The reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals marks a pivotal moment in the landscape of higher education in prison (HEP) programming in the United States. However, despite this promising development, financial barriers persist, hindering the growth and sustainability of HEP initiatives. This qualitative study delves into the challenges faced by faculty, staff, and administrators within Pennsylvania's colleges and universities as they establish and operate HEP programs amidst an evolving funding environment. Drawing on interviews with nine HEP administrators…
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on rehabilitative programs, including education programs, that are provided in state prison systems. State and federal correctional systems implemented a variety of policies to prevent or contain the spread of COVID-19 within this population. As part of this response, many correctional systems ceased or substantially cut back on programming starting in 2020; this included shutting down ongoing education and workforce training programs, as well as other programs and activities, and preventing instructors and other staff from entering prison…
This report addresses three questions about state-level recidivism trends:
- What progress has been made?
- How much could states save by reducing recidivism further?
- Are states ready to expand their efforts?
This report from the Prison Policy Initiative offers some much-needed clarity by piecing together the data about this country’s disparate systems of confinement. It provides a detailed look at where and why people are locked up in the U.S., and dispels some common myths about mass incarceration to focus attention on overlooked issues that urgently require reform.
This resource explores essential guidelines and best practices for data use agreements in postsecondary education in prison programs.
Ithaka S+R has released a new report examining how the interstitial nature of higher education in prison programs, caught between correctional and college systems, puts increased pressure on educators and students on the inside. This, in turn, creates self-censorship concerns and surveillance issues, and raises questions about the equity of educational experience on the inside.
Hey, everybody!
I want to take this week's post as an opportunity to uplift my girl, Brittany LaMarr! Brittany is a formerly incarcerated prison education advocate, and works with the National Prison Debate League (and was instrumental in making arrangements for the establishment and launch of the MCC Women's Debate team, along with NPDL Director Daniel Throop).
It has been my pleasure to have been a co-speaker with Brittany to discuss our support for the New England Board of Higher Education's Commission on the Future of Education in Prison's report recommendations to…
What does Education in Action look like in practice? Since its inception, the U.S. prison system has functioned to separate people from their families, communities, and the people they harmed. The system has also functioned to prevent people who have caused harm from engaging in any meaningful reparative action. It has functioned to restrict people's ability to care for their families, and to remove mentors, service members, and caretakers from their communities. Education in Action (EiA) is an initiative by the…
So proud of my Justice Think Tank colleagues Linda Small and Chandler Dugal for their op-ed piece that was published in the Bangor Daily News! Their cowritten article centers on the prong of our Criminal Code group's work that researched record sealing and expungement for formerly incarcerated people and proposed an implementation strategy for the state of Maine!
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/02/20/opinion/opinion-contributor/criminal-record-…
This report from the State University of New York (SUNY) Higher Education for the Justice-Involved (HEJI) program links administrative data collected by SUNY and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) between 2010 and 2020 to reveal student engagement and outcomes in SUNY-involved college in prison programs.
This report is one part of a SUNY initiative to expand and improve its services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people in New York. With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the SUNY system administration is working with…
