Universities and Prison Systems: History, Policy, and Future Directions

4 credits

This course examines the involvement of higher education institutions in providing educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals. Students will achieve a better understanding of both the history and current status of prison education policies at both the federal and state levels. The focus of the course is threefold: (1) provide an overview of federal and state policies related to higher education in prison, situating these policies within broader empirical scholarship on incarceration in the United States; (2) explore moral and ethical implications of policies related to college-in-prison; and (3) consider future challenges, barriers, and opportunities within the implementation and administration of higher education programs for incarcerated students.