(BOP) - Once a month, inmates at the Low Security Correctional Institution (LSCI) Allenwood participate in a 10-hour “Brick Walls” program, built around the best-selling book, The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. In the book, Pausch, a terminally ill professor, gives his last lecture covering lessons and morals from his life that he wanted his children and students to learn, focusing on developing life plans and goals.
Samantha Rea, a Bureau of Prisons Teacher and creator of the “Brick Walls” program said, “The underlying purpose of the class is to have inmates realize that no one is promised tomorrow. That upon reentry, live your life responsibly, healthy, and honestly. When choices need to be made, consider all possible consequences and outcomes before acting.”
Program participants consider their own mortality and contemplate what matters most to them, much like the professor did in The Last Lecture. The inmates discuss positive values related to tenacity, patience, honesty, open communication, anger management, and devotion. They also learn how to deal with difficult people, how to meet and work with others, how to say “I’m sorry,” and time management.