The Chillon Project : An Immeasurable Impact
The Chillon Project is an undertaking of the Center for Compassion , Integrity and Secular Ethics ( CCISE ) at Life University to address the severe cost of mass incarceration by expanding access to higher education for incarcerated people , correctional staff and returning citizens in the state of Georgia . The initiative takes its name from the poem by Lord Byron entitled “ The Prisoner of Chillon .” Life University ’ s founder and first president , Dr . Sid Williams , used to recite passages of this poem to draw attention to how environments influence our lives .
A growing body of evidence-based research has shown that providing higher education in prison contributes to the well-being of incarcerated people , their children and their communities inside and outside of prison . College degree programs have been shown to have the greatest impact of any educational programs on recidivism , the rate at which people released from prison return to prison .
Life University provides an Associate of Arts degree in Positive Human Development and Social Change and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at
Kareemah Hanifa began the Associate of Arts in Positive Human Development and Social Change in association with the Chillon Project when she was incarcerated at Lee Arrendale State Prison . Now released , she is continuing the program online and recently had the opportunity to deliver a TEDx talk in the metro Atlanta
> city of Decatur .
Lee Arrendale State Prison , a maximum-security women ’ s facility in Alto , Georgia . Our program is not primarily motivated by reducing costs or rates of recidivism ; however , we believe that all people should have access to opportunities that enable them to fulfill their human potential and benefit others .
Exciting Updates from the Chillon Project :
• Three of our students who were released from Arrendale before completing the Associate degree are continuing classes online or at the main campus .
– One completed her degree this spring , and another was invited to create a TED talk about education in prison ( see photo below ).
– In June , all three were speakers in a workshop at the multifaith " Ending Mass Incarceration " Conference sponsored by Auburn Seminary at Ebenezer Baptist Church .
• An admissions committee of Life University faculty is now reviewing applications and conducting interviews for our next cohort of students , who will begin the Associate of Arts degree in Positive Human Development and Social Change in January 2020 .
– More applications were submitted than ever before — 75 applicants for 15 slots — and the applications have been of an exceptionally high quality . This means that the admissions committee will have some difficult decisions to make . It also means that yet another outstanding cohort of students is expected .
– In addition to completing the standard Life University application process , applicants to the program must write a personal statement , submit an additional creative or reflective response , and be interviewed by Life University faculty .
• Students who graduated in January 2019 will be starting their Bachelor of Science in Psychology in January 2020 .
• In the meantime , some are conducting independent research projects while others are facilitating Compassionate Integrity Training ( CIT ) for other people incarcerated at Arrendale . CIT is an initiative of CCISE ; it is a multi-part training program that cultivates basic human values as skills for the purpose of increasing individual , social and environmental flourishing .
– Our students completed CIT as part of their coursework in the Associate degree program , and a number have gone on to receive facilitator certification .
Since this Spring , we have offered CIT to five classes of 10 people at Arrendale , meaning that we are dramatically expanding the reach and impact of Life University ' s program inside the prison . We are also offering CIT at Phillips State Prison for men . We have received positive feedback from people who participated in the program as well as from counselors and others who know the participants . We are working with the Georgia Department of Corrections now to find a way to provide CIT to officers and other staff .
• Finally , staff in the Chillon Project are at the center of a new initiative to bring together higher education programs in Georgia to support incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students .
– The initiative , the Georgia Coalition on Higher Education and Prison ( GCHEP ), includes our program as well as programs affiliated with Georgia State University , the University of Georgia , Emory University , Spelman College , the Center for Justice at Columbia University and a number of nonprofits serving justice-involved people in Georgia .
– The coalition provides a way for programs to share information , resources and best practices , as well as to collaborate in providing educational pathways for people in prison that lead from pre-college to degree completion and ongoing education and employment upon release .
– GCHEP also serves as a network and resource hub for people who have left prison and hope to further their educations .
80 Alumni . LIFE . edu | 2019