Nine
students from Mansfield, a Commonwealth University, along with Dr.
Justin Crowl, associate professor of criminal justice, toured the
Federal Correction Complex (FCC) Allenwood on Thursday, Nov. 10. FCC
Allenwood is a complex with three facilities – FCI Low, FCI
Medium and USP High. The prison, operated by the Federal Bureau of
Prisons, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice, houses male
offenders.
The
students are criminal justice majors and members of the Mansfield
University Criminal Justice club, a student organization open to all
criminal justice majors and minors. Students were able to experience
prison and experientially learn by going behind the walls to experience
prison directly for themselves.
The
group first toured FCI-Low, a low-security facility that houses
nonviolent criminals, including drug offenders and white-collar
criminals. Prison staff, led by Lane Vogler, Ian Lundy, Stacy White, and
the associate warden, conducted the tour. A tour of FCI Medium
followed. Students were able to ask questions and interact with prison
staff. Historical information about both facilities was provided. Staff
also talked about the inmate population, the current state of
corrections, incarceration, prison culture, staff-inmate dynamics, and
prison programs.
The
group then toured the penitentiary. USP Allenwood is a high-security
facility that houses violent, disruptive, and problematic offenders,
many of whom are serving life sentences. Students were able to view
several housing units in addition to inmate cells, most of which house
two inmates and are no larger than a standard dorm room. They also had
the opportunity to tour other parts of the prison, including the dining
hall, prison recreation, the yard, UNICOR, a prison labor program
operated by the Bureau, and RDAP, which is an intensive, 9-month
substance abuse program for inmates. The program uses therapeutic,
evidence-based strategies to reduce offender misconduct and recidivism
while enhancing education and vocational skills for inmates.
Near the end of the tour, prison staff spoke to students about careers in corrections.
Pictured
are students who participated in the tour: Cordasia Adams, Samantha
Albright, Brady Eastwood, Serge Grega, Carlie Jensen, Meghan
Reichelderfer, Tatyana Singleton, Morgan Smith, and Hayden Spade.
For more information about the criminal justice program, visit https://www.mansfield.edu/cja/
