America, by far, has the highest incarceration rate among developed nations. The rate of imprisonment in the U.S. has more than quadrupled in the last 40 years, fueled by “three strikes” and mandatory-minimum sentencing laws.
Studies show that prisoners who get access to education behind bars are far less likely to return to prison, are are more likely to land a job once they’re released.
But few of America’s crowded prisons have higher education programs that reach inmates face-to-face.
One exception is San Quentin State Prison on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay in Marin County, Calif. While the prison has a nasty national reputation, the fact is that some inmates want to get transferred to San Quentin to access its university, with volunteer teachers from top schools.