"We believe that, by studying together and working on issues of crime, justice, and related social concerns, those of us inside and outside of prison can catalyze the kinds of changes that will make our communities more inclusive, just, and socially sustainable."

The Program

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program is an opportunity for college students to go behind prison walls and reconsider what they have come to know about crime and justice. At the same time, it is also an opportunity for those inside prison to place their life experiences in a larger framework. The program provides college credit to those interested in legal studies and is offered at several Universities around the world. The core of the Inside-Out Program is a semester-long academic course, meeting once a week, through which 15 to 18 “outside” (undergraduate) students and the same number of “inside” (incarcerated) students attend class together inside prison. All participants read a variety of texts and write several papers; during class sessions, students discuss issues in small and large groups. In the final month of the class, students work together on a class project.Through these college classes and community exchanges, individuals on both sides of prison walls are able to engage in a collaborative, logical examination of issues of social significance through the particular lens that is the “prism of prison.”