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This reflects data from the 2025 Higher Education in Prison Census, conducted by researchers with the Prison Education Action Research Lab (PEARL) at the University of Utah. The National Directory is a snapshot in time based on when the data was collected, so it may not include every program or the latest updates.
This reflects data from the 2025 Higher Education in Prison Census, conducted by researchers with the Prison Education Action Research Lab (PEARL) at the University of Utah. The National Directory is a snapshot in time based on when the data was collected, so it may not include every program or the latest updates.
The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) is excited to announce their newest cohort of Justice Fellows, a group of 10 member organizations seeking to strengthen their support of justice-impacted students. Building on the first cohort, NCAN’s new two-year Justice Fellow Program will support college access and success programs and state higher education agencies with developing and implementing plans, tools, and programs to address the specific concerns of incarcerated and re-entering scholars as they pursue postsecondary education.
The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) is excited to announce their newest cohort of Justice Fellows, a group of 10 member organizations seeking to strengthen their support of justice-impacted students. Building on the first cohort, NCAN’s new two-year Justice Fellow Program will support college access and success programs and state higher education agencies with developing and implementing plans, tools, and programs to address the specific concerns of incarcerated and re-entering scholars as they pursue postsecondary education.
The Rise Up Steering Committee is seeking directly impacted scholars, educators, advocates, organizers, and leaders who are ready to help shape the future of higher education in prison and beyond. The Rise Up conference is a virtual event featuring directly impacted presenters on topics related to higher education in prison.
The Rise Up Steering Committee is seeking directly impacted scholars, educators, advocates, organizers, and leaders who are ready to help shape the future of higher education in prison and beyond. The Rise Up conference is a virtual event featuring directly impacted presenters on topics related to higher education in prison.
Formerly known as the Teaching Forward Fellowship, the Career Pathways Fellowship is a paid professional development opportunity designed to support emerging leaders through hands-on experience, career skill-building, and personal and leadership development. Grounded in SUNY’s commitment to equity, community impact, and expanding opportunity, this fellowship helps prepare participants for long-term success and meaningful engagement in their communities. Apply by August 7th for the Fall 2026 Fellowship (September-December)
Formerly known as the Teaching Forward Fellowship, the Career Pathways Fellowship is a paid professional development opportunity designed to support emerging leaders through hands-on experience, career skill-building, and personal and leadership development. Grounded in SUNY’s commitment to equity, community impact, and expanding opportunity, this fellowship helps prepare participants for long-term success and meaningful engagement in their communities. Apply by August 7th for the Fall 2026 Fellowship (September-December)
Workforce Pell officially took effect July 1, opening a new stream of federal aid to students in short-term credential programs. For prison education, though, the deadline has come and gone without much change. The program’s basic design — focused on fast completion and quick job placement — wasn’t built with incarcerated students in mind. None of that means Workforce Pell is off-limits for prison education. But a stack of structural barriers, some specific to corrections settings and some due to the general requirements, mean it will likely take much longer to reach students inside prisons.
Workforce Pell officially took effect July 1, opening a new stream of federal aid to students in short-term credential programs. For prison education, though, the deadline has come and gone without much change. The program’s basic design — focused on fast completion and quick job placement — wasn’t built with incarcerated students in mind. None of that means Workforce Pell is off-limits for prison education. But a stack of structural barriers, some specific to corrections settings and some due to the general requirements, mean it will likely take much longer to reach students inside prisons.
With Pell Grant eligibility restored, more colleges are expanding programs in prisons. But one critical question remains: how are these programs funded, and how do we make them sustainable? RTI is launching a new study, supported by Ascendium's Education Philanthropy, to better understand how college programs in prisons are financed—so institutions and corrections agencies can build and sustain high-quality programs.
With Pell Grant eligibility restored, more colleges are expanding programs in prisons. But one critical question remains: how are these programs funded, and how do we make them sustainable? RTI is launching a new study, supported by Ascendium's Education Philanthropy, to better understand how college programs in prisons are financed—so institutions and corrections agencies can build and sustain high-quality programs.
After a brief overview of the study’s methods and data, we present a portrait of the field: What services and materials do law libraries provide to incarcerated patrons? How do they communicate with them? What volume of requests do they receive, and how much staff time do they devote to this work? What relationships do they maintain with correctional agencies and individual facilities? The second half of the report turns to the experiences of the librarians themselves. Drawing on interview data, we examine the challenges they face, the innovations and effective practices they have developed, and the lessons they believe may be useful to others engaged in this work.
After a brief overview of the study’s methods and data, we present a portrait of the field: What services and materials do law libraries provide to incarcerated patrons? How do they communicate with them? What volume of requests do they receive, and how much staff time do they devote to this work? What relationships do they maintain with correctional agencies and individual facilities? The second half of the report turns to the experiences of the librarians themselves. Drawing on interview data, we examine the challenges they face, the innovations and effective practices they have developed, and the lessons they believe may be useful to others engaged in this work.
Jobs for the Future (JFF), the Correctional Education Association (CEA), and the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison (the Alliance) have formed a strategic partnership to continue and build upon the legacy of the past four cohorts of the Corrections Education-to-Employment Leadership Academy (CELA), previously led by the Vera Institute of Justice. Now embedded as a Stakeholder Leadership Network within JFF’s Fair Chance to Advance (FC2A) Initiative, this next generation of the CELA cohort experience will focus on developing the capacities of education-in-corrections leaders to: leverage their roles within an individual agency or institution, modernize the delivery of postsecondary education within correctional facilities, and act as key players shaping their states’ broader fair chance ecosystem through the intentional development of education-to-employment pathways that lead to quality jobs with opportunities for economic advancement.
Jobs for the Future (JFF), the Correctional Education Association (CEA), and the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison (the Alliance) have formed a strategic partnership to continue and build upon the legacy of the past four cohorts of the Corrections Education-to-Employment Leadership Academy (CELA), previously led by the Vera Institute of Justice. Now embedded as a Stakeholder Leadership Network within JFF’s Fair Chance to Advance (FC2A) Initiative, this next generation of the CELA cohort experience will focus on developing the capacities of education-in-corrections leaders to: leverage their roles within an individual agency or institution, modernize the delivery of postsecondary education within correctional facilities, and act as key players shaping their states’ broader fair chance ecosystem through the intentional development of education-to-employment pathways that lead to quality jobs with opportunities for economic advancement.
The University of Utah Prison Education Project (UPEP) is convening a national cohort of higher education in prison programs to build Student Centers in women’s designated prisons. Over the course of three years, cohort members will collaborate to refine a scalable, student-led model of educational support inside prisons. UPEP’s Student Center model emphasizes leadership development, collective learning, consensus decision-making, and student empowerment. In the first year, cohort participants will learn about the model through Zoom calls and in-person training at the University of Utah. Participating programs will receive $20,000 per year ($40,000 total) to support the development of their Student Centers. Ideally, these funds will be dedicated to compensating incarcerated Education Advocates running Student Centers, ensuring their leadership and labor are formally recognized and supported. Applications due August 1st.
The University of Utah Prison Education Project (UPEP) is convening a national cohort of higher education in prison programs to build Student Centers in women’s designated prisons. Over the course of three years, cohort members will collaborate to refine a scalable, student-led model of educational support inside prisons. UPEP’s Student Center model emphasizes leadership development, collective learning, consensus decision-making, and student empowerment. In the first year, cohort participants will learn about the model through Zoom calls and in-person training at the University of Utah. Participating programs will receive $20,000 per year ($40,000 total) to support the development of their Student Centers. Ideally, these funds will be dedicated to compensating incarcerated Education Advocates running Student Centers, ensuring their leadership and labor are formally recognized and supported. Applications due August 1st.
Since the 1990s, the community of scholar-activists who have had contact with the criminal legal system has grown rapidly, solidifying into an international movement. Drawing on in-depth conversations with system-affected academics as well as his own experience with incarceration, Grant E. Tietjen traces the history, positive impacts, and future promise of this movement. By offering networks of support to system-affected people seeking higher education and using the perspectives afforded them by their lived experiences to push their disciplines forward, the movement effects reciprocal changes between the individual and the entire institution of higher education. These changes, Tietjen argues, ripple outward and stand to contribute to the wider movement against carceral responses to harm.
Since the 1990s, the community of scholar-activists who have had contact with the criminal legal system has grown rapidly, solidifying into an international movement. Drawing on in-depth conversations with system-affected academics as well as his own experience with incarceration, Grant E. Tietjen traces the history, positive impacts, and future promise of this movement. By offering networks of support to system-affected people seeking higher education and using the perspectives afforded them by their lived experiences to push their disciplines forward, the movement effects reciprocal changes between the individual and the entire institution of higher education. These changes, Tietjen argues, ripple outward and stand to contribute to the wider movement against carceral responses to harm.
Philanthropic funders increasingly seek to understand how lived experience shapes leadership and program design, especially for work supporting people impacted by incarceration. Nonetheless, there is a lack of clear guidance on how to define, measure, and responsibly collect information about grantees’ lived experience. The overarching goal of the initiative is to provide recommendations for collecting such data.
Philanthropic funders increasingly seek to understand how lived experience shapes leadership and program design, especially for work supporting people impacted by incarceration. Nonetheless, there is a lack of clear guidance on how to define, measure, and responsibly collect information about grantees’ lived experience. The overarching goal of the initiative is to provide recommendations for collecting such data.
Drew Hanchett has always loved to cook. So when he found a culinary curriculum on his tablet while sitting in a cot in a county jail in Tucson, Arizona — videos on French knife skills, sauces, butchery — he worked through all of it. “I was so happy to find a course on something I was already passionate about,” he said. Hanchett had no idea that, more than a year later, completing that curriculum would land him in Cleveland, enrolled in an in-person culinary training program. Hanchett is one of about 120 people EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute has flown to Cleveland after completing the program’s tablet-based curriculum. The course is now available through Edovo, an educational app available on prison tablets in almost every state.
Drew Hanchett has always loved to cook. So when he found a culinary curriculum on his tablet while sitting in a cot in a county jail in Tucson, Arizona — videos on French knife skills, sauces, butchery — he worked through all of it. “I was so happy to find a course on something I was already passionate about,” he said. Hanchett had no idea that, more than a year later, completing that curriculum would land him in Cleveland, enrolled in an in-person culinary training program. Hanchett is one of about 120 people EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute has flown to Cleveland after completing the program’s tablet-based curriculum. The course is now available through Edovo, an educational app available on prison tablets in almost every state.
When a prison education program fails, the visible explanation is usually something at the program level: underfunding, faculty turnover, institutional indifference. But what a series of practitioner interviews conducted by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers earlier this year suggests is that the most consequential failures happen earlier and quieter—in the design stage, before a single student enrolls, when the professionals best equipped to prevent those failures were never invited to the table.
When a prison education program fails, the visible explanation is usually something at the program level: underfunding, faculty turnover, institutional indifference. But what a series of practitioner interviews conducted by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers earlier this year suggests is that the most consequential failures happen earlier and quieter—in the design stage, before a single student enrolls, when the professionals best equipped to prevent those failures were never invited to the table.
Texas 2036’s Opening Doors research series tracks the expansion of higher education opportunities in Texas prisons and highlights efforts to strengthen the workforce, reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for Texans returning home. This report documents significant growth potential in prison higher education programs across Texas while identifying opportunities to expand access for thousands more eligible students.
Texas 2036’s Opening Doors research series tracks the expansion of higher education opportunities in Texas prisons and highlights efforts to strengthen the workforce, reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for Texans returning home. This report documents significant growth potential in prison higher education programs across Texas while identifying opportunities to expand access for thousands more eligible students.
California prisons have given 30,000 laptops to incarcerated students. People who are incarcerated say using technology prepares them to enter the workforce. As community colleges start replacing correspondence courses by mail with online-only classes, students and professors debate whether this type of learning is any more effective.
California prisons have given 30,000 laptops to incarcerated students. People who are incarcerated say using technology prepares them to enter the workforce. As community colleges start replacing correspondence courses by mail with online-only classes, students and professors debate whether this type of learning is any more effective.
The International Journal for Creativity Inside (IJCI), established in 2025, is a not-for-profit, open-access journal dedicated to exploring and promoting the role of creativity in prisons and jails worldwide through a cross-disciplinary perspective. Its mission, in brief, is to highlight, support, and expand the value of creativity within carceral systems to people in prison and to society. Toward this end, IJCI will advance knowledge and public discourse on the role of creativity in carceral institutions globally by publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarly research and practice-based explorations along with curated, insightful perspectives, creative work, and book reviews related to artistic, literary, and other creative endeavors within carceral settings. IJCI will be freely available online, and its operations will be sustained through volunteer editors.
The International Journal for Creativity Inside (IJCI), established in 2025, is a not-for-profit, open-access journal dedicated to exploring and promoting the role of creativity in prisons and jails worldwide through a cross-disciplinary perspective. Its mission, in brief, is to highlight, support, and expand the value of creativity within carceral systems to people in prison and to society. Toward this end, IJCI will advance knowledge and public discourse on the role of creativity in carceral institutions globally by publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarly research and practice-based explorations along with curated, insightful perspectives, creative work, and book reviews related to artistic, literary, and other creative endeavors within carceral settings. IJCI will be freely available online, and its operations will be sustained through volunteer editors.
The FICGN Success Coach Program pairs formerly incarcerated professionals and higher ed in prison alumni with students navigating the transition from incarceration to college enrollment. Coaches provide support in reentry plan development and goal accountability across a ten-month relationship. Students also receive in-person campus support from Peer Mentors and access to wraparound reentry services through community partners. FICGN is recruiting formerly incarcerated college graduates ready to put their experience to work in a structured, paid role. FICGN provides the training; you’ll bring the lived knowledge of what it takes to complete in-prison or in reentry.
The FICGN Success Coach Program pairs formerly incarcerated professionals and higher ed in prison alumni with students navigating the transition from incarceration to college enrollment. Coaches provide support in reentry plan development and goal accountability across a ten-month relationship. Students also receive in-person campus support from Peer Mentors and access to wraparound reentry services through community partners. FICGN is recruiting formerly incarcerated college graduates ready to put their experience to work in a structured, paid role. FICGN provides the training; you’ll bring the lived knowledge of what it takes to complete in-prison or in reentry.
Maureen Onyelobi and Jeffery Young graduated with ABA-approved juris doctor degrees from Mitchell Hamline School of Law on May 30, 2026, making them the first two people to graduate law school while incarcerated in the United States. The two students attended Mitchell Hamline School of Law remotely from Minnesota correctional facilities and graduated virtually on May 30, 2026 along with the 325 students in their graduating class.
Maureen Onyelobi and Jeffery Young graduated with ABA-approved juris doctor degrees from Mitchell Hamline School of Law on May 30, 2026, making them the first two people to graduate law school while incarcerated in the United States. The two students attended Mitchell Hamline School of Law remotely from Minnesota correctional facilities and graduated virtually on May 30, 2026 along with the 325 students in their graduating class.
Every year more than 7,600 women are released from Maine prisons and jails. Having a criminal record can make it more challenging to find a job and stable housing. Some women struggle to regain custody of their children. Others lack emotional support as they confront feelings of inadequacy and isolation. But a Maine-based nonprofit called Reentry Sisters is trying to change that by building a community of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women one sister at a time.
Every year more than 7,600 women are released from Maine prisons and jails. Having a criminal record can make it more challenging to find a job and stable housing. Some women struggle to regain custody of their children. Others lack emotional support as they confront feelings of inadequacy and isolation. But a Maine-based nonprofit called Reentry Sisters is trying to change that by building a community of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women one sister at a time.
What happens when the educational opportunities for incarcerated learners are fundamentally changed by the passage of education reform legislation? Prior research has demonstrated that gains have been made in enrollment and transfer since the passage of the AB 705 among non-incarcerated learners, but little is known about how these reforms have impacted the experiences and outcomes of incarcerated learners. In this research brief, the authors present context for understanding the intersections between developmental education and higher education in prison in California, additional preliminary findings, and implications for research and practice.
What happens when the educational opportunities for incarcerated learners are fundamentally changed by the passage of education reform legislation? Prior research has demonstrated that gains have been made in enrollment and transfer since the passage of the AB 705 among non-incarcerated learners, but little is known about how these reforms have impacted the experiences and outcomes of incarcerated learners. In this research brief, the authors present context for understanding the intersections between developmental education and higher education in prison in California, additional preliminary findings, and implications for research and practice.
SUNY OHEP is inviting submissions for the Teaching in Prison Conference, taking place October 19–21, 2026 at SUNY Ulster. This gathering brings together educators, practitioners, justice-impacted individuals, and advocates to share knowledge, strengthen practices, and build community across the field. Proposals can be submitted across a range of tracks, including Student Engagement & Supports, Partnership & Relationship Building, Pedagogical Theory and Practice, and Practitioner Learning.
SUNY OHEP is inviting submissions for the Teaching in Prison Conference, taking place October 19–21, 2026 at SUNY Ulster. This gathering brings together educators, practitioners, justice-impacted individuals, and advocates to share knowledge, strengthen practices, and build community across the field. Proposals can be submitted across a range of tracks, including Student Engagement & Supports, Partnership & Relationship Building, Pedagogical Theory and Practice, and Practitioner Learning.
RVA's Got Issues is VPM's award-winning podcast exploring the politics and big issues in the news that are defining life in and around Richmond, Virginia. We used to do higher education in Virginia prisons, but not so much anymore. What happened? And what’s being done now... to bring it back? This episode features: Terri Erwin (Director) and Kenneth Hunter (Organizer) with the Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison, and Scott Richeson (Deputy Director of the Division of Programs, Education and Reentry) and Zacc Allen (Chief Information Officer) for the Virginia Department of Corrections.
RVA's Got Issues is VPM's award-winning podcast exploring the politics and big issues in the news that are defining life in and around Richmond, Virginia. We used to do higher education in Virginia prisons, but not so much anymore. What happened? And what’s being done now... to bring it back? This episode features: Terri Erwin (Director) and Kenneth Hunter (Organizer) with the Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison, and Scott Richeson (Deputy Director of the Division of Programs, Education and Reentry) and Zacc Allen (Chief Information Officer) for the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Sitting among a sea of students in black caps and gowns at the University of Maine commencement ceremony last May, Victoria Scott was tense. Crowds make her anxious. A lot of things do. “Some of you took a straight path,” one of the speakers was saying. “Others took a few scenic detours.” For Scott, now 33, the word “detour” couldn’t begin to cover it.
Sitting among a sea of students in black caps and gowns at the University of Maine commencement ceremony last May, Victoria Scott was tense. Crowds make her anxious. A lot of things do. “Some of you took a straight path,” one of the speakers was saying. “Others took a few scenic detours.” For Scott, now 33, the word “detour” couldn’t begin to cover it.
This national landscape analysis represents the first comprehensive examination of public higher education systems’ role in prison education and reentry programs across the United States. Through 45 interviews spanning 18 states with higher education in prison (HEP) administrators, reentry program administrators, and justice-impacted students, this study reveals how systems support incarcerated and justice-impacted students from enrollment through their post-release campus transition. This research demonstrates that system-level coordination, support, and leadership are essential for building comprehensive and sustainable HEP programming throughout the state. HEP programs must be recognized as integral system components rather than siloed programs, and reentry services must be embedded within the system with adequate resources to address students’ educational and basic needs throughout their college careers.
This national landscape analysis represents the first comprehensive examination of public higher education systems’ role in prison education and reentry programs across the United States. Through 45 interviews spanning 18 states with higher education in prison (HEP) administrators, reentry program administrators, and justice-impacted students, this study reveals how systems support incarcerated and justice-impacted students from enrollment through their post-release campus transition. This research demonstrates that system-level coordination, support, and leadership are essential for building comprehensive and sustainable HEP programming throughout the state. HEP programs must be recognized as integral system components rather than siloed programs, and reentry services must be embedded within the system with adequate resources to address students’ educational and basic needs throughout their college careers.
Although education is recognized as a fundamental human right under international conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), opportunities, particularly at the post-secondary level, remain scarce in practice. In many countries, only a very small proportion of incarcerated individuals participate in formal higher education programmes, despite the fact that a substantially larger share meets the eligibility criteria for such study. If we are serious about equity, this must change.
Although education is recognized as a fundamental human right under international conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), opportunities, particularly at the post-secondary level, remain scarce in practice. In many countries, only a very small proportion of incarcerated individuals participate in formal higher education programmes, despite the fact that a substantially larger share meets the eligibility criteria for such study. If we are serious about equity, this must change.
Ithaka S+R is excited to announce a new, three-year research project examining accessibility issues and disability services in higher education in prison programs. Made possible by funding from ECMC Foundation, this project will explore how accessibility considerations and disability services are implemented in carceral settings. It will also identify key barriers higher education institutions and correctional agencies face in providing effective support. By moving in three discrete phases designed to describe the problem landscape, document existing practices and service gaps, and collaboratively develop interventions, this project will advance field-wide knowledge and build the informal infrastructure to sustain learning and action well beyond its three year lifespan.
Ithaka S+R is excited to announce a new, three-year research project examining accessibility issues and disability services in higher education in prison programs. Made possible by funding from ECMC Foundation, this project will explore how accessibility considerations and disability services are implemented in carceral settings. It will also identify key barriers higher education institutions and correctional agencies face in providing effective support. By moving in three discrete phases designed to describe the problem landscape, document existing practices and service gaps, and collaboratively develop interventions, this project will advance field-wide knowledge and build the informal infrastructure to sustain learning and action well beyond its three year lifespan.
In April 2026, Incarceration Nations Network (INN) established by Baz Dreisinger convened a landmark global gathering in Cape Town, marking the international launch of the Global Freedom Consulting Agency (GF Consulting). This three-day event brought together policymakers, academics, and activists from more than 25 countries, signaling a paradigmatic shift in how expertise in criminal justice reform is conceptualized and mobilized. Launching the world’s first consulting agency composed of formerly incarcerated people from around the world, this event was the first of its kind.
In April 2026, Incarceration Nations Network (INN) established by Baz Dreisinger convened a landmark global gathering in Cape Town, marking the international launch of the Global Freedom Consulting Agency (GF Consulting). This three-day event brought together policymakers, academics, and activists from more than 25 countries, signaling a paradigmatic shift in how expertise in criminal justice reform is conceptualized and mobilized. Launching the world’s first consulting agency composed of formerly incarcerated people from around the world, this event was the first of its kind.
Applications for the latest cycle of our book donation program are now open! Prison Education Book Connection, a program in partnership with W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., supports the field of higher education in prison by providing free, high-quality textbooks to incarcerated learners across the country. Approximately 140 titles from 10 academic disciplines are available for donation in this cycle, and all books will be shipped in time for the Fall 2026 semester! Application deadline is June 7, 2026.
Applications for the latest cycle of our book donation program are now open! Prison Education Book Connection, a program in partnership with W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., supports the field of higher education in prison by providing free, high-quality textbooks to incarcerated learners across the country. Approximately 140 titles from 10 academic disciplines are available for donation in this cycle, and all books will be shipped in time for the Fall 2026 semester! Application deadline is June 7, 2026.
Starting July 1, Workforce Pell will extend Pell Grants to short-term training programs for the first time. That's a real opportunity for the 1.1 million people in state prisons, where the short, credential-focused format fits the time many students have inside. Whether they actually benefit depends on the proposed accountability rule now being finalized. This article outlines three targeted rule changes that would ensure Workforce Pell works for incarcerated students.
Starting July 1, Workforce Pell will extend Pell Grants to short-term training programs for the first time. That's a real opportunity for the 1.1 million people in state prisons, where the short, credential-focused format fits the time many students have inside. Whether they actually benefit depends on the proposed accountability rule now being finalized. This article outlines three targeted rule changes that would ensure Workforce Pell works for incarcerated students.
Internships are an important part of the college experience for many students, but a rare opportunity for students in college-in-prison programs. However, advances in remote work technology are expanding possibilities for incarcerated students to build out their resumes. Paid internships help students save money to support themselves and set them up to secure well-paying jobs after release, making it more likely that they will be able to break the cycle of incarceration. Read Erica Orta’s story in this article outlining Vera's experience hosting a paid internship for incarcerated learners.
Internships are an important part of the college experience for many students, but a rare opportunity for students in college-in-prison programs. However, advances in remote work technology are expanding possibilities for incarcerated students to build out their resumes. Paid internships help students save money to support themselves and set them up to secure well-paying jobs after release, making it more likely that they will be able to break the cycle of incarceration. Read Erica Orta’s story in this article outlining Vera's experience hosting a paid internship for incarcerated learners.
Listen to the hosts of Creative Conversations: Healing from Within Through the Arts podcast recorded in Grafton Correctional Institution as they speak with three NCHEP attendees, who visited the prison in Grafton, OH on a Site Visit on April 8th, 2026. Together, they talk about the 15th National Conference on Higher Education in Prison in Cleveland, discuss the importance of access to the arts in prisons, and share some quotes and color associations.
Listen to the hosts of Creative Conversations: Healing from Within Through the Arts podcast recorded in Grafton Correctional Institution as they speak with three NCHEP attendees, who visited the prison in Grafton, OH on a Site Visit on April 8th, 2026. Together, they talk about the 15th National Conference on Higher Education in Prison in Cleveland, discuss the importance of access to the arts in prisons, and share some quotes and color associations.
A recent study of formerly incarcerated individuals reveals education as a form of self-care that drives resilience and a unique pathway out of the criminal justice system. Participants emphasize the need for robust reentry support, including housing and mentorship, to facilitate educational success. Key policy implications include expanding educational access, strengthening reentry programs, integrating education with employment, enhancing data collection, and maximizing federal funding. Investing in education for justice-impacted individuals is crucial for reducing recidivism and creating a more equitable society. Author note: Maine has joined Reentry 2030 (reentry2030.org), which could directly address some of the recommendations addressed in the article.
A recent study of formerly incarcerated individuals reveals education as a form of self-care that drives resilience and a unique pathway out of the criminal justice system. Participants emphasize the need for robust reentry support, including housing and mentorship, to facilitate educational success. Key policy implications include expanding educational access, strengthening reentry programs, integrating education with employment, enhancing data collection, and maximizing federal funding. Investing in education for justice-impacted individuals is crucial for reducing recidivism and creating a more equitable society. Author note: Maine has joined Reentry 2030 (reentry2030.org), which could directly address some of the recommendations addressed in the article.
Applications are now open for the 2026-2027 cohort of the Corrections Education-to-Employment Leadership Academy (CELA), hosted by Jobs for the Future (JFF), the Correctional Education Association (CEA), and the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison (the Alliance). Embedded within JFF’s Fair Chance to Advance (FC2A) initiative, CELA is a competitive, yearlong professional development experience designed to equip emerging leaders in prison-based education to strengthen and expand high-quality programs, build powerful cross-sector partnerships, and drive systems-level change in correctional education. Leaders from correctional agencies, colleges, and universities that administer or oversee postsecondary programs in prison are encouraged to apply. This is a great opportunity to grow your leadership and amplify your impact. Applications close May 7th.
Applications are now open for the 2026-2027 cohort of the Corrections Education-to-Employment Leadership Academy (CELA), hosted by Jobs for the Future (JFF), the Correctional Education Association (CEA), and the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison (the Alliance). Embedded within JFF’s Fair Chance to Advance (FC2A) initiative, CELA is a competitive, yearlong professional development experience designed to equip emerging leaders in prison-based education to strengthen and expand high-quality programs, build powerful cross-sector partnerships, and drive systems-level change in correctional education. Leaders from correctional agencies, colleges, and universities that administer or oversee postsecondary programs in prison are encouraged to apply. This is a great opportunity to grow your leadership and amplify your impact. Applications close May 7th.
