Holistic Pedagogy Behind Bars: Integrating Mind, Body, and Spirit in HBCU Higher Education in Prison

• In Event: Carceral Innovation at the Intersection of HBCU and Higher Education in Prison

Abstract

Incorporating holistic health and wellness into higher education in prison (HEP) fosters
deeper engagement, personal transformation, and collective healing. This presentation will
explore innovative strategies used in my sociology courses at Jessup Correctional Institution,
where I integrate mind, body, and spirit into academic learning. Each lecture begins with
reflective check-in questions on individual wellness, followed by transitional collective breaths
to center the scholars. Open dialogue, facilitated through the Indigenous-inspired circle process
with a talking piece, allows for the sharing of lived experiences, building trust, and reinforcing
communal learning. These creative methods promote self-awareness, emotional resilience, and
intellectual growth, aligning with HBCU traditions of holistic education and communal
empowerment. By bridging sociology with wellness, this approach challenges traditional prison
education models, affirming the humanity and agency of incarcerated scholars while fostering
their academic and personal development.

Author

• Sydni Turner, Bowie State University