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'Anchored in Justice' begins with the field’s core work: providing rigorous higher education in prison. Justice can be evident in the existence of meaningful academic choice, high quality instruction, credits and credentials with lasting value, and opportunities to continue learning. Justice needs to be reflected in institutional structures, environments, and how the value of education is upheld and reinforced.
This theme invites us to consider not only what is just about this work, but what it means to carry this work forward within a complicated system as the scale and structure of the field are in constant flux. Decisions about curriculum, faculty support, advising, data, governance, and institutional responsibility increasingly cross organizational boundaries. NCHEP pushes the field to consider how to adapt and grow without becoming unmoored.
Education is shaped by the environments in which it occurs. Facility routines, health, family responsibilities, and access to materials all shape what educational participation looks like. Program design and resources steer the education students experience, and how that work is described informs public understanding of the relationship between education and incarceration. Anchored in Justice asks for a wider view, and what it takes to stay centered within a storm while helping students reach towards a possibility horizon.
NCHEP 16 will be held in a convention center again this year, making space for new kinds of conference experiences.
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in Long Beach, CA will be the site of the majority of NCHEP programming.
Discounted room blocks will be available at two hotels close to the conference venue, and these rooms will become available once registration begins in November. We recommend waiting until then to book lodging to take advantage of the discount.
More information about the topic tracks and conference presentation formats are included in the Call for Proposals.
At NCHEP, you’ll connect with a dynamic field of educators, nonprofit leaders, practitioners, corrections professionals, and students—both currently and formerly incarcerated—who are leading the charge. This conference extends beyond academic frameworks to collaboratively build a future where the field of higher education in prison provides real hope and opportunity, and also drives real-world change at a time when the stakes have never been higher.
Join us in Long Beach, and together, we will expand and strengthen the network that ensures every learner has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their circumstances.
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We are excited to announce the Call for Proposals for NCHEP 16.
We are offering a limited number of financial aid packages for NCHEP 16. We value our community’s attendance at our biggest event of the year!
NCHEP brings together the people and institutions that participate in, provide, govern, study, fund, and support higher education in prison.
Students and Alumni
Present academic and professional work, build relationships, and contribute to conversations affecting education during and after incarceration.
HEP Program Leaders and Practitioners
Find practical guidance on Pell implementation, partnerships, staffing, funding, student data, technology, and program continuity.
Faculty and Academic Support Professionals
Strengthen teaching, advising, accessibility, academic resources, and assessment within the conditions of correctional settings.
College, University, and System Leaders
Examine the institutional commitments needed to maintain academic quality, responsible oversight, student services, and long-term program stability.
Corrections Leaders and Facility Staff
Develop workable approaches to scheduling, materials, technology, communication, transfers, security requirements, and coordination with education partners.
Government and Policy Leaders
Understand how funding, regulation, statewide coordination, and data policy affect program operations and student access.
Community and Reentry Organizations
Strengthen connections among prison programs, campuses, employment, housing, and other services that support educational continuity after release.
Employers and Workforce Partners
Develop internships, fellowships, and career pathways as well as partnerships that provide meaningful professional experience during and after incarceration.
Researchers, Evaluators, and Data Professionals
Share evidence, strengthen evaluation, and improve the responsible use of data in program, policy, and funding decisions.
Philanthropic and Foundation Leaders
Compare grantmaking approaches, clarify funding priorities, and strengthen philanthropic support for programs, infrastructure, and innovation.
Advocacy, Communications, and Public Affairs Professionals
Develop language and strategies that build support for HEP without presenting incarceration itself as beneficial or necessary.
Technology and Digital Learning Professionals
Advance secure access to learning platforms, digital resources, closed networks, artificial intelligence, and technologies shaping the future of work.
Support the field the become a sponsor today! Learn more about sponsorship.
A special thanks to our regular funders as well!
