth is transformed, as well as civic identity. But the real social change I see occurring is one of resistance to injustice. It is resistance to the idea that human beings who break laws deserve to live behind bars and walls and barbed wire for a fifth, fourth, third, half or all of their lives. It is resistance to the idea that human beings who break laws are forever blemished and unworthy of the benefits society offers, like work, education, and political activity.