Crime and prison time were all that Bradley Arrowood had ever known. He’d certainly never imagined he’d get a good education. He was set up for failure from childhood, so he assumed that’s all he would ever be.
“When I was a kid, I was told I’d never amount to anything,” he said.
He also never doubted he was supposed to be in jail. After dropping out of school at the age of 16, he fell into a life of crime. But things peaked when he committed murder involving a man he thought his wife was having an affair with.
“Had I not gone in for this offense, I was either going to end up dead or kill someone else,” he said. “I deserved every bit of my sentence.”
In 1995, he was convicted and sentenced to life without parole. As far as he was concerned, that would be the end of his life. Then, while Arrowood was incarcerated, someone offered him a textbook, followed by inviting him to join a study group.
He laughed at them
But to his own surprise, he ended up joining. The study group consisted of prisoners who self-taught themselves using college textbooks they bought. Arrowood joined and earned his GED. Then a paralegal certificate. Finally, working remotely with Coastline Community College, he earned two associate degrees.
He did more than just earn degrees
Through the process, he also had his sentence commuted. The court ruled: “[Arrowood] turned away from violence and drugs and instead dedicated himself to rehabilitation and education.” The study group was part of California’s new law that offers higher education courses to prisoners, even those serving life sentences. The program has been highly successful, with 4,500 prisoners enrolled in 2017 alone.
But the program’s aiming to expand to offer more face-to-face classes
“To learn the critical-thinking skills that come from being in a classroom is something you just don’t get with correspondence courses,” said Director of Renewing Communities Rebecca Silbert.
Arrowood said having classes in person drastically changed his grades and his experience
“With professors actually there to guide you and work with you one-on-one, it makes a world of difference,” he said. Studies also show that prisoners who take classes in prison have a 43 percent reduced risk of returning to illegal activity or going back to jail.
After 23 years in prison, Arrowood was released
Since being freed, he’s spent time getting to know his daughter — and becoming the first person in the Arrowood family to finish college. While he’s struggling to get a grasp on 21st-century technology, he’s passing his classes. With 24 credits left until he got his degree, Arrowood ran a business and helped other former prisoners through Project Rebound.
There’s no doubt he still has a long way to go. But he’s come so far from the boy who was told he’d never amount to anything. And for that, he should feel proud.
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Source: USA Today
