Advocates push for better education programs in Georgia prisons

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Calls for increased education opportunities in Georgia prisons grow stronger, as research shows benefits extend beyond prison walls and into neighboring communities.

Patrick Rodriguez, co-executive director of Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison, has first-hand experience with the success of a prison education system. Rodriguez was previously incarcerated at five different Georgia facilities, before his pursuit of higher education in prison kept him out for good.

“When a teacher goes inside of a classroom inside of a prison, that classroom is no longer a prison,” said Rodriguez. “It’s a place for people to learn and identify as a student instead of an inmate, a convict.”

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First published Sep. 15, 2023