SC prison inmates graduate with degrees from Columbia International University

COLUMBIA — Ten South Carolina prison inmates were awarded degrees from Columbia International University Dec. 15.

The CIU prison initiative, which began in 2007, offers two years of college courses in both general and Bible studies for people incarcerated at Kirkland Correctional Institute in Columbia with a goal of training them to be assistant chaplains in the state Department of Corrections.

Six inmates earned associate’s degrees and four inmates earned bachelor’s degrees this year, bringing the total of graduates from the program since its inception to over 200.

“Nothing creates opportunity like adversity,” said an inmate named Lawton, who graduated from the CIU program on Dec. 15. “If I had to describe this program in one word, it would be ‘restoration.'”

To qualify for the CIU prison initiative, inmates must have at least seven years remaining on their sentence. Inmates are expected to study for the first two years, then spend at least five in service to fellow inmates as a hospice worker or assistant chaplain. 

The program is entirely donor funded, according to SCDC, and boasts a recidivism rate of about 5 percent compared to the state’s 19 percent overall rate. At least 50 people who received their degree from CIU while incarcerated have been released since the first commencement in 2009.

“It’s an opportunity for (inmates) to show that they can do college-level work,” said Andre Melvin, director of the CIU prison initiative. “A lot of them were scared … haven’t been to school in years,” he added. “But they know they can do it.”

As CIU interim president Rick Christman conferred the degrees during the ceremony at the facility, families and supporters were encouraged to applaud and cheer on each graduate, in contrast to the typical commencement ceremony where families are asked to remain silent until the end of the program. As Lawton spoke, he held back tears as fellow inmates — some current students and some recent graduates — called out encouragement: “We love you, man,” rang out from the crowd.

Despite the requirement that students in the program have at least seven years left on their sentences, the program’s intent to lower recidivism and provide future job opportunities mirrors the intent of another SCDC program. 

While inmates at Kirkland were studying to go into ministry, inmates at the nearby Manning Correctional Institute were taking courses in roofing designed by the Midlands-based GAF Materials Corporation. Sixteen inmates on the last legs of their sentences earned certification in roofing in April, as well as the opportunity to work as full-time roofers upon release.

The CIU prison initiative graduates “step forward every day and make a difference in the lives of their fellow inmates,” SCDC director Bryan Stirling said in a news release. “We are fortunate to be able to offer this degree program at no cost to taxpayers through our continued partnership with CIU.”

SCDC is not without its problems, as department director Bryan Stirling announced in November that they’re boosting efforts to keep contraband such as drugs and cellphones out of state prisons.

Sting operations popped up across the state, with police K-9s sniffing out every car coming into Columbia’s Broad River prison complex on Nov. 8 after child pornography was found on a smuggled-in cellphone. Weeks later, on Nov. 21, State Attorney General Alan Wilson announced three separate and ongoing State Grand Jury investigations that led to charges against seven corrections officers and employees. 

But for the ten inmates who now have a chance to help others in the system, Dec. 15 was a day of celebration.

“I got a sense of responsibility and purpose beyond myself,” an inmate and CIU graduate named Chris said after the commencement ceremony. “I just want to help people the way I’ve been helped.”