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In American Jails Magazine - Education as a Cornerstone of Successful Reentry: Access to Career and Technical Learning in Corrections

When David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez was incarcerated at age 17, he couldn’t read or write. His IQ was measured at 56, and he was facing a life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. At first glance, the odds were stacked against him. But in solitary confinement, determined not to depend on others to read his mother’s letters, Suave taught himself to read in just six months.

That turning point changed everything. What began as a personal effort to make sense of his world grew into an educational journey that included seven attempts at the GED, eventual enrollment in a college program, and 16 years later, a bachelor’s degree in education and marketing from Villanova University. Read More.

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