GREENFIELD — Learn what it’s like for someone to further their education while incarcerated during a screening of the PBS documentary “College Behind Bars.”

As part of a collaboration between Griswold Memorial Library, Belding Memorial Library, the Greenfield Public Library, Greenfield Community College and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Part 1 of the documentary will be screened on Saturday, March 29, at 11 a.m. in GCC’s Stinchfield Lecture Hall. The four-part documentary series follows men and women enrolled in the Bard Prison Initiative, which teaches college-level courses in New York’s state prisons.

After the screening, there will be a panel discussion with Jennifer Abeles, the education coordinator with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; Richard Gaines, executive director of the Returning Citizens Association; Belding Memorial Library Director Sarah Hertel-Fernandez; and Ally Dowds with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

“Everyone on the panel has either experienced receiving education while being incarcerated or providing education to those incarcerated,” Hertel-Fernandez said. “It’ll be a good snapshot of what education is like in jail.”

Chelsea Jordan-Makely, director of the Griswold Memorial Library in Colrain, said the panel discussion will allow participants to reflect on the movie and discuss how its themes coincide with their work at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction in Greenfield and the county’s various libraries.

“The panel will have a good range of perspective,” Jordan-Makely said.

Hertel-Fernandez said panel discussions will also cover the challenges and limitations of education in jail, as well as benefits and local initiatives. The Griswold Memorial Library, Belding Memorial Library and Greenfield Public Library have been providing library outreach services to inmates at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction since 2022. These services include lending books and filling informational requests, book clubs and “Read to the Children,” a program where caregivers who are incarcerated can record a video of themselves reading a book that can be sent to their children.

Offering these services has its challenges, Hertel-Fernandez said. Jails have higher turnovers than prisons, and it’s more difficult to connect inmates with resources when they are held for a shorter period of time.

“There’s lots of limitations,” Hertel-Fernandez said. “It’s particularly difficult in jails, due to the quicker turnovers, in comparisons to prisons.”

She added one particular challenge is getting inmates access to computers, tablets and the internet.

“They don’t necessarily have regular access to internet and digital resources, but those provide direct access to education,” Hertel-Fernandez said. “Knowing how to use digital devices is essential today.”

The event is open to all, but Hertel-Fernandez thinks it will be a good event for librarians to attend, in particular, to learn about what they can do and how promoting education can reduce recidivism.

“We’re excited to share this documentary with people,” Jordan-Makely said.

The event will include light refreshments. The panel discussion will also be available to watch remotely over Zoom. For more information, visit gcc.mass.edu/events/college-behind-bars.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.