New program called ‘Persevere’ gives Mass. inmates critical computer coding skills
Inside the barbed wire walls of NCCI Gardner, a small group of inmates is taking advantage of a new initiative that could change their lives
It’s called “Persevere,” and it’s teaching web-building skills to inmates like Alejandro Queirozsantan.
He’s finishing up a two-year sentence for motor vehicle theft
“To be honest I didn’t know anything about coding,” Queirozsantan said.
Since November, when Persevere was first offered, Queirozsantan has been one of eight inmates at Gardner, spending six hours a day, five days a week, learning how to code, or build websites.
Queirozsantan saw Persevere as an opportunity he could not afford to waste sitting in his cell.
“The term that we use over here is ‘sleep through your sentence,’” he explained. “Some people want to do that. But I didn’t. I want to change my life.”
Massachusetts is now the eighth state to adopt Persevere, a program that boasts a 2 percent recidivism rate among the 16 hundred students taking the course — meaning 98 percent won’t re-offend.
Massachusetts Corrections officials think they’ll see that success rate here too.
“We’re hoping to grow it. We’re hoping to expand it at other facilities. We’re hoping to expand it to our female population in Framingham,” MA Department of Corrections Commissioner Shawn Jenkins said.
Sean Hosman founded Persevere after his life landed him behind bars.
“I went to jail 12 times in a two-year period, because I was struggling so much,” CEO Sean Hosman said.
Through computer coding, he’s offering others a way out.
After incarceration, Persevere helps graduates with job interviews and life mentoring.
“Hopeless is the worst place to ever be in life. Without hope you have nothing. And anybody that’s ever been there understands that. Hope is the key,” Hosman said.
Queirozsantan is up for parole in September.
He hopes Persevere will be the key that unlocks his future.
“Going home with a skill like this? You have a way better chance than just going home the way you came in,” he said.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW