APDS in the News

The New York City Department of Correction has increased the use of tablets since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to help offer information and resources to the individuals in custody within its facilities.

The U.S. Department of Education recently announced it was inviting more institutions to participate in the Second Chance Pell experiment, a program first piloted during the Obama administration that allows a select number of approved colleges and universities to support incarcerated learners through Pell Grant funds. The change would allow as many as 200 two-…

In early November, following reports of increasingly dangerous and inhumane conditions at the city jails on Rikers Island, I joined a group of business leaders for a tour of the facilities led by Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi and Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez. The purpose was to better understand the hard choices that policymakers face around…

Based on his 2019 book, Chris Wilson offers insight into building successful strategies for reentry in a new interactive course. NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, October 20, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — Chris Wilson, author of The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose, today launched an interactive…

In his inaugural address, President Joe Biden pledged to combat the sting of systemic racism, boldly promising that the “dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.” He took his first steps toward making good on that promise by signing a slew of executive orders focused on equity — including directing the U.S….

This year gives about 463,000 of the more than 2 million Americans behind bars — and President-elect Joe Biden — a chance at a fresh start. Buried deep in Congress’ latest COVID-19 relief deal is a provision that would allow the incarcerated the chance to better themselves, and their communities, through higher education. For almost…

Today, 2.3 million people sit in prisons or jails. Research suggests that those who participate in well-rounded education programs are 43% less likely to commit another crime after release than those who do not. But—while people in prison have widely varying learning needs—many inmates are unable to access any education at all, and what programming…

Host Vince Molinari interviews Harris Ferrell, CEO of APDS (American Prison Data Systems, PBC) about his technology company helping educate prisoners across the country.

At 17 years old, Chris Wilson was sentenced to life in prison. Now 41, he recalls that moment and says, “It was like receiving a death sentence.” But after 16.5 years in prison, he turned his life around. And in the eight years since his release, he has become an author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and advocate…

While the coronavirus pandemic has upended the lives of millions of educators, students, and families, it has laid bare – for many, the unique set of challenges for incarcerated learners who are already accustomed to navigating isolation with limited resources. The last few weeks have seen an unending stream of heartbreaking stories from correctional institutions…

Today, the United States spends $86 billion every year on a correctional system that is not working. We incarcerate our citizens at almost double the rate of any other developed country, and states spend 860 percent more on incarceration now than they did 30 years ago — but, still, the US correctional system does not…

One big barrier to sustaining education via remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic has been students’ unequal access to advanced technology tools. Laptops and internet connections are not available in every household, and even students who usually have such resources available may now find themselves competing for them with siblings or parents studying or working from…

The teenaged boys at Red Wing juvenile detention center are accustomed to six hours of school a day. They typically gather in classrooms to learn social studies, math, science and language arts from teachers who work at the corrections facility, located about 50 miles down the Mississippi River from St. Paul, Minnesota. Educating the 70…

The Massachusetts Department of Correction is launching an education program for prisoners. In a bid process, the state chose American Prison Data Systems, a public benefit corporation, to provide 228 tablets to incarcerated people in 10 prisons, according to a news release. The tablets include programs on GED preparation, vocational training and re-entry planning, among…

Last year, West Virginia contracted with a company, Global Tel Link (GTL), to provide free tablets to prisoners. These kinds of initiatives are rapidly becoming more popular, as states grapple with the legacy of four decades of tough-on-crime policies and renewed public calls for more rehabilitative prisons. And it sounds great. Until inmates realize the company charges users every…

More and more incarcerated students are getting access to educational technology. These technologies offer access where education is limited, but not much is known about the quality of the programs. Getting an education in prison can make all the difference for inmates, even reduce their chances of going back after they are released. But it…