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.
Curriculum overview: The Emerson Prison Initiative (EPI) provides a BA in Media, Literature, and Culture program to people incarcerated in Massachusetts. EPI's mission is to democratize access to tertiary education for those who have been historically marginalized or otherwise unable to attend college. EPI aims to offer courses that are as similar as possible to our traditional Boston campus. We aspire to equip all students, whether they are on the Boston campus or in prison, with critical thinking and communication skills in order for them to engage, critique, and transform the world…
