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 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.
With support from the Ascendium Education Group and the Ichigo Foundation, Jobs for the Future’s Center for Justice & Economic Advancement is excited to launch the Normalizing Education Collective (the Collective), a year-long community of practice designed to support non-profit postsecondary institutions nationwide as they explore building or expanding high-quality postsecondary pathways in prison that…
While surfing around for resource tools, I stumbled upon this fantastic website called Next Gen Personal Finance, an org site dedicated to providing information and edutainment to raise awareness about financial struggle, support financial wellness, and provide methods to build personal wealth.
Next Gen Personal Finance (ngpf.org)
These games were so interesting, exciting, and informative that I just had to share them. Although I do highly recommend the build your stax game, the purpose of this post is to share the game by Urban…
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…
Women’s History Month began as a congressional joint resolution in 1981 and a presidential proclamation from Jimmy Carter to declare a week of celebratory observance for “American women of every race, class, and ethnic background whose roles and contributions had been consistently overlooked and undervalued in the body of American History.”
Between 1978 and 2007 incarceration rates for women rose by 560% compared with the 240% increase of men. Although the population of men has always been larger than the population of…
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…
