A close-up look on the experiences of the
Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop

Directed, edited and shot by
JG Serrano

Coproduced by
KSMQ, Public Media Service, Austin, MN

Blackmagic Cinema Camera
Tokina Lenses
FCPX

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The Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop reports there are roughly 10,000 individuals incarcerated in Minnesota state prisons but few educational or creative outlets for inmates outside of a GED mandate. When Congress abolished Pell Grants for prisoners in 1994, they effectively eliminated inmates’ access to higher education despite the fact that education reduces recidivism rates and costs far less than continued incarceration.

The Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop extends Minnesota’s vibrant literary community to state prisons by offering courses inside the
state’s correctional facilities. These courses include fiction writing, essay writing, poetry, screenwriting, oral story telling, children’s literature, fantasy writing, and more.