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For the third volume of the Journal of Higher Education in Prison (JHEP), we wish to reflect upon advancements and persistent challenges for postsecondary education in prison and for college students directly impacted by criminal legal systems. Much has shifted in the landscape of higher education in prison since the launch of this journal in 2019. We invite authors to contribute manuscripts that help define, contest, and contemplate this current moment of postsecondary education in prison and re-entry for/with directly impacted communities.
Our intent is to publish the most forward-thinking, imaginative, and thought-provoking articles that advance equitable educational practices. We welcome empirical, critical, methodological, and rich theoretical scholarship that raises new questions and develops innovative insights into urgent issues.
The closing date for manuscript submission is August 1, 2025. The expected timeline:
JHEP invites submissions that provide imaginative visions for postsecondary education inside prisons (including pathways to/from higher education in prison) and that are not anchored in the study of crime or criminal behavior. Authors are invited to submit conceptual, empirical, theoretical, historical and pedagogical manuscripts, that approach field- and foundation-building, teacher and volunteer training, theories of teaching and learning, policy, and practice from a variety of perspectives, frameworks, and positionalities, including: research-based, case study, systematic literature reviews or meta-analysis, creative works, and/or policy analysis. Authors should only submit one manuscript per volume, across all submission types and submissions must not have been previously published or currently under review with another publication outlet. In considering higher education in prison, we especially seek manuscripts authored and/or co-authored by: incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, directly impacted people, co-written essays among diverse stakeholders, and other collaborative configurations.
A Letter to the Editor is a short form of communication that makes a comment on a previously published article or volume of the Journal of Higher Education in Prison. Additionally, we particularly welcome letters that highlight the need to steer the field in a specific direction. Click on the dropdown menu icon below to review the Letter to the Editor submission guidelines.
Letter to the Editor(s) submissions must follow these guidelines:
Word Count: 500 word maximum and not to exceed three (3) pages (double-spaced, 12-pt font, Times New Roman)
Cover Page, including the following:
A Contemporary Perspective Essay succinctly addresses the most pressing issues in the field. These essays should express one viewpoint on a matter surrounding and influencing higher education in prison as related to the focus of the volume for which it is being submitted. Click on the dropdown menu icon below to review the Contemporary Perspective Essay submission guidelines.
All Contemporary Perspective submissions must follow these guidelines:
Word Count: 1250 word maximum and not to exceed six (6) pages (double-spaced, 12-pt font, Times New Roman)
Formats: Essays should follow the most recent APA style manual. Written creative works (e.g., poetry, stories, short plays, creative nonfiction, etc.) are not required to follow the APA style manual, but should follow all other prescribed guidelines. Black and white photography and/or pen or ink sketches must be reproducible for a digital and print format (i.e., high resolution, at least 300 dpi, .jpg or .png only).
Cover Page, including the following:
Articles are conceptual, empirical, theoretical, historical and/or pedagogical manuscripts that approach the volume’s theme and the field of higher education in prison. Articles can be written from a variety of perspectives, frameworks, and positionalities. Approaches to articles can include: research-based, case study, systematic literature reviews or meta-analysis, and/or policy analysis. Click on the dropdown menu icon below to review the Article submission guidelines.
All Article submissions must follow these guidelines:
Page Count: 8,000 word maximum and not to exceed 30 pages (double-spaced, 12-pt font, Times New Roman, and including work cited, tables and charts and appendices)
Format: Essays should follow the most recent APA style manual
Cover Page, including the following (submitted as a stand-alone document and independent of the manuscript):
All submission types will be reviewed in a manner consistent with the journal’s mission. Letters to the Editor and Contemporary Perspective Essays will be reviewed by the Editorial Team and/or Editorial Board. Articles will engage in a peer-review process. Authors submitting Articles are able to choose either a “masked” or “unmasked” review process, the latter allows for an open-review where identities of both the author(s) and reviewers are known. Read a full overview of the Submission and Review Process.
JHEP is guided by the following values:
To have a submission considered for Volume Three, please review the submission guidelines and submit by August 1, 2025.
Please direct all submission related questions to: JHEP@utah.edu with the subject line “JHEP Submission”.
For authors with access to the Internet, all submissions must be submitted through the platform Scholastica: https://higheredinprison.scholasticahq.com/
JHEP encourages submissions from authors who are currently incarcerated. Authors without access to the Internet can either submit to Scholastica via a delegate (ensuring to also include the Delegate Appointment Form, found on the JHEP website) or via the mail and the submission will be uploaded to the Scholastica platform by a JHEP team member. To submit via the mail, follow these instructions. Please mail submissions to:
Research Collaborative on Higher Education in Prison
Attn: Journal of Higher Education in Prison
College of Education 1721 Campus Center Drive, #2222
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
To submit a manuscript through our online portal, click the submit button below. You will be provided specific instructions at each step of the submission process.
Both electronic and hardcopy submissions must follow the following Manuscript Preparation Guidelines (listed above). Submissions that do not meet the criteria will be returned.
Submitting an article indicates your agreement with our Ethics Practices.
All manuscripts must be written in English. If English is not your first language and you would like assistance in translating your manuscript into English, please contact the editors to discuss your options: JHEP@utah.edu
