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The conference has concluded. Thank you for your interest.
This virtual conference featured work by currently incarcerated scholars, graduates, and artists. This year’s theme, Pathways to Possibility, reflects on education's significance in imagining and creating potential futures.
We will post the link to presentation recordings once they become available and we hope to display the creative works in an online gallery in the near future. Please see the Details and FAQ section at the bottom of this page for more information, and stay tuned!
Have questions? Email us at isc@higheredinprison.org.
The Alliance believes that language is a powerful tool in shaping the culture and narrative in the field of higher education in prison, and in society as a whole. With this in mind, and drawing upon the rich history of work that has previously been engaged on this topic, we want to express our opposition to the usage of terms that are rooted in a history of violent and oppressive systems. Along with a vast majority of our community members, we share the view that terms such as “prisoner,” “inmate,” “offender,” “convict,” and “felon” are stigmatizing, dehumanizing, discriminatory, and continue to enact violence and do not acknowledge an individual’s full identity. We consider it standard practice to abstain from such language, unless you have experienced incarceration and choose to self-identify as such. Read the full statement
Shaun Libby, University of Maine at Augusta and Michigan State University
Will be livestreamed to our YouTube channel
Erica Orta, Sinclair Community College
Will be livestreamed to our YouTube channel
Kenneth Carter and Crisanto Escabalzeta, Hope College
Randy Arias, Emerson College
Will be livestreamed to our YouTube channel
Sarah Martin, Candle, and Sasha zAy; Portland State University
Janet Johnson and Jay Jones, Goucher College
Serena Ayesha Ahmad, Adams State University
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt students
Will be livestreamed to our YouTube channel
Joseph Dole, Robert John, Ben Israel, Robert Curry, Isaiah McDonald, Victor Bandala-Martinez, Antoine Boyce, and LC Chapman; Knox College
Will be livestreamed to our YouTube channel
Scott Dyleski, California State University, Dominguez Hills
Do Thao and Robert Wheeler, Marquette University
Will be livestreamed to our YouTube channel
Martise Odems and Karshara Armstrong, Marquette University
Will be livestreamed to our YouTube channel
Erik Maloney, Arizona State University
Jamel Walker, Californina State University, Dominguez Hills
Michael Stayer, University of Notre Dame, and Krystal Lowe, Washburn University
Will be livestreamed to our YouTube channel
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.
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.
In order to share the creative work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists in the Expressive Arts Plenary and the Virtual Art Exposition 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.
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Learn more on our ISC Sponsorship page.
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