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The Transformative Power of Education: Leveraging College in Prison Programs to Counteract Carceral Institutionalization

Fri, Nov 15, 3:30 to 4:50pm, Sierra G - 5th Level

Abstract

The Biden Administration’s Safer America Plan, Second Chance Pell Grant Expansion, and Alternatives, Rehabilitation, and Reentry Strategic Plan highlight the societal consequences of unsuccessful reentry and promote education as a strategy for creating safer communities. A meta-analysis in Prison Legal News indicated that prison-based education “resulted in a significant decrease in recidivism for prisoners” (Sanders, 2023, p. 44). The Vera Institute posits that participation in postsecondary education lowers recidivism risk by 48% (2024). The literature is also replete with examples tying carceral-based education to lowered post-release unemployment, reduced housing insecurity, and lowered correctional spending (Stickle & Schuster, 2023). Clearly, society benefits exponentially from educational programming in prisons. In the midst of lauding education for enhancing societal safety and well-being, it is easy to overlook the impact of educational opportunities on the incarcerated individual. Using the teachings of Paulo Freire as a springboard, this roundtable examines the transformative impact that prison-based education can have on students. Social work professors at a Midwestern university examine how they leveraged teaching a Human Diversity and Social Justice course in a prison to counteract experiences associated with carceral institutionalization. The presenters explore Freirean strategies for using education to promote empowerment, autonomy, humanization, and hope.

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