College Behind Bars

College Behind Bars is a 2019 American television documentary series, directed by Lynn Novick, which originally aired on PBS. It focuses on the lives and academic careers of inmates in the Bard Prison Initiative.[1][2]

College Behind Bars
GenreDocumentary
Directed byLynn Novick
ComposerJongnic Bontemps
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producerKen Burns
ProducersLynn Novick
Sarah Botstein
Mariah Doran
Salimah El-Amin
Stephen Sowers
CinematographyNadia Hallgren
Buddy Squires
EditorTricia Reidy
Release
Original networkPBS
Original releaseNovember 25 (2019-11-25) –
November 26, 2019 (2019-11-26)

Synopsis

Inmates at Eastern Correctional Facility and Taconic Correctional Facility are studying for either BA or AA degrees from Bard College as part of a prison education program. The documentary highlights important feats and milestones in the inmates' college careers such as their thesis defenses, graduation, and victory over the Harvard debate team.[3]

Reception

The documentary received generally positive reviews. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "it's so humane and emotional that it will probably have you brushing away tears as you're pondering bigger questions."[2] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post called the documentary "inspiring" and Ashlie D. Stevens of Salon wrote "[one] of the strongest elements ... is that it assesses all the complexities of education in the prison system."[4][5]

References
  1. "College Behind Bars". PBS. Archived from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  2. Fienberg, Daniel (November 25, 2019). "'College Behind Bars': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  3. Smith, Jamil (November 2, 2019). "Incarcerated People Can Do More than Beat Harvard in a Debate". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  4. Stuever, Hank (November 24, 2019). "PBS's 'College Behind Bars' offers a lasting lesson: Learning is its own kind of freedom". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  5. Stevens, Ashlie (November 25, 2019). ""College Behind Bars" is a nuanced look at education in the prison industrial complex". Salon. Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
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