California prison program offers Mandrake Linux to schools

[littleman]

California department of corrections is refurbishing used computers and offering Mandrake as an option to public schools.

Very interesting [desktoplinux.com], imagine inmates coming out of prisons as *nix experts, and the public schools churning out IT professionals...

[4eyes]

I like that idea.

It will be interesting to see how this affects the re-offending rate.

An ex-con with some experience of *nix and PCs has got to have a better chance then one skilled in sewing mailbags and making licence plates (or was that all phased out years ago?)

[2oddSox]

While in one sense I can see the merits of letting inmates have exposure to this kind of training and experience, I also know of many hard working and law abiding people who have busted their guts and their incomes to get A+ certification just so they can better their own prospects in the IT field. Through hard work, effort and sacrifice. While this is not the forum for political or social rantings, I'd certainly never employ someone who was given their trade in IT while 'inside' at the taxpayers and victims expense.

But anything that puts computers in schools, on the other hand, has gotta be better than nothing.

2odd...