Prison offered a second chance for these Sampson inmates. They'll leave as college graduates.

On a cool, fall Thursday afternoon, bright sunlight glinted off the barbed wire fencing as I approached the prison.

The barbed wire outside any prison is imposing — it is meant to be.

So I had no doubt where I was in the world as I entered Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg. I had to wait to be let in by the guards and could hear the door lock promptly after me as I signed in.

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But this wasn’t just any day at a state prison.

When I walked into the visitor’s center, I walked into busy preparations for a college graduation, scheduled for 2 o’clock.

The graduates would be considered nontraditional students — I would say very nontraditional. They are inmates at Sampson Correctional Institution; nine of them had earned bachelor’s or four-year degrees from Campbell University and eight had earned their associate’s, or two-year degrees. The ceremony was held at Scotland because of its larger facilities.

More than 150 people were in attendance — family, friends, state corrections officials and politicians, who included program supporters Democratic Rep. Garland Pierce and Republican Sen. Jim Burgin. The roster of speakers included Campbell University President Brad Creed and Todd Ishee, secretary of N.C. Dept. of Adult Correction.

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“We are here to celebrate the whole village that made it happen,” said commencement speaker Brooke Wheeler, who is superintendent for education services for Adult Correction.

She told the graduates that they probably did not see themselves as ever being college students, much less graduating. She complimented their resilience, determination and triumph against the odds.

“Look at you today,” she said. “Be proud. Be confident in your ability to be good.”

She noted they were in a position to help others in “amazing and positive ways.”

Wheeler said to the graduates: “Never stop learning.”

Second chances and tassels to the left

The Second Chance Initiative at Sampson Correctional came to life after the Bob Barker Foundation reached out in 2018 to Campbell University and Adult Correction, according to information in the commencement program. The foundation is the major donor for the initiative, as part of its mission of reducing recidivism, or the instances where formerly incarcerated people get back into trouble.

Campbell University professors teach the classes at the Sampson prison, and inmates can study for an Associate of Science degree in behavioral science or a Bachelor of Science in communication studies with a minor in addiction studies. Several students who complete their associate degree go on toward their bachelor’s.

“Such programs have significantly reduced recidivism in other states,” the graduation program said.

On Thursday, the graduates wore the black robes with orange trim of Campbell graduates. After receiving their degrees, they pushed their tassels on their mortarboards to the left, indicating they had officially graduated. The audience in attendance gave them a standing ovation.

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Creed in his remarks told them that the university motto was the Latin phrase, Ad astra per aspera, which he said translated, “to the stars, through difficulty.” He noted that Campbell was a private, Christian university and that the idea of restoration runs throughout the Bible.

He said Campbell would be a part of them from now on.

No time for a ‘me-first’ attitude

During the ceremony, graduate Brandon Pompey, who is from Baltimore, spoke on behalf of the associate’s degree holders and described a close-knit group. He said they quickly learned that their previous “me-first” attitude would not lead to success in taking college classes in the difficult environment of prison.

They learned to lean on each other.

“We made each other better, in the long run,” he said.

He later vowed to the audience: “We won’t let you down — promise you.”

Wesley Lee of Siler City, speaking for the bachelor’s degree holders, said they had to navigate challenges in their studies that included online access problems, the COVID-19 pandemic and late in the program, an illness that besets students everywhere — “senioritis.”

But Lee said he learned to trust the process and to make the best use of time, which he said can “play with you or play against you.”

Rep. Pierce, whom I was sitting next to, leaned toward me and whispered how sharp both Lee and Pompey were. He whispered, “There is a lot of talent in there” meaning behind the walls of the prison.

They are coming home, nearly all of them

I agree.

It is all in how you look at it.

I know some people think it is unfair people in prison can attend college.

But I don’t have a problem with it.

The thing to understand about people in prison is that most of them are getting out. The vast majority. And they are coming home in most cases to the neighborhoods and communities they grew up in.

I would rather them coming home better positioned to succeed versus falling back into a life of crime, which is what happens when options are limited by a felony conviction.

Kristi Jones, who is Gov. Roy Cooper’s chief of staff, said in her remarks that programs like the Second Chance Initiative are an investment in people.

“It makes good government,” she said.

Jumping into it, full-fledged

All of the graduates wore broad smiles as they walked across to retrieve the important piece of paper they had earned.

But there was one young man who looked like he was having the happiest moment of his life. He looked like joy. I could see on his face that this incarcerated man was free in that moment, and if his mind is free and his conscience clear — he is free indeed.

I reflected afterward that if those men could complete their degree in the unfavorable environment of prison, they always had it in them to get their education. It was always there. For reasons specific to each one, including their own environment, attitude and experiences, no one was able to bring out that best part out of them.

After the ceremony, I talked to Jamel Byrd, who had earned his bachelor’s. He had done the "raise the roof" gesture, all smiles, as he strode up to get his diploma.

Byrd looks like he's in his early 30s but is 45. He said he had been incarcerated since a juvenile of 17. He is currently seeking clemency, he said, but is scheduled to be released in two years regardless.

He had always wanted to get a degree, but he initially did not have a slot in the Second Chance program. Then another inmate dropped out.

“I jumped into it full-fledged,” he said.

He wants to eventually use his training in addiction and counseling, for which he interned, to start a business that helps people recover through pet therapy.

I thought about how he still has more than enough time to make that happen.

Inspiring the next class

Attending the ceremony Thursday were inmates who are in the next Campbell class, or cohort as it called. Watching the ceremony by closed feed were women from Anson Correctional Institution, who are in their first year of Campbell studies.

Robert Van Gorder, the warden at Sampson Correction, said in his remarks that he supported Second Initiative 110%, and that the graduates' success challenged the stereotype of “once an inmate, always an inmate.”

Afterward, I saw the Rev. Anthony Faison of Fayetteville, who helps formerly incarcerated people with re-entering society. He teaches Bible study three days a week at the Sampson County prison and knows many of the graduates.

He was once in need of a second chance, and his organization, 2nd Chance Ministries Outreach, will help these men with the basics upon getting out — getting an ID; taking care of bills or fees, or getting them waived; helping them stay drug-free; finding a place to stay away from bad influences; getting a job.

Faison had clearly been crying — and he was not the only one Thursday.

He said just like he and others have inspired incarcerated people to reach for something more, these graduates "would inspire the next class."

Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Campbell University degrees offer a second chance for NC inmates