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Dear <<First Name>>,

As New York state begins to re-open in light of the recent decline of COVID-19 within the state, we reflect on the toll taken and assess the possibilities for the future.

Our region has not yet seen a high number of cases in the prisons near Cornell, but because the danger is real, we took action last month by spending some $20,000 of CPEP funds to help provide protective masks to everyone in prison in the state of New York. Soon after, the Department of Corrections began supplying masks to the incarcerated population as well. Last week, there were only two new cases reported among 39,000 incarcerated individuals.

Below, you will find several updates from across the CPEP community, reflecting our commitment to continuing our educational mission and challenging the culture of policing and punishment in America:
  • Back to school: update from Tess Wheelwright
  • Darnell Epps '20 gives thanks
  • Activism in the CPEP community
  • CPEP welcomes Prof. Jamila Michener as Board Chair 

This is watershed moment: The general public is opening its eyes and raising a collective cry in favor of work you know intimately—refusing to discount certain lives as less valuable. Please consider a gift today to support our important work to provide high quality education to incarcerated people.

Sincerely,



Rob Scott, Executive Director
Cornell Prison Education Program
 
Support our work

Update from Academic Director Tess Wheelwright


As the Academic Director of CPEP, I'd like to give you an update on our work to stay connected with our students in prison and to allow some continuity of their studies during this pandemic.
 

Hampered, but not halted


On March 13 – which seems an eon ago – we sent a memo to all 219 CPEP students across the four prisons announcing the pause in in-person instruction, explaining we were exploring options for completing all 38 spring courses underway, and affirming our commitment to them and their educational journey despite our temporary absence. Since then, ... (read the full update here)

Alumni Reflection: Darnell Epps '20

 
As the first in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree, graduating from Cornell is a huge milestone. “Any person … any study” is the motto, and Cornell certainly has not wavered in that commitment. Just over three years ago I was a CPEP student at Five Points Correctional Facility, reading chapters of Matthew Desmond’s Evicted and Deborah Stone’s Policy Paradox for Professor Jamila Michener’s public policy course. Seventeen years before that, I was just another youth from NYC’s projects, without even a high school diploma to my name. Were it not for programs like CPEP, stories like mine could hardly become a reality. 

Of course, this milestone in my life comes at a time of national unrest around the killing of George Floyd and the thousands of lives lost to COVID-19. I stand in solidarity with those striving for racial justice and a more equitable legal system, and I hope to use my education to amplify their voices. My education at this great university has been a privilege, and I’m committed to leveraging that privilege for the betterment of my community. 

I would like to thank professors Joseph Margulies, Sandra Babcock, Jamila Michener, and Mary Katzenstein for their steady support throughout the years. I also owe tremendous credit to Cornell alumnus William Marshall, who worked so hard behind the scenes to help this dream become a reality. To each of you I say, thank you!

In the Community...

 

NYS Senator Zellnor Myrie JD '16 out front

Former CPEP Law Instructor Zellnor Myrie is a popular and forceful New York State senator serving District 20 (in Brooklyn). After being pepper-sprayed in the eyes while out trying to keep the peace at a public protest against the murder of George Floyd, Myrie had a key role in the repeal of 50-a, increasing accountability of NY police through greater transparency. (Pictured: Sena. Myrie and Bailey embrace after repealing 50-a; read more.)

Prison violence demands attention, too

CPEP Alumnus Phil Miller co-authored a New York Daily News op-ed this week about violence by prison guards and a law that would help make oversight of correctional officers easier. Read the op-ed >>
 


I Survived Prison During The AIDS Epidemic.
Here’s What It Taught Me About Coronavirus

As a harm reduction technician for an HIV/AIDS organization, I work with a lot of people at risk for COVID-19, including those who are homeless. I’m seeing some of the same magicalized and panicked responses to this virus that I witnessed when I was in prison at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. Continue reading >>

Richard Rivera, who earned three college degrees inside prisons in New York state and is now taking courses at Cornell University, writes a stirring recollection of lessons learned during the AIDS epidemic, with insight into how we can avoid those same mistakes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Published by the Marshall project. Read his article >>

New CPEP Board Chair


Jamila Michener, associate professor in the Department of Government, will serve as chair of the CPEP Advisory Board, effective July 1, 2020. Dr. Michener has taught in two different CPEP facilities, and her scholarly work on the socioeconomic impacts of poverty in American society provides pertinent context for understanding the challenges we face in the prison system. We are excited to work with her in the years ahead!
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