Sages At The Gate — Reading, Writing Rehabs Women Criminals: Waco Educator

WACO, Texas Gabrielle Sutherland had her expectations shattered about prisoners in Texas four years ago.

How?

The Baylor University world history professor taught a college-level class inside one of the prisons in Gatesville.

It wasn’t easy for her to step through those gates, though.

It took two requests by Central Texas College’s administrator for her to accept the position. (CTC holds the contracts to teach in Gatesville.)

Then, she told herself she would only teach one class once.

But when Sutherland, 47, met her new students, all the evil images of prisoners formed by Hollywood movies faded.

“It totally caught me by surprise,” she told the Iconoclast. “I didn’t expect it to be at all what it was. I was incredibly amazed by what I found. It wasn’t at all scary.”

The students, all of whom were male, were just like students everywhere, though they were very “disadvantaged,” she explained.

“They didn’t have the tools and resources of a normal college environment,” she said. “A library and textbooks were virtually non-existent.”

Texas is not big on educating prisoners.

The prisons in Gatesville in this respect are unique. It’s the only place in Texas where inmates can get an education. None of the other 136 Texas prisons offer such programs.

As such, she brought her students books which they just ate it up. “I couldn’t bring in enough books,” she said.

Sutherland ended up writing her own curriculum that covered her students’ special needs.

It wasn’t too hard.

In fact, she resurrected an education-based 501