MIT’s prison education program unlocks opportunities for inmates [Video]

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) conducted a 12-week college-accredited web design class for inmates of five correctional facilities in the US. The training program, which was conducted virtually, aimed to improve the inmates’ self-efficacy and digital literacy.

The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with an estimated 0.7 percent of its population in prison. While the rest of the population reaps the benefits of broadband internet, inmates of correctional facilities are denied access to basic internet, a United Nations’ declared human right. 

Researchers suggest that denial of the internet and digital tools effectively serves as a second punishment for prisoners serving their sentences, leading to their incapacitation and social exclusion post-release. …