"[This event] breaks down the prison that separates people," he said.

In her speech, Jones urged College students to get involved in prisons and in the movement for prison reform. Prisoners are eager to make use of any education programs available, she said.

"If you manage to get there," she said, "[the inmates] will come."

Rubenstein said that there is a direct link between education and crime. The parents' level of education determines the child's, she said, and 40 percent of state prison inmates cannot read.

Warren said that in order to solve the problem of crime, prisons should try to reform rather than punish inmates. She said each individual case has to be looked at individually.

"Stories need to be told because it is people who are there," she said. "People in prison are human beings first."

This week's conference will also include several panel discussions, a protest at a local prison and an exhibit of photos of prison environments.