Ken Burns Presents: College Behind Bars: A Film by Lynn Novick and Produced by Sarah Botstein Season 1 Episode 2 Part Two: "I'm trying to get home to my family, too"

In Part Two of College Behind Bars, "I'm trying to get home to my family, too", we continue to follow the students of the Bard Prison Initiative as they navigate their way through the challenges of earning a degree while serving time in prison. The focus is on two students, Tamara and Rodney, both of whom have families waiting for them on the outside.

As Tamara nears graduation, she begins to worry about whether she will be able to find a job once she is released. She has been incarcerated for 19 years and fears that her lack of work experience will make it difficult for her to support herself and her daughter. Meanwhile, Rodney faces a more immediate challenge - he has been granted parole, but is struggling to find a job and a place to live in a city where he doesn't know anyone. Both students reflect on the difficulty of re-entering society after serving time in prison, and the stigma that ex-convicts face.

The episode also explores the role of families in supporting prisoners. Tamara's daughter has grown up without her mother, and the two women struggle to reconnect after so many years apart. Rodney's sister, who has also served time in prison, offers him advice on how to navigate the challenges of life on the outside.

As always, the episode is interspersed with interviews with members of the Bard Prison Initiative community - students, staff, and faculty. We hear about the transformative power of education, and the way that the program has helped to give hope and purpose to the lives of incarcerated individuals.

Overall, "I'm trying to get home to my family, too" is a poignant and thought-provoking episode that explores the challenges of re-entry and the importance of education in breaking the cycle of incarceration.