How many current Urban students can say they have visited a prison? Now, with the UNITY (Understanding, Nurturing, Inspiring the Youth) Project U1,  the number is larger than you might think. 

Led by English Teacher Courtney Rein in collaboration with Former UNITY Mentor Fernando Murillo, this U1 allows students to visit the California Medical Facility (CMF), a medium-security prison in Vacaville. 

UNITY is a program at CMF that allows select inmates to give back to youth by mentoring them and sharing first-hand experiences and stories of their lives before and during incarceration. 

Students spend U1 periods each Tuesday preparing for their trip and learning about the carceral system. The U1 program culminates with students spending one to two full school days at the prison, engaging in meaningful personal conversations and building connections with their mentors, incarcerated men who participate in the program. They also receive a tour of the prison which includes their mentor’s living quarters. 

The first UNITY U1 class ran during the fall term of 2021. Since then, five groups of Urban students have entered CMF, with some sections making a second trip to revisit their mentors. Rein shared that the U1 is a great opportunity for students who are not able to take Urban’s popular Voices of Incarceration (Voices) course. 

“I knew we would have been able to have a really powerful internal experience inside the prison, which we haven’t been able to do with the Voices class for all kinds of institutional and COVID reasons,” she said. 

Tim Malone, a former UNITY mentor who connected with Urban students, served a 24-year sentence from the time he was 18 years old until he was released in December 2022. Tim decided to join UNITY because of the people around him at CMF. “My community was [made up of] people that were doing inspiring things in their lives like going to college, learning about themselves and [going through] self-development. I gravitated towards that,” said Malone in an interview with The Urban Legend. 

“Seeing kids and teens coming in and being able to interact with them was motivating. It was inspiring. It was touching,” he said. “I saw myself and something that I wish I had [when I was young], that would have changed my life.”

Rein expressed similar enthusiasm about the program. “It’s a lot about self-reflection, social-emotional learning and learning from the wisdom of the incarcerated mentors,” said Rein.

The UNITY mentors, who normally work with at-risk youth, opened up to students about their experiences and pasts, modeling vulnerability and honesty. “You have so much of an opportunity and blessing and a voice and a life that you don’t see from your perspective, but from ours, it’s obvious. We want you to see what we see,” said Malone. 

While the program’s initial intent was to assist a demographic of underserved youth, different from the typical Urban student, Rein emphasizes its importance within the Urban community. “I have historically felt a little ambivalent about [having the UNITY mentors work with Urban],” said Rein. “But I now feel strongly that the more people … that don’t go inside and continue to [be unaware] about the carceral system, the less willing or interested we [as a society] are going to be in changing it.”  

The UNITY U1 offers Urban students a chance to learn outside of the classroom. “[There is] an emphasis on reciprocal exchange between Urban students and the UNITY mentors, it’s not just students learning about the carceral system in a very academic or intellectual way,” said Rein. 

Students echo Rein’s emphasis on reflection and social-emotional learning. “It was cool how comfortable [the mentors] made you feel [while] talking about anything,” said Phoebe Deimler ‘25. 

Malone explained what he received from the program as a mentor. “I want to be accepted, and for me to be accepted, I need to make a difference and an impact,” said Malone. “I don’t think you guys will ever realize how much you gave to us.” 

UNITY mentors strive to make students feel comfortable in an otherwise uncomfortable situation, allowing for social-emotional learning to take place. “I wasn’t scared of opening up to him emotionally,” Zach Gordon ‘24 said about his mentor, Dan. 

Though many students eventually felt at ease with their mentors, transitioning from the walls of Urban to the environment of a state prison is an inherently different experience – no matter how prepared someone feels.  

“I was in this nice mindset, thinking I was going to have a cool intellectual emotional experience, then I got to the little building where they were checking us in, and suddenly there were all these guards and all these fences,” said Gordon. 

“The first time [I went] it felt a lot more like small talk,” said Deimler. “[But the second time] I feel like it was a lot easier to open up.” 

Dylan Marchiel ‘24, who visited CMF twice during her sophomore year, talked about the psychological transition she went through when visiting the prison. “Being there was a huge shift mentally,” said Marchiel. “Meeting people and experiencing what it’s like to be inside – it’s a very different experience from what you see in the movies.” 

Films and television shows depicting life in prison, such as “Shawshank Redemption” or “Orange is the New Black,” often have a way of othering and painting generalized pictures of incarcerated people, according to Paul Mason in his article about crime and media, “Criminal Visions.” 

 “I think a lot of times the media doesn’t accurately portray what the incarceration system is like, so it helped me sort through what is true and what is false,” said Marchiel. 

Ranging from serious topics about the carceral system to easier ones like family or sports, students often form bonds with their mentors. “I remember [Dan] said he played baseball in high school, and he told me about his life and I realized [our similarities],” said Gordon. 

“[We] just talked a lot about growing up as a teenager and the choices that you make as you are going through a part of your life where there are a lot of changes,” said Marchiel. 

When having conversations centered around more personal topics, mentors often shared their experiences and lent an ear to students. “They modeled really deep vulnerability and honesty and self-reflection, and that invitation was received so wholeheartedly by Urban students,” said Rein. 

Deimler said, “There was no pressure to expose deep parts of yourself, but you kind of just did.” 

Students not only promote the class to others but also emphasize the necessary skills to fully benefit from it. “Take the class and do reflection before you go so that you can make the most of your experience,” said Gordon.

“Don’t sign up if you’re not gonna take it seriously,” said Colby Daniels ‘24. 

These short visits to CMF present students and mentors with a unique opportunity, leaving a lasting impact on both groups. “[During visits] we only are given such a short amount of time, and so [I wonder,] how do I pour out my heart and soul and everything that I’ve learned and experienced?” said Malone. “I just want to give it away, and say: ‘Here’s everything I’ve learned, here’s everything I have gone through, it’s yours.’”