Topics in Core Mathematics at Graterford Prison

http://blogs.ams.org/phdplus/2017/05/18/topics-in-core-mathematics-at-graterford-prison/

by tomahunt • 9 years ago

154 17 9 years ago

blogs.ams.org

gibsjose• 9 years ago

It is quite fascinating to imagine inmates passing their handwritten Vigenère encrypted secrets using Diffie-Hellman key exchange.

wyager• 9 years ago

As I recall, Neil Stephenson commissioned Bruce Schneier to come up with a reasonably secure cryptosystem that could be computed using a deck of cards, so that a character in Cryptonomicon could do something similar while imprisoned.

grogenaut• 9 years ago

https://www.schneier.com/academic/solitaire/

mrkgnao• 9 years ago

Christopher is an inmate in a high-security federal prison not far from Atlanta. He’s been in trouble with the law since he was 14. He didn’t finish high school, had an addiction to hard drugs, and at age 21, his involvement in a string of armed robberies landed him in prison with a 32-year sentence.
Right now, you’ve probably formed a mental image of who Christopher is, and you might be wondering why I’m opening my speech with his story. When you think about who does mathematics–both who is capable of doing mathematics and who wants to do mathematics–would you think of Christopher?

Francis Su's retiring address as the President of the Mathematical Association of America is one of the most powerful things I've ever seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEtDvc1SWm8

There's a transcript on his blog, too:

https://mathyawp.wordpress.com/2017/01/08/mathematics-for-hu...

thearn4• 9 years ago

That's a great read, thanks for linking it.

agumonkey2• 9 years ago

Reminds me of high school dropout buddies who couldn't math at all, yet would compute weed ratios, prices in fake currencies on the fly while bantering. Irony.

posterboy2• 9 years ago

That's 4th grade level math ...

swift• 9 years ago

Speaking as someone with a graduate-level education in mathematics, I definitely can't make change as quickly as an experienced cashier, and I'm sure a drug dealer would be able to judge the profit or loss expected from a series of transactions more quickly than I would. Some respect for those skills is warranted, I think, even if they just boil down to being fast at arithmetic.

bglazer• 9 years ago

http://blogs.ams.org/phdplus/files/2017/05/Wali-and-Brandon....

This poster presentation of non-Euclidean geometry is really one of the best demonstrations that I've ever seen of these ideas. The precision and clarity of the hand drawn figures is lovely.

cubano3• 9 years ago

I am all for knowledge for knowledge's sake, and these guys are doing an amazing job not only teaching these convicts about important, perhaps even life-changing, math concepts, and by donating their ever-shrinking and increasingly valuable time, something that is in very limited supply in todays age.

But, as I am currently finding out in my life, the odds are very slim to none that life post-prison is going to change for these convicts as they try to rejoin society, as the job markets will be almost totally closed off to them as they seem to be for me.

Even with all this "enlightened" rhetoric here on HN about second-chances and "understanding the struggle", not one person here has contacted me about remote work even though I have make it very clear how desperate my situation is [0]. Please don't misunderstand...I don't really expect anyone to have much sympathy for my situation, but I know plenty of people here are currently looking for IT workers and my posting clearly show I am capable of doing high-quality LAMP work, so I think it's at least notable to discuss my experience.

It's all well and good to provide education and such to people in seek it, and its a great feel-good-story with wonderful social signaling for all you comfortable techies, but the reality is that food and shelter costs real money, and all the education in the world isn't going to help these ex-cons find work, build self-esteem and rejoin society if the common prejudices continue to work against them at every turn.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14017760

Blackthorn• 9 years ago

I teach at a prison on occasion, and our program results in a dramatically lower recividism rate. Could come from a number of variables but take that evidence as you will.

They probably can't get remote work though.

cubano3• 9 years ago

They probably don't have a 30 year history as a software developer/engineer either do they?

And a exceptional work history that include IBM Advanced Technology, AT&T, and TransUnion along with more current cutting edge gigs using systems like Fastlane, Jenkins, and React as a very successful remote IC?

Yes what I've learned is that most HNers just like to virtue-signal their support and aren't really interested in actually involving themselves...but a serious and heartfelt THANK YOU for the ones that do.

Blackthorn, it's fantastic you are involved in a active and successful program that is helping people coming out of prison find a job and stay out...that's God's work for sure.

But in my experience many are almost surely being exploited by employers whom are using their desperation against starving and living in the streets, violating parole and going back to prison, and going back to a life of crime against them to offer them a employment at below market-rate jobs.

Many if not most of these jobs are actually designed for the ex-con to fail at and to be easily replaceable with the next crop of paroles and new releases as the revolving door spins in-and-out. Halfway houses seems to be the worse offenders here as they often take a large portion of the ex-cons take home pay in the name of "protecting" them against themselves but its often just a raw money grab.

Very few of these jobs pay anything close to a decent living wage that will allow the newly released convict a good chance at rejoining society in a meaningful way anyway.

It's so easy for even a very empathetic person who wants to help to take a hard look at these problems and eventually decide "well damn...there is no solution here so let's just go back to the old attitude that is their fault for breaking <insert random bullshit non-violent offense here> so they deserve to be social outcasts, shit on forever living on the margins of society with very little hope of redemption."

You guys just don't know how much I hate knowing all this shit...I truly don't believe I am the person that my background suggests I am to most employers but as always, the very few ruin it for the most.

lo_stronzo• 9 years ago

Although, I cannot comment personally on what employment chances are after serving in prison, I can state with confidence that having a single, felony drug conviction [0] doesn't automatically result in a denial of employment all of the time.

The largest, single reason which I could see as an automatic rejection for chances of employment is the prior criminal history [1]. It's much easier to explain (and look past) a single offense, versus multiple offenses - especially if they're all in the same vein.

My most recent major job search a few years ago (Texas and Florida, ~8 years post-conviction) was basically 50/50, in terms of offers of employment after criminal history was disclosed. The irony is that the majority of potential employers who asked for details were the ones that sent the job offers.

I know that no two situations are exactly the same (I'll provide details if you want them), but hopefully this is proof that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[0] Conspiracy to deliver heroin (4-14 grams) & and V.O.P. (dirty urine). [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14017760

cubano3• 9 years ago

This is perhaps the most amazingly honest reply I've ever had here on HN.

Thank you brother for having the courage to be honest and for inspiration.

Topics in Core Mathematics at Graterford Prison

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