Roundtable: Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program: The Dynamic between Instructors and Outside Students

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program (I/O) aims to bring together traditional college students and individuals serving time in a carceral setting in a classroom environment. The distinctive pedagogy of the program creates a unique dynamic whereby both inside and outside students take on a leadership role in the classroom and the instructor occupies the role of a facilitator. Outside students initially struggle with this new classroom experience, but adapt to the course structure over time. The pedagogy also requires the use of first names of everyone in the class, including instructors. This mandate, along with the student-centered pedagogy, causes a shift in the traditional power dynamic between instructors and undergraduate students. This roundtable explores what this shift in power means for outside students to take on a leadership role both in an I/O class and a traditional classroom. We will discuss how outside students transition between the two environments and how the pedagogy and experiential nature of the class affects outside students’ perspectives on the traditional classroom experience.

Sub Unit

• Area XIII: Roundtable Sessions

Division of Special Interest

• Divisions of Special Interest / Division on Corrections & Sentencing

Chair

• Katie A. Farina, Cabrini University

Discussants

• Jennifer Bulcock, Cabrini University

• Andrew Lee Owen, Cabrini University

• Vivian C Smith, Cabrini University

• Morgan Comolli, Cabrini University

• Maggie Javitt, Cabrini University