Policymakers

The Understanding the Landscape of Higher Education Prison Survey (Landscape Survey) was designed as a confidential follow-up to the 2020 Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs (2020 Annual Survey), distributed by the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison. The Landscape Survey contained 93 questions designed to collect both descriptive and open-ended responses from participants about their college-in-prison programs during the 2018-2019 academic year.

The Understanding the Landscape of Higher Education Prison Survey (Landscape Survey) was designed as a confidential follow-up to the 2020 Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs (2020 Annual Survey), distributed by the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison. The Landscape Survey contained 93 questions designed to collect both descriptive and open-ended responses from participants about their college in prison programs during the 2018-2019 academic year.

The Understanding the Landscape of Higher Education Prison Survey (Landscape Survey) was designed as a confidential follow-up to the 2020 Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs (2020 Annual Survey), distributed by the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison. The Landscape Survey contained 93 questions designed to collect both descriptive and open-ended responses from participants about their college in prison programs during the 2018-2019 academic year.

This document provides a clear and specific summary of what the authors believe are the most essential components of high-quality in-prison higher education programs that uphold a commitment to equity, excellence, and access.

In December 2017, Lumina Foundation provided support to the Prison University Project (PUP) and the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison (the Alliance) to reflect upon and document the key characteristics of high-quality prison higher education programs, and to inform other stakeholders in the field, including new and experienced practitioners seeking to achieve equity and excellence in their work, policy leaders, philanthropists, and others. The main practical goal of this report is to provide a summary of what the authors believe are the most essential components of a high-quality in-…

In this brief report, the authors provide a descriptive overview of the landscape of higher education in prison during the 2018-2019 academic year. Data for this report are drawn from two sources: responses to the 2020 Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs (n = 131) and data compiled by the Research Collaborative on Higher Education in Prison for known programs that did not complete the Annual Survey (n = 169).

In this report, the authors provide a descriptive overview of the landscape of higher education in prison during the 2019-2020 academic year, prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (July 1, 2019–March 1, 2020). To the authors' knowledge, the data presented here are the best available information about the state of higher education in prison programming prior to the disruptive effect of the pandemic. Data for this report are drawn from responses to the 2021 Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs (n = 168), which were compiled with known program information from the…

In this report, the authors provide a descriptive overview of the landscape of higher education in prison during the 2020-2021 academic year (July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021), based on the responses of known higher education in prison program staff (N=406) to the 2022 Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs. To the authors' knowledge, the data presented here are the best available information about the state of higher education in prison programming for the 2020-2021 academic year. Data for this report are drawn from responses to the 2022 Annual Survey of Higher Education…

This brief report outlines the potential impacts of Pell restoration on the field of higher education in prison. Using original qualitative data from interviews with 12 higher education in prison programs and quantitative data from a national survey of college programs in prison, the analysis focuses on persistent funding challenges that the Pell Grant alone cannot address. Specifically, it highlights three distinct and pressing challenges for the field of higher education in light of Pell restoration, related to: 1. access to funding other than FAFSA, including college/university specific…

This report offers information about the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on higher education in prison programs. The data used for this report come from two sources: 1) the 2020 Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs, and 2) the Understanding the Landscape of Higher Education in Prison Programs Survey. These findings are part of an ongoing time-series data collection process that will continue through semi-annual surveys distributed to higher education in prison programs through the United States.