In this webinar hosted by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), experts on administering financial aid in prison settings discuss what financial aid administrators and prison education practitioners can do to ensure they are prepared to effectively support incarcerated learners with Pell Grant eligibility.

Learn tips to successfully administer Pell Grants for incarcerated students and gain an understanding of the existing regulations and guidance impacting prison education programs and the tools available to assist the financial aid and prison education communities when serving this student population.

Graduated Justice is a monthly podcast that features conversations with individuals from the higher education in prison community, brought to you by Tennessee Higher Education Initiative. The hosts strive to find opportunities for autonomy and success within these conversations.

Graduated Justice embraces diversity and inclusion and recognizes our responsibility to foster an open, welcoming environment where every person, regardless of background, identity, sexual orientation, religion, or nationality can be their authentic selves. We value the benefits that arise from diverse experiences and are committed to providing content that expose some to new knowledge while supporting others as they connect to their identities. We also strive to acknowledge the complexity of intersecting identities by respecting the uniqueness of each individual.

In 2022, Ithaka S+R launched a nationwide survey that would help determine the national landscape for access to educational technology in prison education programs. The survey asked respondents about student access to technology in their higher education in prison program, collecting demographic information before focusing on four thematic areas: technological devices, learning management systems and software, network connection and internet access, and future technology plans. The findings from this survey are presented in this report.

A blog post about how indifference can show up in small technical moments in a formerly incarcerated student's education journey, and how those moments can contribute to continued systemic trauma.

The Rise Up Conference seeks to liberate higher education during and after prison. It highlights the role of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people in birthing this movement, the ways in which these spaces have been occupied by others, the assets we offer to these spaces, and the ways in which allies can help foster liberation. The conference also provides perspectives on higher education during and after prison that are unique to those with lived expertise.

An FAQ on Pell Grants put together with common questions crowdsourced from people inside.

A biweekly newsletter about the future of postsecondary education in prisons. Written by Open Campus staff reporter Charlotte West. Webpage includes links to previous print issues.

In this blog post, author and educator Em Daniels offers recommendations for colleges wanting to help returning students.

In this blog post, author and educator Em Daniels offers recommendations for building a network of stakeholders, organizations, and community members in the field of higher education in prison.

In this blog post, author and educator Em Daniels answers three frequently asked questions about reentry and higher education in prison.

The Beyond Walls compilation shares stories of individuals resisting the PIC and demonstrating the importance of relationships inside and out. The films also show the generational harm of the PIC, as well as next steps to build a world without police and prisons. The films add up to about 70 minutes, intentionally short to leave ample time for panelists and discussion. The panel will consist of previously incarcerated people and people involved in abolition and work to decrease suffering, including exoneree and legal assistant Steven Lazar, reproductive justice organizer Alejandra Pablos, West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute Outreach Coordinator Kenneth Matthews, and multimedia artist and organizer Sylvia Ryerson.

Click the link to see dates for upcoming screenings.

In this descriptive research study, Caisa Elizabeth Royer, Erin L. Castro, and Estefanie Aguilar Padilla explore the experiences of prison stakeholders in higher education with prison disciplinary power. Based on interviews with 19 prison education stakeholders, including program directors, instructors, family members of incarcerated students, and program alumni, the authors’ findings indicate that officer-initiated discipline interferes with the aims of college in prison programs and incarcerated students’ ability to be successful. The analysis provides rich insight into the ordinary ways prison officers discourage, disrupt, intimidate, and deliberately obstruct student engagement with prison higher education and those programs’ ability to provide coursework.

This blog post discusses a descriptive research study by Caisa Elizabeth Royer, Erin L. Castro, and Estefanie Aguilar Padilla that explores the experiences of prison stakeholders in higher education with prison disciplinary power. Based on interviews with 19 prison education stakeholders, including program directors, instructors, family members of incarcerated students, and program alumni, the authors’ findings indicate that officer-initiated discipline interferes with the aims of college in prison programs and incarcerated students’ ability to be successful. The analysis provides rich insight into the ordinary ways prison officers discourage, disrupt, intimidate, and deliberately obstruct student engagement with prison higher education and those programs’ ability to provide coursework.

Financial aid advising is an essential component of prison education programs (PEPs). Many PEPs rely on the paper FAFSA when serving students who are incarcerated. During this webinar, we will walk through the FAFSA completion process with both financial aid administrators and prison program administrators, highlighting the form's questions that are more complex to address. We will also talk about the methods for processing paper FAFSAs. Both financial aid teams and prison program administrators will join the conversation and welcome your questions.

The book is a collection of critical prose and poetry by esteemed artists and scholars (including Joshua Bennett, Ellen Bass, Joy Priest, Mahogany Brown, and so many more) about their experiences facilitating arts workshops in prisons. The intended audience includes college (and beyond) students in inside/out-type programs (or other programs where they facilitate educational programming in prisons); teachers of such programs; students and researchers interested in arts in corrections programming—really, anyone involved in higher ed in prison AND/OR arts in prison efforts!

This is a letter from Federal Student Aid to correctional facilities. It asks for their help in assisting incarcerated borrowers. The letter focuses on reducing the barriers to communication and information.

In an effort to make visible the national landscape of access to educational technology in prison education programs, Ithaka S+R launched a first-of-its-kind national survey in the fall of 2022, with grant funding support from Ascendium Education Group. The survey asked respondents about student access to technology in their higher education in prison program, collecting demographic information before focusing on four thematic areas: technological devices, learning management systems and software, network connection and internet access, and future technology plans. In the wake of this survey, we also conducted follow-up interviews to gather more qualitative data about major thematic issues that surfaced in the survey analysis. The report presents findings and a discussion that highlights areas where tension is likely to develop in the partnership between correctional and higher education institutions, as well as areas for future research.

Federal Student Aid has published this fact sheet with instructions on how incarcerated borrowers can get out of default through the Fresh Start initiative. It also briefly addresses other relief options, including contact information for the office that handles complaints—the Office of the Student Loan Ombudsman.

This is a research brief describing the impact of effective education programs on people who are/have been incarcerated.

This report provides a broad perspective on the U.S. prison population and takes a look at the status of prison education programs.