NEW YORK - Cornell Prison Education Program

101 McGraw Hall
Cornell University
Dr. James (Jim) Schecter, Executive Director

607-255-2852
Robert Turgeon, Faculty Director
ert2@cornell.edu

Population Served: Incarcerated women of Bedford Hills Correctional Facility; Applicants to the program take placement examinations in basic mathematics, reading comprehension, and essay writing. Depending upon their scores, they are either placed into non-credit preparatory courses or matriculate directly into credit-bearing classes.

Program Description: The Cornell Prison Education Program was established to provide college courses to incarcerated students at a maximum and medium security prison in upstate New York, and to engage Cornell faculty and students with the vital issue of the country’s burgeoning incarceration population. The Cornell Prison Education Program is dedicated to supporting incarcerated persons’ academic ambitions and preparation for successful re-entry. We believe that Cornell faculty and student engagement as instructors at correctional facilities manifests Ezra Cornell’s commitment to founding an institution where “any person can find instruction in any study.” Population Served: Incarcerated men and corrections staff at Auburn and Cayuga Correctional Facilities