Justice in America: A Conversation with BPI Executive Director Max Kenner ’01 and Alum Rodney Spivey-Jones ’17

In January 2020, the Appeal’s Josie Duffy Rice traveled to Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon, New York, to interview Rodney Spivey-Jones and Max Kenner. Kenner is the founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative, and Rodney received his bachelor’s degree from Bard College in 2017 through the BPI program; he has been incarcerated for 17 years. Both are featured in the PBS documentary series College Behind Bars. They spoke to Duffy Rice about why Max started BPI 20 years ago, Rodney’s experience as part of BPI, and what he hopes to do upon his release. Read the interview below, as well as a related article by Rodney Spivey-Jones in the Appeal, "College Programs in Prison Show the Value of Educating Every American."
 

Post Date: 04-30-2020