Mercer Times

Princeton University has donated 52 laptops to the New Jersey Department of Corrections to support higher education and digital literacy among incarcerated individuals. The donation, announced on January 29 at an event held at Palmer House, is part of the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons (NJ-STEP) initiative.

The laptops will be utilized in two state prisons as mobile computer labs. "These labs... represent a vital step in preparing our students for the 21st-century job markets," said Jill Stockwell, Director of the Prison Teaching Initiative (PTI), which is a key member of NJ-STEP.

NJDOC Commissioner Victoria L. Kuhn emphasized the importance of education within corrections: "Education is a critical component of our corrections community."

Princeton Provost Jen Rexford highlighted that these resources came from an anonymous alumnus and stated, "Computer literacy is critical to the education of people in the 21st century."

Approximately 300 incarcerated undergraduate students at East Jersey State Prison and Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women will benefit from this donation. The laptops will facilitate learning activities such as research, language skills practice, and essay writing.

Chris Agans, Executive Director of NJ-STEP, noted that about 500 men and women are enrolled in NJ-STEP programs across five facilities. He remarked on their achievements: "They produce scholarly works... solve social problems... This is only possible because our consortium continues to work together."

Gen Van Doren from Raritan Valley Community College's RISE program commented on how these labs would benefit science lab courses, language classes, and computer science classes.

Stockwell expressed excitement about students using these computers for academic growth: "They'll be gaining the skill set that they will need to head in the direction of their dreams."

NJ-STEP alumni shared personal success stories during the event. John Stys praised NJ-STEP as his second chance: "We're a digital society... Having computer literacy... help reduce recidivism." Ali Muslim credited his educational journey through NJ-STEP with helping him grow personally and academically. Samuel Quiles described NJ-STEP and PTI as his community and family who gave him a second chance.

Princeton's PTI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It was co-founded by Gillian Knapp along with Jenny Greene and Mark Krumholz. PTI volunteers teach college courses across six NJDOC institutions each semester.

The initiative aims to bridge educational gaps by integrating technology into lesson plans for incarcerated students.