CSN’s Prison Education Program filled a room on the Charleston Campus this week for a Q&A-style panel that pulled back the curtain on what it’s really like to teach college courses inside correctional facilities. The event was led by Dr. Genevieve Minter, who somehow manages to make prison education sound both revolutionary and totally doable on a Friday afternoon.

The panel featured English instructor Dr. Askia Talib-deen, HVAC instructor Spencer Dunwoody, criminal justice instructor Christina Aberle, and Warden William Reubart from Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center. Together, they covered everything from student motivation to the logistics of teaching HVAC in a place where you definitely can’t just “run out to Home Depot.”

Audience questions came from faculty, staff, and community members who wanted real answers, and they got them. Panelists talked openly about the challenges, the wins, and the moments when a student’s breakthrough makes the entire job worth it.

Dr. Minter reminded everyone why this work matters: prison education reduces recidivism, strengthens families, and gives students a chance to rebuild their futures with something more stable than luck.

By the end, the room felt energized and hopeful — a pretty good outcome for an hour-long conversation about education behind bars.