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The Alliance is committed to providing a space where people can discuss relevant issues, share resources, and support one another during this difficult time. Yet, given the health risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty around the safety of traveling and gathering in large groups, we concluded that we have no choice but to postpone the event until a date when it is safe to gather in large groups. As time passed and the pandemic has not subsided, the Alliance team (with input from the community) has decided to host “A Virtual NCHEP” under the theme “Amplifying Access” (the original 2020 theme). This virtual presentation will take place between March 1 - 5, 2021. All submitters to the 2020 NCHEP have been invited to present.
To stay updated about A Virtual NCHEP, check in with us here or on Facebook @OfficialNCHEP and Twitter @OfficialNCHEP.
We will continue to add information to this page as it becomes available.
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The Incarcerated Scholars Conference is a chance to unite voices from across the country, fostering collaboration and solidarity.
This conference offers a meaningful opportunity for students to participate in a national (and global) academic community. For many incarcerated people, this is a rare chance to share their work, connect with peers across institutions, and see themselves as part of something larger than their immediate environment.
ISC fosters connection, reflection, and growth. It helps students understand that higher education in prison is not happening in isolation. It is part of a broader and ongoing effort across the country to support learning, creativity, and academic achievement.
The impact doesn’t end with the conference; it offers students a way to build confidence, expand their thinking, and stay engaged in their academic journey.
The impact of ISC also extends far beyond academic and correctional institutions. It reaches families, loved ones, children, and communities, offering connection, pride, and a sense of possibility that carries into every part of life beyond the classroom or facility. It also plays a vital role in shifting public narratives and perceptions about who incarcerated scholars are and what they contribute.
Explore the conference schedule.
Check out our recommendations for things to do and places to see while you are visiting Cleveland.
The guide is at the bottom of the logistics page, linked below.
We've put together a social media toolkit to make it easy for you to share your conference experience online.
Here, you'll find ready-to-use graphics you can download and post directly to the social media platform of your choice, plus a couple of customizable templates you can personalize with your own photo. We're also running an Instagram contest throughout the conference with fun challenges like posting a Cleveland landmark, tagging a fellow attendee from your state, and sharing your favorite NCHEP memory.
NCHEP 15 will take place in the heart of downtown Cleveland.
The conference will be held at the Huntington Convention Center. Our primary conference hotel, Hilton Cleveland Downtown, is connected to the convention center. Our additional conference hotel, Marriott Downtown at Key Tower, is also steps away from the convention center. While the discounted room blocks are sold out, logistics information, including numerous lodging options, is available for attendees.
The inaugural NCHEP Film Festival at NCHEP 15 will spotlight stories of education, resilience, and transformation. Headlined by Road Trip Nation’s The Inside Scholars, the festival will also feature Being Free (Road Trip Nation), Degrees of Freedom, Knife Skills (TFL Films), and The Alabama Solution (HBO), plus a sixth film to be revealed onsite.
Continuing a longstanding NCHEP tradition, NCHEP 15 attendees will have the opportunity to participate in off-site site visits that bring conference themes to life. These visits will provide a closer look at higher education in prison, workforce partnerships, and training models in practice.
All site visits require advance application and confirmation, and the site visit interest forms are now closed.
Be sure to check out the other fantastic special sessions taking place Wednesday, April 8th!
Volunteers play an essential role in helping NCHEP run smoothly and creating a welcoming, supportive experience for attendees traveling from around the country. From greeting participants and supporting session rooms to assisting with logistics and special events, volunteers help bring the conference to life.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering at NCHEP 15, but the volunteer interest form is now closed.
We are able to offer a limited number of tables at NCHEP 15. Tabling provides organizations the opportunity to promote their work, share resources, and network with NCHEP attendees.
We encourage tabling organizations to provide free materials, resources, and/or swag, but selling items is also permitted.
Location and Setup
Tables will be located in the area outside the ballroom at the Huntington Convention Center, a central hub of the conference where attendees will frequently gather for general sessions, breakfast and lunch. It is also in close proximity to the breakout session rooms.
If selected to table, organizations will be able to staff their table for all or part of the day from approx. 7am - 5pm on both Thursday, April 9th and Friday, April 10th. More details will be sent to those selected.
If your organization is selected to table:
Please complete the interest form linked below by Friday, February 27th.
Last year at NCHEP 14, we took advantage of the field gathering in one place to highlight the voices and ideas that shape our work through short video interviews. You can watch the resulting videos in our Perspectives from NCHEP 14 series on YouTube. You may have also seen these videos shared on our social media.
This year, we invited conference attendees to express interest in participating in video interviews during the conference, but the interest form is now closed.
We invite students and alumni of higher education in prison programs who are currently incarcerated to contribute to our conference by submitting a presentation proposal related to one of the conference topic tracks (see below). Selected presentations will be 30 minutes long, followed by a 30-minute Q&A session with the audience.
Eligibility:
Submit proposals:
Unfortunately, we cannot accept presentation proposals submitted via mail. Those interested in submitting proposals but who don’t have internet/email access can work with a proxy from an educational program at the facility to submit online or via email OR may want to consider a creative submission instead (which can be sent via mail).
If you are currently incarcerated, we welcome you to submit creative work to the conference (you do not have to be a current or former student to participate in this portion of the conference).
Submit proposals:
The conference agenda, which outlines the basic schedule of both days of the conference, is now available.
We are offering a limited number of financial aid packages for NCHEP 15. We value our community’s attendance at our biggest event of the year!
Financial aid applications were due October 19th and are now closed.
Be a part of what makes this conference a success! While our volunteer interest form is now closed, you can still learn more about available volunteer opportunities by emailing the conference planning team at nchep@higheredinprison.org.
**Please note: volunteers must already be registered for the event.
Presentation proposal submissions were due October 19th and the CFP is now closed.
We hope to share recordings from the 2025 conference once we obtain the necessary permissions. Please stay tuned to our social media channels, where we’ll post updates and share approved recordings on our YouTube page if they become publicly available.
Presentation Proposals
Incarcerated scholars interested in presenting must reach out to administration/leadership at their facility as soon as they decide that they will be submitting a proposal. Facility permission will take time, and all scholars must confirm with their respective correctional facilities that they have permission to participate in advance and share that confirmation with the Alliance by September 1, 2026. Detailed instructions will be sent to those whose proposals are accepted.
Creative Submissions
Facility permission is not required for creative submissions, but the Alliance does need facility permission to share artist names during the conference. Creative proposals that are accepted but are submitted without a point of contact at the corrections facility will be shared anonymously. Artists interested in being named must reach out to administration/leadership at their facility as soon as they decide that they will be submitting creative work(s). Facility permission will take time, and artists will need to confirm their participation as a named artist in advance and share that confirmation with the Alliance by September 1, 2026.
ISC presentations will be webinars. Most presenters will be presenting live, though some presentations will be pre-recorded. The webinar Q&A feature will be moderated by Alliance staff.
We're offering a limited number of tables for organizations to share about their work, provide resources, and/or offer swag.
Tables will be located in the area just outside the Grand Ballroom at the Sheraton New Orleans, right in the heart of the conference!
Our interest form is now closed, but you can email the planning team at nchep@higheredinprison.org with any questions.
**Please note: To table, organizations must have at least one representative already registered for the event.
The application to be a reviewer for NCHEP 15 was due October 10th and the Call for Reviewers is now closed.
In order to share the creative work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists in the Expressive Arts Plenary and the Virtual Exhibition during the Incarcerated Scholars Conference (ISC), the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison secured media releases from all featured artists. We take the trust that artists place in us very seriously, and our ethical commitment limits the use of this artwork to ISC and to the forthcoming ISC Art Gallery, which will again make an appearance at NCHEP in April 2026.
We consider the ISC Art Gallery to be a bridge between ISC and NCHEP, and several selected creative works from both ISC conference years will be included in the ISC Art Gallery at NCHEP 15. Artists whose work is selected for the art gallery will be compensated for their contributions.
We will not distribute slides, images, or digital copies of the artwork outside of our own hosted exhibitions and promotional materials, as we believe doing so would compromise the trust that these artists and their programs have given us. We hope to display the creative works in an online gallery on our website in the near future. At this time, the Alliance also does not have the capacity to facilitate direct contact between members of the public and the artists or their representatives for the purpose of obtaining permissions.
We are deeply grateful to the artists and educators who make this work possible, and remain committed to honoring the dignity of their creative expression.
NCHEP is made possible by the generosity and engagement of individuals and organizations. Here’s how you or your organization can help us make this event a success:
NCHEP 15 will be an in-person conference in Cleveland, Ohio, except for those who are currently incarcerated. Virtual attendance via Zoom will only be possible for currently incarcerated presenters during selected events.
We know that travel isn’t possible for everyone, and we do our best to make our events as accessible and accommodating as we can. At this time, however, the audiovisual and staffing requirements for a hybrid conference make it cost-prohibitive. By focusing our resources on the in-person experience, we can keep the conference more affordable, provide some financial aid opportunities, and ensure high-quality programming for all attendees.
Yes, this virtual event is free and open to everyone! Please share this page with your network.
** Registration is now completely SOLD OUT **
All conference attendees (except presenters who are currently incarcerated) must register.
If you’d like to be notified if additional spots do become available, please join our Notification List using the link below.
The NCHEP Planning Team will make every effort to support accommodation requests and the full participation of all attendees. You will be able to request accommodations during the registration process.
Registration for NCHEP 15 is open until March 25th.
This year, by hosting the conference at the Huntington Convention Center, we will be be able to accommodate more attendees than in previous years. That said, we encourage all those interested in attending to register as soon as possible to secure a spot.
Yes. Please register using the link above.
Registration for NCHEP 14 will be $375 ($225 for students).
NCHEP 14 will take place in the heart of New Orleans at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel on Canal St.
For more information on reserving a hotel room using our discounted room block as well as information about additional hotels within walking distance of the conference venue, please visit the logistics page.
Registration fees for NCHEP 15:
Over the past several years, the Alliance has worked hard to keep NCHEP registration fee rates stable, even during times of inflation. As this convening has grown to welcome nearly 1,000 attendees in 2023 and 2025, the event has also become more complex to plan and host. In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of this now-annual event, we’ve made the difficult but necessary decision to increase registration fees this year. This adjustment will help us cover the true costs of hosting a conference at this scale, offer financial aid awards, and ensure the continuation of this gathering that supports and strengthens the field for years to come.
NCHEP 14 will be an in-person conference in New Orleans, Louisiana for everyone except those who are currently incarcerated. Virtual attendance via Zoom will only be possible for currently incarcerated participants during selected events.
We advise attendees to arrive in New Orleans on Wednesday, April 9th and depart on Saturday, April 12th.
The conference will begin the morning of Thursday, April 10th and end the evening of Friday, April 11th. In order to get the full conference experience, we recommend that you not travel on conference days.
NCHEP will make every effort to support accommodation requests and the full participation of all attendees. You will be able to request accommodations during the registration process.
Please send us an email at nchep@higheredinprison.org.
We are encouraging attendees to consider arriving in Cleveland on April 7th to be able to attend special sessions on April 8th, and departing from Cleveland on April 11th.
In order to get the full conference experience, we recommend that attendees not travel on conference days.
While the discounted room blocks are sold out, logistics information, including numerous lodging options, is available for attendees.
Each day of the conference, there will be two sets of scholarly presentations happening at the same time. These are talks where different presenters share their research and ideas. Some presentations will be done individually by one person, and some presentations will be done in groups.
There will also be an expressive arts plenary each day, where creative works such as poems and visual artworks will be presented. Creative works will not be presented by the artist at the conference, but will be displayed/presented/read by conference staff.
These terms and conditions include our registration refund and transfer policies, information about photography and video recordings, and how registration information may be shared.
Each presentation is part of a specific topic or track, which presenters selected when submitting their proposals. These tracks give attendees some more insight into the content of the presentation.
