LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When we talk about education in Southern Nevada, prisons might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, prison educators say the work that goes on at places like McClure Women's Correctional Facility and High Desert State Prison can make a big difference in our community.
"We're not here to excuse anybody's behavior, but we're here to make a difference," Genevieve Minter said.
That difference, according to Minter, is education.
She oversees the College of Southern Nevada's (CSN) prison education program and was part of a panel of prison educators who presented at UNLV's 10th annual Summit on Nevada Education on Saturday morning.
Minter said research shows a direct correlation between education and reduced recidivism, or the tendency for convicted criminals to re-offend.
"Research shows that the majority of people in prison come from poverty," Minter said in an interview Saturday. "Poverty is associated with a lack of education, and oftentimes when they get out [of prison], they'll go back to what they know."
By next spring semester, CSN will be working in all six of Clark County's prisons, offering associate degrees and vocational training, such as culinary and HVAC certificates.
Teachers like Jessica Maloy and Dan Andrews taught in traditional CCSD schools for decades before transitioning to helping inmates at High Desert State Prison get their diplomas or GEDs as part of the district's Adult Education Program.
"It makes it a lot easier for them to find a job when they can check the box that they have their high school diploma," Maloy, an English teacher, said. "It's exciting to see them smile and realize they're doing good at something they've struggled with for a long time."
They're also cultivating meaningful relationships with their incarcerated students to meet them where they are and help them take the next steps in their lives.
"You realize that you've changed a life," Andrews, a math teacher, said. "Not only their life–their family's life and society's life."
More than anything that ripple effect motivates these educators to continue serving our community.
"It's time for us to let people know that we're here, that we're here to help," Minter said.
If you're curious about the work incarcerated CSN students are doing, you can check it out for yourself in a few weeks. Minter said they'll be holding an event at McClure Women's Correctional Facility on December 5 to showcase what their hospitality students have accomplished, but interested visitors must pass a background check to attend.
