Women in a Missouri prison graduate and find new hope through courses at KC University

For Vermonn Roberts, completing her associate degree means that her life is not over and she can continue to pursue her dreams – even while in prison.

Roberts, 39, was one of 11 graduates of a college program at the Chillicothe Correctional Center, about 90 minutes northeast of Kansas City. It was the first class of the program launched by Rockhurst University.

According to Craig Watz, program director at Rockhurst, five of the graduates were inmates and six were employees of the Missouri Department of Corrections.

The women's prison did not have a degree program. In 2017, the prison authority approached the university to put together a curriculum. Watz said the degree program fell within the framework of the Jesuit mission and the curriculum included a “traditional Jesuit foundation.”

One course was taught per semester. Watz said the Rockhurst instructors who taught the courses in the prison were just as transformed as the students.

Some of the participants are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

“Many people think of education as a means to a career, and it is,” Watz said. “But we see it as a means to give these students our common humanity, the sense of belonging, the sense of acceptance in the community, and education is that means, that opportunity to really give them a sense of value.”

Vermonn, who lived in North Kansas City before her 2005 conviction, said she remembers one criminal justice class in particular, where she learned that even though the law is written in black and white, people “have to look closely at every individual, every person, every situation.”

In a written reflection in 2018, the year the program began, Lisa Suter said she had been incarcerated for over 30 years. She was tired of “living the same day over and over again. I had taken advantage of every opportunity here, but most doors are closed to people with my time budget. I wanted to give up.”

As part of the program, she was able to take courses in English, history, science and philosophy, among others.

In a phone call from prison, she said she has tried to better herself, to honor her sacrifice and to change. She has completed many programs. But in her decades in prison, participating in this program was the first time her father told her he was proud of her.

“I will never forget that,” she said.

Before the program, their phone conversations were short and straightforward. After she signed up, they became fun and engaging. They talked about what she was learning and he shared his experiences at the school.

“When Rockhurst is here and I'm in class, I don't feel like a prisoner with a number, I feel like a normal student in a classroom,” she said. “Rockhurst has given me more than just an education, they've given me hope.”

Suter said she has asked for clemency and if granted, she plans to move to Kansas City and continue her education at Rockhurst, she said.

Karen Pojmann, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, said the program is unprecedented for employees who face financial hurdles and time constraints that may make continuing education out of their reach.

“Rockhurst has provided them with a higher education opportunity and shown a true commitment to the people who serve our state,” Pojmann said.

Lisa Smith, a probation officer at the prison, said a college education had always been on her wish list.

“But I have two children and it was always more important to me to enable them to go to college,” she said. “I probably wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been offered here.”

Although it was sometimes difficult to find replacements for their duties, Correctional Officer Naomi Yuille said the shift supervisors and sergeants made an extra effort.

“Everyone wanted us to succeed.”

The program, funded primarily by private grants and donations, will continue this fall.