By Anthony Payton, Columnist, Granite State News Collaborative

Listen to writer Anthony Payton tell his story of education behind bars in this episode of The Common Ground Podcast

Through Project AIM, Dr. Lowell C. Matthews is looking to provide opportunities to the forgotten.

The program offers incarcerated learners an “educational pathway,” that will not only help them to obtain the skills they need to become integrated and productive members of society, but college credits that can lead to an undergraduate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.

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The opportunities that Lowell seeks to present aren’t given, they’re earned. These incarcerated learners have to study course material, make their classes on time, prepare for exams, and exercise good study habits. This is no easy feat. Prisoners can’t access the Internet. There is no “cheat-code.” And yet, this method happens to churn out some very equipped students.

Dr. Matthews first started Project AIM (Achieving Independence and Mobility) in 2019 in partnership with Second Chance Educational Alliance, which provides an education-based, pre-release reentry program at prisons in Connecticut. As part of that program, Matthews, an Associate Professor of Business Administration and Management at SNHU, brought his business students in to spend time with the incarcerated learners in the class. I remember him telling me that his students got their “butts kicked” by these incarcerated learners. 

A 2018 study by the Prison Policy Initiative, indicates that there are more than 11,000 incarcerated individuals. 

“This group is over represented with people of color, as well as with men, creating a large, underserved population in need of assistance in achieving educational and employment attainment,” according to the project’s informational materials. “Working with these 11,000 individuals to secure fulfilling and stable employment would be a welcome addition to our local economy. The educational level of an incarcerated individual is one of the most accurate predictors of recidivism. Higher education programs within incarcerated settings has been proven to dramatically reduce recidivism, allowing individuals to stay out of jail/prison and pursue self-sustaining careers.”

 Project AIM is slated to begin in New Hampshire in 2022. 

Dr. Matthews extended his hand to me nearly a year ago. He’s showed a passion for his work in every conversation that we had. Throughout our correspondence, it’s clear to me that he’s one of the people who’s a ray of light in the darkest abyss. It takes a lot for a man to walk his students into a maximum-security prison in Connecticut for an education challenge with incarcerated learners. 

I recently asked Matthews about his goals and mission of the project.

Anthony Payton: What’s it like to take your students into a Connecticut State Prison for an educational challenge?

Lowell Matthews: For me, I was most worried if my business students would be able to handle the experience of going into a maximum-level prison. My undergraduate students are predominantly from the New England area and have had limited experience with the criminal justice system. After our first visit students are surprised that the incarcerated learners are so motivated to learn and how in many ways they are so different from what they were expecting. 

Anthony Payton: What did they learn from that experience?

Lowell Matthews: They left questioning the system that we use to punish those that have made mistakes. Their greatest learning was about themselves and being able to identify their personal biases and misconceptions about incarcerated individuals. My challenge to my business students was to figure out a solution and this led to the birth of Project AIM.

Anthony Payton: Why did you come up with Project AIM?

Lowell Matthews: Project AIM (Achieving Independence and Mobility) was key to me because it’s more than providing a college degree. It is really about providing the opportunity for incarcerated individuals to gain true independence that allows them the mobility to follow their dreams. I came up with Project AIM because I see myself when I work with incarcerated learners. Access to opportunity only happens if we all work together. This is where the community and businesses play a vital role.

Anthony Payton: Why is educating the prison population so important to you?

Lowell Matthews: For me working with the prison population is extremely important because I see the need. We know the current system of incarceration negatively and disproportionately impacts Blacks and people of color. Our system has created an environment that makes it difficult for incarcerated individuals to have access to opportunities. In my role at SNHU,  I have a responsibility to work to provide access to higher education to those that are overlooked in society.  Providing higher education in prisons benefits society at all levels. The effects will be felt by local businesses being able to hire qualified workers, reducing the costs on taxpayers helping to foot the incarceration bills, and strengthening our families and communities with upwardly mobile members of society.   Understanding these benefits requires society to recognize the trauma that incarceration has caused and to use education as a means to deal with that trauma as well.  

Anthony Payton: Tell us about yourself?

Lowell Matthews: I grew up in Strawberry Plains, TN. My pathway to higher education was not planned, it was never a goal or dream I had for myself. However, a mentor that I had encouraged me to teach a college course, and I was hooked. I quickly realized how much I enjoyed finding ways for students to connect their lived experiences to their academic journey. This is also my goal for Project AIM. I approach the incarcerated learners recognizing that their lived experience is greatly impacted by the systemic issues of our society. As an educator, I am excited when I have students that are eager to learn and open to new experiences. This has been my experience with incarcerated learners. 

Anthony Payton: In what ways can the community and businesses assist you in this endeavor?

Lowell Matthews: We truly seek to hear from the community and businesses to better leverage resources and share the best strategies. There is a lot of work to be done in this space of higher education in prison. This requires developing partnerships that will support innovative work. What good is having a college degree, if the student is not able to get a job? My vision for Project AIM is to put into place a pathway to opportunity.  I envision having companies recruiting directly from carceral spaces, hosting interviews and career fairs.

Community and businesses can contact projectaim@snhu.edu to be added to our list to stay connected and be invited to upcoming community convenings. 

Anthony Payton is a freelance writer and father living in Manchester. He can be reached at anthony.payton@collaborativenh.org. This story is part The Common Ground Initiative which aims to highlight the diversity of our communities with stories of people the average Granite Stater might not get to see or meet. The goal is to clarify misconceptions and find the threads that bind us all together as one New Hampshire community.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative as part of our race and equity project. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.