Not so many years ago we had the opportunity to listen to this young man speak about his transition from being incarcerated at ACI to making a productive life for himself free from the world of drugs, crime, and poverty. Andres Idarraga had served six years at ACI because of his previous life dealing drugs and living in a neighborhood rife with crime and poverty. What made Andres’ story so compelling was that, while in prison, he had earned an Associate’s Degree from the Community College of Rhode Island. More impressive, though, was the fact that he had been accepted to and was about to enter Brown University. Since then Andres has not only graduated from Brown but also he went on to attend and graduate from the law school at Yale University. We had an opportunity to speak with Andres and the totality of his story is both moving and very sad. Andres’ own story is, of course, very inspiring but the sad part was what he explained was happening all around him while he was in prison. He explained that he was very fortunate that his family supported him to the extent that he was able to take advantage of the Associates Degree program offered at ACI by the Community College of Rhode Island. Unfortunately, however, he also explained that there were many other incarcerated young people who very much wanted to take advantage of the free courses offered by CCRI. But, while the courses were free the books were not. And, far too few inmates had the money or support from their families or community to be able to purchase the books required for the courses.
Consequently, many of these inmates wishing to break away from their previous lives through education were hindered by the same circumstances that led them to ACI in the first place.
Today, Andreas practices law with Boies, Schiller & Flexner, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He recently visited his old high school in Central Falls to address the student body. Read more about his visit by clicking here.