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The Alliance is Hosting a Virtual Town Hall Meeting

The Alliance is hosting a virtual town hall for the higher education in prison (HEP) community.

January 18, 2023
By:
Alliance for Higher Education in Prison
Meet the Team, four headshots, the Alliance leadership team
Pell is Not Enough: Exploring the Experiences of Participants in Second Chance Pell Cover, depicts a FAFSA form and the University of Utah Prison Education Project logo, publication October 2022

Pell is Not Enough: Exploring the Experiences of Participants in Second Chance Pell

October 18, 2022
By:
Erin L. Castro, Caisa E. Royer, Stephanie Gaskill, Estefanie Aguilar-Padilla

Exploring the Experiences of Second Chance Pell is a mixed methods research study examining the implementation and facilitation of the Second Chance Pell Experiment, originally launched in 2015.
Community News
2nd Annual Report 2021-2022

View the 2021-2022 Annual Report

September 22, 2022
By:

View the 2021-2022 Annual Report
Alliance News

The Research Collaborative on Higher Education in Prison and the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison Present: Preparing for Pell

January 23, 2023
By:
The Alliance

The Research Collaborative on Higher Education in Prison (RCHEP) and the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison are excited to announce Preparing for Pell, a series of webinars and workshops in anticipation of Pell expansion for eligible incarcerated students on July 1, 2023. This series is an opportunity to share research findings and engage in open conversation with students and practitioners. Since the Department of Education (ED) released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) last July, students, practitioners, and other advocates have sought clarity about what they can expect this summer, first through public comments submitted to ED last August. ED published responses in its final regulations in October of 2022. However, judging by subsequent communications from ED and other experts, it remains unclear exactly how ED will resolve many questions raised in public comments.

Community News

How Prison Education Overlooks Women

January 20, 2023
By:
Katherine Mangan

For women serving time, fewer choices and more delays stand in the way of College degrees. Like many women struggling to turn their lives around behind bars, Alexa Garza found refuge and hope in the college courses that were offered sporadically and unpredictably in her maximum-security prison in Texas.

Illinois Department of Corrections and Lewis University Launch New Prison Education Program at Sheridan Correctional Center

January 20, 2023
By:
Illinois Department of Corrections

Lewis University began its spring semester of classes at several locations, including its new program inside Sheridan Correctional Center. Nineteen students began their journey as the first cohort of Lewis University Prison Education Program Second Chance Pell grants.

Community News

How an Illicit Cell Phone Helped Me Take College Courses From Prison

January 20, 2023
By:

An incarcerated person describes how they risked having a cell phone in prison in order to access a college education otherwise unavailable to them inside.

Community News

Formerly Incarcerated Men Now Pursuing Higher Education Find Community at Harlem’s Ignacio House

January 13, 2023
By:
Christopher Parker

Since 2019, Ignacio House has housed 15 “resident scholars” who study at N.Y. colleges and universities at a site in the Bronx. Last month, the community received permission from the Archdiocese of New York to move into its new home at the former residence of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers in Manhattan.

Community News

Incarcerated Youth Are Earning College Credits in Utah

January 11, 2023
By:
Alex Gonzalez

Since the inception of Utah's Higher Education for Incarcerated Youth program in 2021, hundreds have enrolled and taken classes. The most recent figures show 76 students throughout all the state facilities, earning a total of 539 college credits between them.

Community News

How California’s Colleges Are Supporting Formerly Incarcerated Students

December 22, 2022
By:
Arabel Meyer, Titus Wilkinson, Ramon Castaños, Abbie Phillips, Erik Adams

California public universities are becoming more equitable and inclusive as new programs for formerly incarcerated students emerge and grow on their campuses.
Community News

The Alliance for Higher Education in Prison has Partnered with W.W. Norton

December 20, 2022
By:
The Alliance for Higher Education

The Alliance for Higher Education in Prison is partnering with, W.W. Norton, the largest independent and employee-owned publisher. W. W. Norton publishes 400 books annually through its trade, college, and professional departments.
Community News

Prison Education Programs Questions and Answers

December 13, 2022
By:
U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education has released Prison Education Programs (PEP) Question and Answers pertaining to some frequently asked queries about: Accreditation (AC), Reporting Requirements (RR), the Application Process (AP), and much more.

Community News

What Colleges Need to Know About Reentry: Takeaways from the Education Justice Project's Reentry Guide

December 6, 2022
By:
Tammy Ortiz

Beyond preparing students for successful careers, colleges and universities play a critical role in producing engaged and informed citizens. Part of reentry includes secure employment and housing, participation in local and national elections, and the Education Justice Project (EJP) has created a guide that provides links to informative resources to help with the transition and basic needs of the students returning to their communities.

Community News

Illinois Higher Education in Prison Task Force 2022 Report

December 2, 2022
By:
Illinois Higher Education in Prison Task Force

Higher education in prison (HEP) transforms lives and strengthens communities. It saves taxpayers money and reduces prison violence. Research indicates HEP contributes to reduced recidivism, supporting public safety and protecting families and communities.

Community News

Building Resilient Organizations: Toward Joy and Durable Power in a Time of Crisis

November 29, 2022
By:
Maurice Mitchell

To effectively contend with racist, authoritarian forces, our work must be as powerful as possible. Maurice Mitchell unpacks the problems our organizations and movements face, identifies underlying causes and core problems, and proposes concrete solutions.
Community News

Higher Education in Prison Program Prepares a Pathway for More Students

November 28, 2022
By:
Katy Swordfisk

Professor Deborah Arthur of Portland State University’s (PSU) University Studies Program started PSU’s higher education in prison program in 2019 and has advocated for Portland State’s role as a leader in education for incarcerated students. Her commitment and tenacity has abetted the program's growth.

Community News

How College in Prison is Leading Professors to Rethink How They Teach: Programs that offer college in prison are becoming more prevalent

November 26, 2022
By:
Mneesha Gellman 

When it comes to education in prison, policy and research often focus on how it benefits society or improves the life circumstances of those who are serving time.
Community News

Ohio University: Sandra Brown Emerged from Prison with Multiple Degrees and a Mission

November 24, 2022
By:
Ohio University Staff Reports

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Brown was an aspiring teacher and mother to a young son when she entered the prison system over 20 years ago. After being sentenced, Brown immediately began to think about and explore opportunities for self-improvement as she looked ahead to a future beyond the prison walls. 
Community News

Best Colleges: How HBCUs Are Creating a College Pipeline for Formerly Incarcerated Students

November 23, 2022
By:
Sydney Clark

By extending admissions to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students, HBCUs are not only making college more accessible; they are also enacting education as a tool for Black liberation. These are the programs powering the "prison-to-college" pipeline.

Community News

Bard Prison Initiative: College Behind Bars

November 22, 2022
By:

Originally airing in 2019, College Behind Bars, is an Emmy-nominated, four-part documentary about the transformative power of education.
Community News

Center for Social Concerns Launches New Prison Education Initiative with Lunch, Panel Discussion

November 18, 2022
By:
Erin Blasko

Notre Dame Programs for Education in Prison (NDPEP) hosted a panel discussion with stakeholders to discuss collaboration on higher education in prison programs, career development, and reentry support.

Community News

Department of Education: Pell Grants for Prison Education Programs

November 15, 2022
By:
U.S. Government Accountability Office

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed the Department of Education's (ED) new rule entitled "Pell Grants for Prison Education Programs; Determining the Amount of Federal Education Assistance Funds Received by Institutions of Higher Education (90/10); Change in Ownership and Change in Control."

Community News
Institution behind a fence

Inside Higher Ed: Pell Grant Rules Out but More Guidance Needed

November 8, 2022
By:
By Katherine Knott

More than half a million people could benefit from the reinstatement of the Pell Grant for incarcerated students in July, and efforts are underway to start college-in-prison programs for this group.
Community News

Non Profit Quarterly: Why Access to Education Is Key to Dismantling Mass Incarceration

October 19, 2022
By:
By Syrita Steib

This article is part of Community Strategies for Systemic Change, an ongoing series co-produced by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and NPQ. In the series, urban and rural grassroots leaders from across the United States share how their communities are developing and implementing strategies—grounded in local places, cultures, and histories—to shift power and achieve systemic change.
Community News

To Dismantle the Prison System, We Need Viral Justice

October 18, 2022
By:
Ruha Benjamin

"The concept of “viral justice” offers a fresh orientation, a way of looking at (or looking again) at all the ways people are working, little by little, day by day, to combat unjust systems and build alternatives to the oppressive status quo...
Community News

National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction (NICCC)

October 17, 2022
By:

Collateral consequences are scattered throughout state and federal statutory and regulatory codes and can be unknown even to those responsible for their administration and enforcement. There is often a lack of coordination in different sections of state and federal codes, which makes it difficult to identify all of the penalties and disabilities that may be triggered by a particular conviction.
Community News

California's Best Practices: Pathways From Prison to College

August 30, 2022
By:
Smart Justice Think Tank

This new report supports ensuring all currently and formerly incarcerated persons have an equal opportunity to succeed as students and individuals.
Community News

Diversion: A Hidden Key to Combating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice

August 30, 2022
By:
Richard Mendel

New juvenile justice analysis reveals the system’s unequal and limited use of diversion from court involvement, particularly for Black youth.
Community News

Pamlico Community College offers incarcerated men second chances through education

August 29, 2022
By:
Katie Dukes

Ross threw himself into learning everything he could about the role of postsecondary education in the lives of incarcerated people. He also started talking to anyone who would listen about the program’s potential. One of those listeners was Sen. Norman Sanderson, R-Carteret, Craven, and Pamlico.
Community News

Student loan defaults are a big barrier to prison education. The government is offering new help.

August 26, 2022
By:
Charlotte West and Ryan Moser

Outside of the “fresh start” policy, there are two ways people who have defaulted can restore their Pell eligibility. They can pay off the balance in its entirety, which can be a daunting prospect as more than 40 percent of borrowers in default owe at least $20,000. The Education Department has also established a process called rehabilitation that allows people to make nine consecutive monthly payments of at least $5.

Community News

What You Need to Know About Student Debt Cancellation

August 26, 2022
By:
Wil Del Pilar

Yesterday, the Biden administration took a bold first step to tackling the $1.7 trillion student debt crisis in this country by providing limited student debt cancellation. Already, borrowers and advocates are asking important questions for clarity on process and eligibility.
Community News

Kathy Boudin Memorial and Freedom Fund

August 25, 2022
By:

To honor Kathy's vision and ensure her legacy lives on, the Center for Justice has created the Kathy Boudin Freedom Fund to support leadership, scholarship and movement building among formerly and currently incarcerated, and directly impacted people.
Community News

More Than Half a Million People in Prison May Soon Be Able to Afford College

August 23, 2022
By:
Nicholas Turner

For the first time in nearly three decades, all academically eligible incarcerated people—regardless of sentence length or offense—will soon be able to apply for federal aid for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Community News

Technology Access in Higher Education in Prison Programs

August 23, 2022
By:
Steve Pokornowski and Kurtis Tanaka

We are excited to announce the launch of a new survey on the landscape of technology access in higher education in prison programs. This survey is a part of Ithaka S+R’s larger work on access to information for incarcerated students and the role of media review in higher education in prisons.
Community News
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