0:00 — A “point through the fence” tour, with explanation.
0:30 — Vest says J.F. Ingram Technical College is unique in the nation.
0:50 — A short interruption as counseling interns exit the North Gate.
1:12 — Vest says Ingram’s new president has a vision.
1:45 — A research-based program.
2:03 — Vest and his colleagues had hoped to have a bigger program running by now, but funding has been an issue (a recurring theme throughout the interview).
2:45 — Ingram is not reinventing the wheel, based on a large body of research, says Vest.
2:53 — There’s a big push to decrease recidivism, and there are many reasons for that….
3:50 — One example of studies that show education can decrease recidivism significantly.
4:50 — Interns work for free as part of their education.
6:40 — Carsen asks Vest if the work is a “calling.”
7:10 — Vest says most people’s idea of inmates is not accurate.
7:32 — “95 percent of the people in prison will get out. That is a fact.”
7:57 — “We’re teaching them to [live in mainstream society].” They say, “I just want to have a normal life … but they’re scared that they can’t get that.”
8:53 — The per-person cost of incarceration in Alabama is a little more than half the national average.
9:23 — Vest explains how preventing recidivism saves money — it’s not just the up-front costs (a recurring theme throughout the interview — listen starting at 10:03 also).
9:45 — Carsen asks Vest what he would say to those who think we shouldn’t spend any extra money on people who’ve already broken the law.
10:41 — If incarceration were an epidemic, but we had a vaccine….