Community News

The Alliance

Jobs for the Future’s Center for Justice and Economic Advancement Launches the PEP CTE Accelerator Network

With ECMC Foundation support, Jobs for the Future’s Center for Justice and Economic Advancement is excited to launch the PEP CTE Accelerator Network (the Network), a community of practice that will provide support implementing high-quality, credit-bearing CTE programming for people who are currently incarcerated.

February 10, 2023

Lauren Miller

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

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.

The Alliance

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

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.

January 29, 2023

Illinois Department of Corrections

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

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.

January 29, 2023

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

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.

Christopher Parker

Incarcerated Youth Are Earning College Credits in Utah

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.

Alex Gonzalez

WGU Labs Partners With Nucleos to Pilot Degree Programs for Incarcerated Learners

This partnership comes at a pivotal moment in the national higher education landscape, as eligible incarcerated individuals will again have access to Pell grants in July of 2023.

Western Governors University

How California’s Colleges Are Supporting Formerly Incarcerated Students

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

Arabel Meyer, Titus Wilkinson, Ramon Castaños, Abbie Phillips, Erik Adams

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

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.

December 11, 2022

The Alliance for Higher Education

Prison Education Programs Questions and Answers

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.

December 17, 2022

U.S. Department of Education

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

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.

December 9, 2022

Tammy Ortiz

Illinois Higher Education in Prison Task Force 2022 Report

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.

December 2, 2022

Illinois Higher Education in Prison Task Force

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

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.

December 2, 2022

Maurice Mitchell

Higher Education in Prison Program Prepares a Pathway for More Students

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.

December 16, 2022

Katy Swordfisk

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

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.

December 14, 2022

Mneesha Gellman

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

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.

November 22, 2022

Ohio University Staff Reports

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

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.

November 22, 2022

Sydney Clark

Bard Prison Initiative: College Behind Bars

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

November 22, 2022

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

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.

December 15, 2022

Erin Blasko

Department of Education: Pell Grants for Prison Education Programs

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."

December 17, 2022

U.S. Government Accountability Office

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

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.

November 17, 2022

By Katherine Knott

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

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.

November 17, 2022

By Syrita Steib

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

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.

October 20, 2022

Erin L. Castro, Caisa E. Royer, Stephanie Gaskill, Estefanie Aguilar-Padilla

To Dismantle the Prison System, We Need Viral Justice

"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...

October 20, 2022

Ruha Benjamin

National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction (NICCC)

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.

October 20, 2022

California's Best Practices: Pathways From Prison to College

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

Smart Justice Think Tank

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

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

Richard Mendel

Pamlico Community College offers incarcerated men second chances through education

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.

Katie Dukes

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

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.

Charlotte West and Ryan Moser

What You Need to Know About Student Debt Cancellation

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.

Wil Del Pilar

Kathy Boudin Memorial and Freedom Fund

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.

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

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.