Did you know that the Virginia Department of Corrections launches more people into Virginia’s workforce annually than our largest graduating university? Back in April, our Meeting agreed to be a congregational support for the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) Higher Education in Prisons initiative. On July 13 at rise of Meeting, you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about this initiative and what it means for incarcerated Virginians.

Our speaker will be Kenneth Hunter, VICPP organizer for the Consensus on Higher Education in Prisons and passionate advocate for more humane and productive criminal justice policies in Virginia and in the nation. Kenneth will explain his personal interest in prison reform and how he came to advocate for ways to improve opportunities for post-prison career success. Reduced recidivism, reduced violent incidents in prison, and modeling for future generations are just some of the benefits of supporting higher education opportunities in prisons.

With a statewide reputation for spoken word and rap performance, Kenneth is sure to entertain, inspire and enlighten us about this valuable program and ways we can support it. Refreshments will be available.