For Immediate Release
| PR #: | 1700040 |
| Date Issued: | May 01, 2017 - 10:51am |
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UNR Students and Washoe County Detention Facility Inmates learn side-by-side through Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program |
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| CONTACT: | Brooke Howard Division Manager-Community Engagement Office 775-785-6205 |
Students from the University of Nevada, Reno and inmates of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office Detention Facility will celebrate their completion of a joint semester long study of the American Criminal Justice System on Tuesday, May 2, 2017.
Students will receive certificates in the closing ceremony of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, which will take place from 1:00-2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2, in the Detention Programs Unit at the Washoe County Sheriff's Office. Faculty from the Criminal Justice Department at UNR and Sheriff Chuck Allen are scheduled to make special remarks and the students of the program will present a "Comprehensive Resource Guide" they worked on during the semester.
About the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program:
Selected inmates (Inside Students) at the Washoe County Detention Facility have voluntarily participated in The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program for the last 16-weeks. In this combined class, both inside and outside students (UNR Students) are able to share information, experiences, and ideas about crime, justice, imprisonment, and the criminal justice system.
The course is the second involving a partnership between UNR and the Washoe County Sheriff's Office in the Inside-Out program, which brings together students and jail inmates -- "outside" students and "inside" students -- for a college-level course in which students are challenged to think critically about ways to reduce crime and promote justice. Although, the "inside" students do not receive college credits, Detention Programs Coordinator, Brooke Howard said, "The Sheriff's Office recognizes that by offering educational experiences like this to justice involved individuals, it sets in motion a process of social change, personal growth and highlights the importance of life-long learning."
All instruction took place in the Washoe County Jail Detention Programs Unit. Prior to enrollment, potential candidates on both the inside and outside had to go through an intense screening process which included: A short essay, one-on-one interviews to discuss and review program rules and expectations, education level, employment history, criminal history, individual goals and self-motivation. Participants also had to be able to read and write, only use each other's first names and agree to maintain no-contact even upon completion of the course.
Inside-Out was founded in 1997 by Lori Pompa, a criminal justice faculty member at Temple University, who began classes with Temple students at prisons in the Philadelphia area. The program encompasses roughly 123 colleges and universities with more than 22,000 inside and outside students involved to date. For more information, see http://www.insideoutcenter.org/home.html.
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office is dedicated to preserving a safe and secure community with professionalism, respect, integrity and the highest commitment to equality. Sheriff Darin Balaam is the 27th person elected to serve as the Sheriff of Washoe County since the Office was created in 1861. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office strives to ensure public safety by building trust and creating partnerships within the diverse communities in which we serve. We will promote the dignity of all people supported by our words and actions through open communication while fostering an environment of professionalism, integrity and mutual respect.