Sac State ‘Project Rebound’ for Incarcerated Individuals | NPR’s Tamara Keith’s Children’s Book

A Cal State program called “Project Rebound” creates a higher education pipeline for those incarcerated. We’ll learn about the program at Sac State. NPR White House Correspondent Tamara Keith writes a children’s book with her son.  

Project Rebound

According to the non-partisan research non-profit Prison Policy Initiative, California imprisons a higher percentage of residents than almost any democracy in the world, an exception being the United States. One example is that our state has an incarceration rate of more than four times that of the United Kingdom. This is a prison population that is overrepresented with people of color. These numbers have far-reaching ripple effects once sentences are completed, from job opportunities to housing. But there is a solution across Cal State campuses offering education as a gateway to avoid re-incarceration. In 2016, the RAND Corporation found that individuals who participate in educational programs while in prison are 43% less likely to return to prison. Project Rebound was created in that spirit. The program began at San Francisco State University by a former prison inmate who became a college professor, John Irwin. The program has expanded to over 14 Cal State campuses, including Sacramento State. Insight spoke with Aaron Greene, who is a former student turned director of Project Rebound at Sac State, as well as current student Desiree McFarland about how the program is working to help those formerly incarcerated achieve their higher education goals and avoid re-offending.  

"Claire and the Eager Speaker"

From "Alexa" to "Siri" and "Google Assistant," smart speakers have made their way into our daily lives. But technology meant to add efficiency and convenience can come with some kinks that can make us feel like we're speaking different languages, especially when you throw in the curveball of imaginative and crafty children. NPR White House Correspondent Tamara Keith knows this all too well. Her son Davis found a way to outsmart not only the speaker but parents. And these escapades were the perfect inspiration for a children's book. Tamara and her sons are the authors of "Claire and the Eager Speaker," a read-along picture book with anecdotes many families can relate to.