Call to Action

Call to Action: Building a Doctoral Pathway for Incarcerated Scholars

My name is Michael Owens. I am currently incarcerated in California, serving an LWOP sentence, and have been inside for 28 years. During this time, I have committed myself to higher education, mentorship, and service within the prison community. I hold multiple degrees, including a Master’s in Abolition and Movement Theory from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and I am a published author, Davis-Putter Scholarship recipient, and certified in the helping field.

I am writing to open a broader conversation within the field of higher education in prison: What would it take to build a viable doctoral pathway for incarcerated scholars who have already demonstrated graduate-level readiness?

In California, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation permits higher education programming, and some facilities provide access to secure laptops, Canvas, and research tools such as EBSCO. At the same time, universities across the country offer fully online doctoral programs in fields such as transformative education, social justice, and leadership.

The infrastructure is emerging. The question is how we build the bridge.

I am seeking:

Faculty, administrators, or programs willing to explore a pilot doctoral pathway within correctional settings

Mentors or advocates who can help serve as liaisons to doctoral programs

Institutions interested in co-developing a scalable model for advanced graduate education in prison

Others across the field who are already thinking about or working on similar efforts

This is not only about one individual opportunity. It is about building a model that can expand access for future incarcerated and justice-impacted scholars prepared to contribute at the highest academic levels.

I welcome dialogue, collaboration, and any guidance from those engaged in this work. If you are interested in connecting, contributing, or exploring this idea further, I would be grateful to be in conversation.

Respectfully,

Michael Owens