Sampson and Campbell Student-Offenders Honored

National college honors society inducts 6 from Second Chance Initiative.

CLINTON — Six Sampson Correctional Institution offenders enrolled at Campbell University were inducted Wednesday into a national honors society for nontraditional college students.

 The newest members of Alpha Sigma Lambda have maintained perfect 4.0 GPAs in the Second Chance Initiative, a partnership between Prisons and Campbell.

 “I’m freaking out a little,” Jared Russell told the assembly of fellow student-offenders, Prisons leaders and Campbell faculty. “I never thought I’d be doing something like this — not even close.”

 Ranging in age from 23 to 48, the six honorees are in the second class of Second Chance students. All 10 in the cohort are scheduled to graduate with an associate’s degree next summer.

 The first cohort earned their two-year degrees in 2021, and most are on track to complete a bachelor’s degree within the year.

 Warden Robert Van Gorder said that although the Second Chance Initiative is “a team effort,” the new scholars can take pride in their accomplishments.

 “Having been with all of you since the beginning of this adventure, I applaud your growth as human beings, your inspiration in making a change and your compassion as you share the knowledge you have gained with each other,” Van Gorder said.

 Dr. Rick Smith, Campbell’s administrator of prison education, said Second Chance’s track record at Sampson Correctional provides more evidence that higher education makes a difference in rehabilitating offenders.

 “What we’ve seen is not only do the students do well academically, but they also begin to make better decisions,” Smith said. “They’ll tell you that they’re less impulsive. They think about the consequences. It gives them hope and self-confidence that they can have a better life.”

 Prisons and Campbell will expand the Second Chance Initiative to Anson Correctional Institution in January 2023.

 The program is supported by the Bob Barker Foundation, founded by Campbell alumnus and founder of prison and jail supplier Bob Barker Co. of Fuquay-Varina. Barker provided closing remarks at Wednesday’s ceremony, saying he’d been inspired by research-based programs that used higher education to achieve unprecedentedly low recidivism rates.

 “I’m so proud of what Campbell and the state Prisons are doing and continue to do here,” Barker said. “I’d like to see other schools across the state pick up on this, and that it reduces recidivism throughout the prison system.”                                    

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