BREAKFAST CLUB OF GRAND RAPIDS
Established 1936 – John A. Collins, President
EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON, GRAND RAPIDS DOWNTOWN
Big E's Sports Grille
710 Monroe Avenue NW, Grand Rapids
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2025 – 7:15 AM
Our program for 7 May is something that we have never explored at Breakfast Club. Individuals are incarcerated for a variety of reasons. Some of them have experienced disadvantages that they could not cope with. Whether it was a cultural or economic disadvantage, these individuals chose a path that went against the establishment. Can there be a redemption? Dr. Jeff Polet has created a program that gives prisoners a second chance.
Inmate education programs can be confidence-builders for incarcerated individuals as the coursework improves their focus and provides a goal; it also boosts their self-esteem through confirming their knowledge, skills and abilities for the eventual release back into society. However, there are no field trips for student inmates.
Will taking accredited classes while in prison assist in security employment upon release? How do those who elect not to take classes feel about those who do?
Invocation: Eric Nelson Introduction: Jeff Kissinger
Inmate Education
“He who opens a door, closes a prison.” – Victor Hugo
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats
“Prison education is the least expensive and most effective solution to overcrowding and strain on the budget caused by recidivism.” Christopher Zoukis, College for Convicts: The Case for Higher Education in American Prisons
