Part Two: Why is prison education important?

By Anna Kezar

At age 17, Landis Reynolds was sentenced to 50 years in an adult correctional facility. He had a ninth grade education and little confidence in his intelligence, let alone his academic competence.

A year later, in 2006, he earned his high school equivalency diploma and was later accepted into Grace College’s associate degree program.

“Being able to attend college and the knowledge that I gained during that time gave me the foundation I needed to be able to build myself,” Reynolds said.

In 2011, he was 12 credits short of earning his associate degree when funding for nonvocational post-secondary education for incarcerated individuals in Indiana was terminated.

“That had a huge impact on the trajectory of my incarceration and the incarceration of thousands of other guys that would’ve been able to receive that post-secondary education,” Reynolds said.

To fill the void left by the absence of education, Reynolds got involved in tutoring and peer education. He began a nonprofit legal services organization for incarcerated individuals and worked as a coordinator and advocate for the Indiana Department of Corrections Watch, a prisoner advocacy organization. He also published his collection of essays on youth incarcerated as adults, “Recycled Futures,” with the help of his friend Ethan Pennington, who was formerly incarcerated in Putnamville Correctional Facility.

Tears of Joy

Pennington received a general Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana State University while incarcerated in Putnamville.

“Those four years were the best in prison,” Pennington said.

He looked forward to attending classes every night.

“It gave you a sense of purpose,” Pennington said. “It was empowering for me to see there could be a life after prison.”

The curriculum taught Pennington and his classmates how to effectively communicate. It built the confidence they needed and gave them skills to change their paths, according to Pennington. In addition, it gave them a positive community of people who all wanted to do better for themselves.

Pennington recalls the most impactful moment of his time in prison – when his parents attended his college graduation.

“It was the first time I saw my mom cry tears of joy over my life instead of tears of hurt,” Pennington said.

In the 10 years since his release, Pennington has started his own drug-testing company and, in 2022, a nonprofit called FelonUp that teaches entrepreneurship within Indiana prisons.

He visits state and juvenile facilities encouraging incarcerated individuals to start their own businesses. He teaches them money management and life skills for reentry.

“You should see the hope in their eyes when I’m there and they see that I got out and lived,” Pennington said.

‘I’ve got a speech … about the prison’

It’s been six years since Dr. John Teevan stepped into an Indiana state prison.

From 1986 to 2016, Teevan was involved with the prison education program through Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind. – for 10 of those years, as director and then as executive director of regional initiatives.

“I’ve got a speech any time, day or night, about the prison,” Teevan said.

The program began with Grace College faculty teaching classes at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, Ind. From there, the program expanded to several part-time instructors employed by Grace College who taught multiple courses at Indiana State Prison, Wabash Valley, Pendleton and Miami correctional facilities.

Clerks and tutors at offices in the prisons included 12 incarcerated individuals who were “remarkable men to work with,” Teevan said.

Over the 30 years, 450 bachelor degrees and 600 associate degrees were conferred, according to Teevan.

“When you go to prison first you have to realize where you’re at,” Teevan said. “Second: quit fighting. Third: make your turn. Fourth: find your opportunities and pursue them.”

Along with Grace College, Ball State University, Indiana University and Ivy Tech Community College also offered college courses in the prisons. There were 2,500 incarcerated individuals enrolled in college programs throughout the state.

Grace College continued to provide high school equivalency and vocational programs when funding for nonvocational post-secondary education was terminated in 2011. In 2016, its contract with the Indiana Department of Corrections was not renewed.

Ivy Tech was selected as the main education partner in 2021.

“By the hand of God, the providence of God, we got into the prisons against all odds,” Teevan said. “And we got taken out against all odds, so I’m content to see God’s hand in the whole thing.”