SOU to Host Screening of "Prison Terminal"

(Ashland, Ore.) —What happens during the final days of a terminally ill prisoner behind the walls of the Iowa State Penitentiary? Described as “a fascinating and often poignant account of how the hospice experience can profoundly touch even the forsaken lives of the incarcerated, “Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall” answers that question in moving detail as it documents the final months of prisoner Jack Hall.
“According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are nearly 2.5 million people incarcerated in the United States,” Dr. Mary Russell-Miller, associate professor of psychology at SOU. “Many of these individuals are sick or elderly and are dying while still incarcerated. This is an important film that demonstrates one example of a program that humanizes these individuals and treats them with dignity regardless of their status as prisoners.”
Following the screening of the film, director Edgar Barens will lead a discussion session and answer questions from attendees.
The film screening, which is made possible through funding from the Schneider Lecture Series, is free and open to the public. It is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, at 5 p.m. in the Meese Auditorium on the University’s main campus in Ashland.
More information on the film is available at www.prisonterminal.com.
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About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs, and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100% of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.
 
About the Schneider Lecture Series
The Schneider Lecture Series was endowed by the late Bill and Florence Schneider. The series is committed to bringing scholars of social justice to the SOU community, and is one of the many generous donations the Schneiders left Southern Oregon University.