College Behind Bars Explained
| Genre: | Documentary |
| Director: | Lynn Novick |
| Composer: | Jongnic Bontemps |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 4 |
| Executive Producer: | Ken Burns |
| Producer: | Lynn Novick
Sarah Botstein
Mariah Doran
Salimah El-Amin
Stephen Sowers |
| Cinematography: | Nadia Hallgren
Buddy Squires |
| Editor: | Tricia Reidy |
| Network: | PBS |
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]
Synopsis
Incarcerated individuals 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 incarcerated individuals' 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." 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]
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: College Behind Bars . PBS . 27 November 2019 . pbs1 . 26 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191126214348/https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/college-behind-bars . live .
- News: Fienberg . Daniel . 'College Behind Bars': TV Review . 27 November 2019 . The Hollywood Reporter . 25 November 2019 . thr1 . 26 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191126085838/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/college-behind-bars-review-1257923 . live .
- Smith . Jamil . Incarcerated People Can Do More than Beat Harvard in a Debate . 27 November 2019 . Rolling Stone . 2 November 2019 . rs1.
- News: Stuever . Hank . PBS's 'College Behind Bars' offers a lasting lesson: Learning is its own kind of freedom . 27 November 2019 . The Washington Post . 24 November 2019 . wapo1 . 27 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191127091645/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/pbss-college-behind-bars-offers-a-lasting-lesson-learning-is-its-own-kind-of-freedom/2019/11/24/9aee8480-0d6e-11ea-bd9d-c628fd48b3a0_story.html . live .
- News: Stevens . Ashlie . "College Behind Bars" is a nuanced look at education in the prison industrial complex . 27 November 2019 . Salon . 25 November 2019 . sal1 . 27 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191127061947/https://www.salon.com/2019/11/25/college-behind-bars-review-pbs-lynn-novick/ . live .
