The old adage of “lock them up and throw away the key” has been sharply refuted by a recent study that makes a strong case for providing educational courses and training for those incarcerated in New England correctional facilities. With 95% of the incarcerated eventfully returning to their communities, the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education recommends that correctional facilities provide the incarcerated with access to high quality, workforce aligned, post secondary opportunities with a wide range of educational pathways, which is an important step toward reducing recidivism. A study by the Rand Corporation shows that educational programs reduce recidivism for incarcerated people by more than 40% and leads to more positive post-release employment opportunities.

As someone who has been teaching at the Middlesex County House of Corrections and Jail in Billerica, I agree with this recommendation which was endorsed by the  83 commission members including those that represent higher education, state government, corrections, and the business community.

As a part time college professor who has spent several decades teaching  undergraduate and graduate communications courses at area colleges, I never thought I’d also be teaching inmates at the Billerica facility, but that is exactly what I’ve been doing through the Jail Education Program at Merrimack College.

I’m part of a Merrimack College faculty team that teaches four-credit introductory and general education college courses to inmates. The program would not exist if it were not for the support of the Gardner Howland Shaw Foundation,  Rapport Foundation, the Merrimack College Provost and Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian.

While most higher education programs in correctional facilities occur in state prisons, where men and women serve longer sentences and can finish more coursework, Merrimack’s program, which also offers courses at the Essex County House of Correction, has developed a highly praised education model that addresses the unique challenges of short-term incarceration.

I’ve driven by the House of Corrections in Billerica many, many times, a foreboding site set high on a hill with brick buildings and concrete walls topped by barbed wire, designed to keep inmates secure. I never knew how large and intimidating the facility was until my first day of teaching there several years ago. Multiple security check points, metal detectors, steel doors slamming shut and correction officers lining the hallways during inmate movement was a new experience for me.

But once I entered the jail’s classroom, it was no different than a typical college classroom, except my students were wearing corrections issued jump suits rather than the clothing of traditional college students.

My incarcerated students, carefully selected for my course in Public Speaking, represent all ages, races, religions and national origins. Before incarceration, some were labors and tradesmen, while others worked in management positions, with some having attended college and a few graduating with a degree.

The focus of my public speaking course is to help these students prepare for their release and reentry into the employment market.

The ability to effectively communicate with clear and convincing messages is critical to those seeking employment, no matter what job path the student takes. My course provides students with basic skills and classroom experiences in public speaking that include knowing your audience, preparing and delivering remarks and presentations, building self confidence, all of which can be used during a job interview, in a place of employment or in a community or civic setting.

My incarcerated students take this course seriously, attending each class, participating in classroom assignments and exercises at the podium and spending considerable time with after class assignments. I have never had a problem with students. All are very appreciative of being able to take Merrimack College  courses.

For their final graded assignment, each student appears at a podium and presents a recommendation for something they feel should be changed at the Billerica correctional facility.  Seated in the front row during the presentations are Sheriff Koutoujian, a national leader in corrections and a big supporter of these type of education programs, and members of his senior leadership team, all of whom listen intently, take notes and ask questions of the inmates. My students practice and practice for this final assignment and continue to receive a round of  applause by correctional officials upon completion of their presentations.

Students are convinced that once released back to their communities, they are better able to effectively communicate in job interviews, with their supervisors, fellow employees or customers. Some even want to appear before school audiences to persuade students not to follow the criminal path they took which led to a life behind bars.

Merrimack College and Sheriff Peter Koutoujian are to be commended for their commitment to empowering the lives of the incarcerated through a college education.

Billerica resident Rick Pozniak has spent 40 years in executive communications postilions in organizations throughout Massachusetts