RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A dozen or so people sit around a conference room table on the Virginia Commonwealth University campus. It’s a cozy space with students leaning back in their chairs and having intimate discussion.
Guided by English professor David Coogan, they go around the table reading summaries of their memoirs that they’ve written for the class. It’s finally Whitney Ligon’s turn, where the Richmond resident details her memoir, “Dancing with the Devil.”
It’s a story of heroin addiction - something she’s struggled with since she was a teenager. But it’s also a story of hope as she’s on the road to recovery.
“I feel like heroin is the devil,” she said while explaining her title. “But it’s not my full story.”
“Y’all are getting a little deep around here,” interjected Kelvin Belton, the class coach and former Richmond jail inmate, from the back of the room.
This isn’t a normal VCU class - both in topic and in personnel.
Instead, it’s a mix of low-level, nonviolent offenders who were instead diverted into the classroom, taking “English 366: Writing and Social Change” this semester alongside 10 VCU students.
The class is a spinoff of a course created by Coogan and previously taught at the Richmond City Justice Center.
There is no cost associated with the offenders’ participation in the class.
“For too long, we’ve proceeded with this narrative that offenders can never change,” Coogan said. “But the reality is, they have the same issues as non-offenders. We have a lot more in common than we actually understand.”
During each class, a few students read aloud from drafts of their memoirs. There are stories about addiction, like Ligon’s, depression and the struggle to feel accepted after coming out as gay, among others. After each reading, other students offer their critique, whether it be changes to the writing or explaining how they went through similar situations.
The class is made up of six diverted offenders - it started the semester with nine, but three dropped out - and 10 VCU students. None of the offenders has been convicted of a sex offense, a violent felony involving a crime against a person or burglary.
Ligon, for example, was charged with two misdemeanors and a felony. She was given the choice by the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office of serving time behind bars or being part of the class. She chose the class.
“Professor Coogan’s model illuminates the complexity of an offender’s behavior, making it harder for a rush to judgment,” Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Herring said in a statement. “For participants, it offers something that traditional prosecution trajectories do not - introspection and hope.”
Each offender is evaluated and enters the class through a plea agreement. Each agreement is different, but completing the class - as the majority are set to do - means the charges could be dropped, depending on the agreement, Herring said.
Those who don’t complete the class are re-evaluated based on the terms of their plea deal.
VCU students must apply for the class with an essay that details what they expect to learn from the class and how they plan on contributing.
Robb Crocker, a VCU student in the class, said he’s written about his own struggles with alcohol, drugs and race identity, among other things.
“I’ve been sober for more than two years, but I am still navigating a path to a healthier existence,” he said. “My writing has been charting that path.”
Crocker, 47, said he’s learned from the offenders in the class and how they’ve used the experience to help themselves.
“That’s something I wish society would see,” he said. “It’s easy for people in society to throw in the towel on people, and I don’t think that should be the case.”
Nearing the end of the semester, the class is finishing its memoirs. Coogan said the course will run again next year.
“It’s a common-sense solution,” he said. “It reminds us that we all have the power to change - we just need the invitation.”
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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.richmond.com
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