The students in Enrique Rendon's class are studying algebra, literature and natural sciences.  Like most high school students, they do homework.  They take tests.  They work together in groups.  But these pupils aren't your average teenagers working towards their high school diplomas; rather, they are Mexican nationals who are detained at an American prison facility and working towards Mexico's version of a GED.

Rendon is an academic instructor at the Otero County Prison Facility in Chaparral, New Mexico, located just north of El Paso, Texas, and the Mexican border.  His class, which is part of a joint program between the facility and the El Paso Mexican Consulate, consists of about a dozen Mexican detainees who want to further their education while they are incarcerated in the United States. 

"They want to get their certification," said Rendon.  "They know that [it is] the only way of making it and going back to Mexico, getting a job and staying stable."

Rendon's students are all in pursuit of certification from the Instituto Nacaional para Education de Adultos (INEA), which is an agency that awards a certificate similar to a GED in the United States.

"It's just like being here in the U.S.," Rendon said.  "It's the equivalent to the high school diploma and a lot of employment agencies want [employees to have an INEA] certificate."

In Mexico, where economic conditions often prevent citizens from continuing their schooling beyond the primary grades, an INEA certificate is highly regarded, according to Carol Aspinwall, Senior Instructor at the facility, which is operated by Management & Training Corporation (MTC).

"The economy in Mexico is very poor.  Many [people] don't have the option of continuing on in school--it's just a fact of economic life," Aspinwall said. "Having this level of education in Mexico is quite an impressive thing."

Learning at Different Levels

To obtain their INEA certificates, Mexican detainees at the Otero County Prison Facility, where about 90 percent of the detainee population is Spanish-speaking, must pass various tests in subjects like math, science and Spanish.  With materials supplied by the Mexican Consulate, Rendon's job is to prepare them for these exams.

"What I do is I assign them exercises and I try to put the people who [are studying] the same subject in a group.  That way, they can help each other out and I go around and assist the students," said Rendon.

Within the class, there are three levels: initial, primary (grades 1-6) and secondary (grades 7-10). Students are placed into different grade levels based on how they score on a preliminary exam.

"[At the] initial [level], they don't know anything," Rendon said.  "We cover any[thing] from their vowels to their ABCs [and] numbers."

Students studying at the primary level, Rendon explained, learn about multiplication, division, the solar system and the history of Mexico.  At the secondary level, the focus is on math, including equations, algebra and geometry, and sciences like chemistry and algebra, he said.  At all levels, the students study Spanish, which is their first, and sometimes only, language.

When Rendon feels as though the students have thoroughly grasped the concepts they are working on, he administers tests, typically every two weeks, in particular subject areas.  If the students pass the exams, they either move up to the next level or satisfy one of the requirements for their INEA certificate.

Although the average length of stay for a detainee at the facility is only 65 days, the class operates on a three-month cycle, with the students proceeding at their own pace through the different levels.  According to Aspinwall, educators at the prison hope that students will finish the course in less than three months and can obtain their INEA certificates while they are incarcerated.

Mexican Citizens Make Gains

Even if they don't have an opportunity to finish the course while they are at the Otero County Prison Facility, because they are being moved to another prison or deported back to Mexico, the educational experience will still be valuable to them, Rendon believes.

"In essence nothing is lost [if they don't finish the course]," Rendon said.  "They can continue this program at a prison or when they're released.  They have this program in Mexico."

If they do finish the course and earn an INEA certificate then, they are in a far better position to obtain employment and sustain themselves after they are released, Aspinwall explained.

"Overall, it improves their reading and writing abilities [and] their ability to work at something beyond manual labor," said Aspinwall, who pointed out that this educational program fits well with MTC's mission.

"It is MTC's goal to turn out people [who], when they reenter society, have better skills and a better understanding of the world that they live in so that they can better deal with their own lives and not stay stuck in some kind of lifestyle where they will end up back in prison again," Aspinwall said.  "[This class] prepares them for better employment opportunities, whichever side of the border they're on."

Because of its potential to increase detainees' levels of education and reduce recidivism, Aspinwall predicts that the voluntary class will grow over time.  Within the next year, she said, MTC plans to hire two more instructors to add to the educational staff, which is currently comprised of three instructors and a librarian.

For now, however, a small group of Mexican nationals at the Otero County Prison Facility are pursuing their INEA certificates through the prison's unique program.

"Not every prison offers this program," Rendon said.  "I think it's a wonderful opportunity for these detainees to do something while they're inside--something that is productive--something that is going to help them when they're released."

Resources:

To contact Enrique Rendon or Carol Aspinwall, call (505) 824-4884

To contact the El Paso Mexican Consulate, call (915) 533-3644