THE POWER OF ZOOM PART 1:
Leveraging the Use of Technology to Promote Educational Services for the Incarcerated
Kimberly Collica-Cox, Ph.D.
The COVID pandemic caused correctional administrators, often concerned with the use of outside technology within secure parts of the institution, to realize that educational-based services could continue safely if they were open to its utilization. The use of web-based technology platforms, such as Zoom, provided an opportunity for correctional institutions to maintain educational programming when outside civilians were not allowed entrance, such as the subsequent lockdowns that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the pandemic, it may also be used to expand existing educational services when a distant agency or educational institution wishes to facilitate specialized programming with a facility’s incarcerated population. Agencies from anywhere in the country can provide programming via Zoom; distance is no longer a factor. More importantly, it can provide an opportunity for an incarcerated person, who is released prior to the conclusion of a program, to finish that program. Upon release, the formerly incarcerated student can “Zoom” back into the facility with his/her classmates.
The Westchester County Department of Correction (WCDOC), the second largest jail in New York State, located approximately 20 miles north of New York City, leveraged the use of technology during the pandemic to maintain continued access to educational services for both the incarcerated and the newly released. One specific program that successfully utilized Zoom was Pace University’s Inside-Out Program, where Pace University students take a college course alongside the incarcerated. By implementing innovative policies that provide access to educational services in a security-minded fashion, the WCDOC can serve as a model for other correctional institutions seeking to expand or improve their own educational services. In this two-part series, part 1 will discuss the implementation and use of technology to facilitate educational programming inside of the jail, while part 2 will examine how such services can expand educational opportunities for the newly released.
COVID and the Inception of Zoom
In March of 2020, a disaster emergency was declared in New York State (NYS), the epicenter of the pandemic, which witnessed approximately 800 COVID-related deaths daily (Higgins-Dunn, 2020). COVID health concerns and protocols impacted every aspect of correctional life, creating very challenging conditions for administrators and residents. Fortunately, COVID-related deaths have continued to decline but fluctuating rates of infection are still a cause of concern (NYCDOH, 2022). Correctional administrators are plagued with balancing a public health emergency, while still trying to provide a pre-pandemic level of service to its incarcerated population (Collica-Cox, 2021). The WCDOC administration’s willingness to leverage technology during the pandemic, especially when outside civilians were not permitted entry (to preclude further spread of infection),
allowed many educational services to continue. As time went on, several smart televisions were purchased to provide multiple sources for the incarcerated to access remote educational opportunities under the direct supervision of custodial staff. Moreover, the use of technologies like Zoom provided an opportunity for the newly released to finish a program they participated in during their incarceration. Many corrections institutions may be hesitant to allow web-based access inside secure parts of the correctional institution. However, the last two years of successful implementation at the WCDOC demonstrate that safety concerns can be managed effectively without jeopardizing security, while also maintaining the educational integrity of the programs provided (Collica-Cox, 2021).
WCDOC—The Westchester County Department of Correction
WCDOC is located in Valhalla, NY within the County of Westchester, a large suburb of New York City, and the second largest jail in the State of New York. WCDOC’s mission is to serve the public by providing an efficient, secure, and humane means of detaining individuals with criminal matters pending in Westchester County. This mission is executed pursuant to appropriate legal mandates and professional standards. As a criminal justice agency, WCDOC dedicates itself to promoting a safe environment for staff, visitors and residents, and to providing educational, vocational, and self-help initiatives to the incarcerated to further reduce rates of recidivism.
WCDOC has a current population of 703 residents but can hold up to 1,821 residents. It consists of a Jail Division, which houses individuals 18 years and older (including males accused of a crime or awaiting sentencing and females accused of a crime, awaiting sentencing or sentenced to terms of a year or less), and a Penitentiary Division, which houses males sentenced to terms of one year or less. This jail facility holds detainees, sentenced offenders, and federal detainees, with varying levels of security (i.e., unclassified, low, medium, high and maximum). The Department is accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA), the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, and is the only large jail in NYS to achieve PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) accreditation. Uniquely, the WCDOC also created a program division to manage the safety and security of remote-based and onsite educational programs. This team, who complements civilian program staff, consists of a program sergeant and three program officers, all of who are supervised by the Assistant Warden of Programs.
Pace University
Founded in 1906, Pace University’s mission is voiced in Opportunitas, offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs for its undergraduate and graduate students. Their campuses in Lower Manhattan and Westchester County enroll nearly 13,000 students. As Lower Manhattan’s only research university, Pace has an important academic presence and was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top performer in social mobility; their online bachelor’s degree programs scored in the 90th percentile in 2022 for how well faculty were trained in distance education (Pace University, 2022). Although the pandemic created unprecedented issues for universities, Pace was prepared to teach remotely and continued its partnership with the WCDOC despite the pandemic.
Pace University and the Inside-Out Program
Inside-Out programming, where traditional college students learn alongside the incarcerated in the correctional setting, was first implemented in 1997 through Temple University in Pennsylvania between a lifer, Paul Perry, and Temple University’s Lori Pompa (The Inside-Out Prison Exchange program, n.d.). Inside-Out classes can include a multitude of topics and disciplines. Classes are offered globally to correctional institutions of all security levels (Pompa, 2013). Inside and outside students work collaboratively to allow for the equal exchange of ideas. This model, considered a high-impact learning practice, allows both groups the opportunity for significant educational engagement. Pace University has offered an Inside-Out course at the WCDOC for the past three years—CRJ 242, Crime and Public Policy—which is a three-credit college course that examines criminological theory, crime typologies, and crime policy. Pace University offers the Inside students free college credits and in return, the WCDOC hosts Pace undergraduates for the entire semester.
Prior to COVID, Pace students attended class in person at the jail with incarcerated individuals with great success. After March of 2020, COVID-19 changed the instructional pedagogy. College campuses have been considered hot spots for infection spread since the start of the pandemic (NYT, 2021). As correctional administrators struggle with how to balance the safety and educational needs of their population, web-based platforms offer a solution. To prevent the spread of infection, especially to the incarcerated population, outside students were required to attend classes in the jail via Zoom.
The most important piece to Inside-Out programming is the opportunity for Inside and Outside students to work collectively in groups during each class session. The experience proves to be transformative. Inside students are connected with those from the outside world who care about their wellbeing, and outside students gain firsthand experience working with the incarcerated, an important step in becoming a future criminal justice professional (Collica-Cox, 2022; Link, 2016; Martinovic et al., 2018).
In order for students to work in groups, Zoom allows for breakout rooms. For that reason, Pace University donated several laptops to the jail for the semester which would allow Inside students to participate in breakout groups during the class. All laptops were cleared by the facility’s IT Department and remained secured in the jail for the entire semester. Laptops were only used during class when a corrections officer was present. Inside students were not permitted to physically engage with the laptops; laptops were only used to permit smaller group discussions. The last class, held during the Spring 2022 semester, was kept smaller to provide for social distancing, and the co-mingling of Inside students from different housing blocks was precluded to reduce COVID-19 transmission risks. In order to measure course outcomes, all students were given a pre- and post-test survey to assess their experiences in the class. Even though this class would normally be held in person, the use of technology allowed students to engage in the same type of in-class activities, albeit within a remote platform. Comparably, students in this class, similar to students in the first two classes, reported that they enjoyed the experience of participating in an Inside-Out course and although they could not physically be together, working with one another was still the best part of the course (Collica-Cox, 2021a).
Previous research on Pace University’s Inside-Out model at the WCDOC (see Collica-Cox, 2022) demonstrates high academic achievements for Inside and
Outside students (87.3 and 93.7 respective class averages). Inside students find the course rewarding, believing it exposes them to the possibility of different opportunities after incarceration. They look forward to class, saying it made their time in jail easier, and allows them to feel more confident in their abilities to work at a college level. Outside students feel the experience is very rewarding and helps to challenge previously held stereotypes about those who live and work behind the bars. Most importantly, there are statistically significant differences on the outside students’ Attitude Toward Prisoners (ATP) test, which indicates more positive attitudes, as well as decreased negative perceptions toward the Inside students by the end of the course. In general, both groups of students felt connected with one another despite the utilization of remote technology. They expressed being more open and markedly less nervous when compared to their first day of class. They found their interactions with one another the most rewarding components of the course and would recommend the course to others. Each student (Inside and Outside) experienced positive change and growth as a result of this experience. Although it is preferable to conduct these types of courses in-person, beneficial remote-based learning experiences that are developed purposefully and carefully have the ability to create worthwhile learning experiences while prioritizing security (Collica-Cox, 2021a; Collica-Cox, 2021b).
Conclusion
Since remote technology was used safely and securely at the WCDOC during the COVID-19 pandemic, their administration saw the opportunity to expand educational services post-pandemic. Although in-person education has resumed, it is still being supplemented with remote educational opportunities. Clearly,
correctional institutions have the opportunity to partner with a University or other agency service provider anywhere in the world to expand educational services for their residents. As data demonstrates, Inside-Out college courses, such as the one profiled here, can utilize technology to recreate in-person experiences effectively, as evidenced by student feedback and empirical outcomes. Additionally, services can be further expanded to assist the newly released. Part 2 of this series will examine how the WCDOC leveraged technology to help the newly released (upon returning to the community) complete the educational classes they began while incarcerated.
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Dr. Kimberly Collica-Cox is a Professor in the Criminal Justice and Security Department with PACE University. Prior to teaching, Dr. Collica-Cox worked for a women’s correctional facility in NYS coordinating an HIV prison-based peer education program and for a NY jail supervising their jail-based transitional services unit. She trains professionals in HIV and COVID related issues and is a certified ACA and PREA Auditor. She is the Director of Parenting, Prison & Pups and has a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. Her research has focused on incarcerated women, rehabilitation, corrections-based programming and female correctional executives. She can be reached a 212-346-1862 or at kcollicacox@pace.edu.
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Collica-Cox, K. (2021a). To Zoom or Not To Zoom: The Use of Technology to Further Educational Goals in the Correctional Setting During a Pandemic and Beyond. Corrections Today, 83 (5), 36-45. Available: https://www.aca.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Publications_Carla/Docs/Corrections%20Today/2021%20Articles/CT_Sept-Oct_2021_To%20Zoom%20or%20Not%20to%20Zoom.pdf
Collica-Cox, K. (2021b). When ‘Inside-Out’ Goes ‘Upside-Down’: Teaching Students in a Jail Environment During the COVID Pandemic. Journal of Prison Education and Reentry, 7 (1), 233-252. https://doi.org/10.25771/dhvk-bc68
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