Since the recent expansion of higher education in prison (HEP) programs, correctional systems and universities have been working to optimize these programs to yield maximum impact. Collaborating with individuals with lived experience of incarceration and participation in higher education could provide valuable insights toward improving these…

At a time when higher education in prison (HEP) is growing in popularity and acceptance, a myopic approach threatens the field's potential to develop into a more robust and sustainable enterprise. Blindly accepting HEP as a personal and/or societal good while failing to consider the ethical challenges that individuals engaging in HEP work may face…

A primary focus within the field of higher education in prison is to ensure that federal, state, and institution-level polices helping to develop and sustain programs remain durable. Current justifications for policies in support of programs often rely on a predominantly recidivist lens, advocating for programs on the grounds of their likelihood…

This article documents endeavours to establish a higher education program for incarcerated learners in Aotearoa New Zealand. Presently, prisoners serving lengthy sentences in the country are precluded from obtaining a degree while in custody, which is in stark contrast to other jurisdictions with comparable penal systems. This study examines the…

The United States currently has the world's largest prison population, emphasizing the need for effective reentry programs for individuals transitioning back into society after incarceration. Correctional education programs, particularly higher education, have been recognized for their role in offender rehabilitation, reducing recidivism rates,…

This phenomenological study explores the challenges 21 formerly incarcerated students identified as barriers to maintaining positive student experiences while enrolled in a college-in-prison program. Employing a thriving framework, the study identified several key challenges, including lack of study space, friction with prison staff, limited…

Dr. Ada Long (1945-2024) advocated for equal access to quality education. Authors suggest that her reflections on neighborhoods, community, and intentional inclusion were not one-off musings but rather indicative of how she saw her responsibility as an educator. Drawing on Long's establishment of a lecture series that brought faculty into a local…

On September 13, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, commonly known as the 1994 crime bill. The most far-reaching piece of criminal justice legislation Congress ever passed, the bill incentivized states to pass harsher sentencing laws and build more prisons. Among a slate of punitive and…

Program administrators must be intentional when hiring faculty and selecting electives in order to hire faculty the students will be able to relate to, perceive as role models, and who will be able to provide students in higher education in prison (HEP) programs with knowledge about racial issues in our society often from personal experience.…

This research was inspired by allegations of censorship of college curricula in an Illinois state penitentiary. This example highlights the confusion and controversy that may ensue when disagreements arise over what students in prison-based college programs are permitted to read and learn. Following this, my research considers these relevant…

Prison is an institution characterized by the marginalization of mostly people of color (Davis, 2003), with a disproportionate number of incarcerated minorities within the prison population (Kilgore, 2015). Research on higher education in prison has pointed to the need for college-in-prison teachers to reflect on teaching experiences and adopt…

In this Voices: Reflective Accounts of Education essay, Annalisa Butticci and Colie Levar Long reflect on the Afrocentric and sensory pedagogy and positionalities that helped incarcerated students and their teacher create a virtual learning community within one post pandemic prison higher education program. Through an ethnographic study of the…

In recent years, the Justice Department has made major investments to address reported substandard conditions of confinement, and there has been an influx of federal funding for state digital equity initiatives and the reinstatement of federal Pell Grant funding for incarcerated students. Research, advocacy, education, and correctional…

This study explored the journeys of Formerly Incarcerated Latino Men (FILM) who are turning to higher education as a reentry support for their lives after being released from prison. Offering programs like higher education during reentry is not just about creating new paths and opportunities, something higher education already does for many. The…

Black individuals have been disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system in the United States ("Federal Bureau of Prisons," 2022). Because of their criminal justice involvement, Black individuals are perceived as "second-class citizens" making their quest for "freedom" an endless journey impacted by…