This news article from the Washington Post explores how thousands of minors like Yusef Qualls-El, who is highlighted in the article, received sentences of life without parole and entered prison at an age when their peers were going to college or starting their careers. But inside, education is often reserved for those who will soon return to society. As a result, those who were seen as the least likely to get out had the fewest opportunities. The article showcases Yusef Qualls-El's story and his next steps.
This article reports that many people in Illinois prisons believe they are not getting the full sentence reductions allowed under a new law that gives credit for participating in education, work, and other programs. As many as 1,000 people who are still in custody could be eligible for immediate release if they received proper sentence recalculations.
This article discusses results published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and University of Massachusetts Lowell of a two-year study of Brave Behind Bars, MIT's web design program for incarcerated students. The qualitative study evaluated the effects of teaching HTML and JavaScript to incarcerated students, highlighting a notable increase in their self-confidence and digital competencies—key factors in reducing recidivism, or the rate at which people who are released return to prison.
Twenty women at Denver Women's Correctional Facility will be part of a new bachelor's degree program. Students in the program, run by Adams State University, will be able to choose between a sociology or business track. This article describes the program and the reactions of the community.
Reinstating federal Pell Grants for incarcerated students comes with steep challenges.
Date: May 17, 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Location: University of Southern Maine (USM), Portland, Maine
More information and registration to follow.
Reentry Sisters, the National Council, Women Transcending, and the Opportunity Scholars, with the generous support of the Bingham Project at USM, offer a forum by justice-impacted women to strategize; share resources; and create action plans for legislative change, the…
Breaking Barriers: Bridging Worlds in Prison Education and Student Advising
From June 14-16, 2024, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is hosting a unique convening focused on policies, techniques, and practices for providing the full suite of advising services for students who are incarcerated. prison education programs (PEPs) need to ensure they are operating in the "best interest of the students" per the regulations, in order to retain their right to administer financial aid. Equitable high-quality advising plays a major role in this. But…
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…
Check out the new job postings on the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison Job Board – https://www.higheredinprison.org/job-board
Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop – https://www.higheredinprison.org/jobs-board/free-…
