How a Missouri prison became a training ground for the next wave of computer coders

About half of all people released from prison in Missouri return within five years. But decades of research has shown prison education programs can help break the cycle.
Most nights, Corey Pride is awake long after the rest of the men in his cellblock have fallen asleep, the soft glow of his laptop illuminating the concrete walls.

Pride, 39, has been in prison for nearly half his life — and in that time, he’s tried to learn as much as he can about computers. Until recently, having a laptop inside his cell would have been unthinkable. Just a few years ago, he said, prison officials didn't even allow inmates to have some computer books, deeming them security risks.

But in the past year, his situation at Missouri Eastern Correctional Center has changed dramatically. After taking an intensive course in web development at the medium-security men’s prison 30 miles west of St. Louis, Pride now spends much of his time coding and designing websites.