The Influence of Prison-Initiated Discipline on Student Contract Rights: A Qualitative Study of Higher Education in Prison

• In Event: The School-to-Prison and Prison-to-School Pipelines: Studies of the Nexus of Schooling and the Justice System

Abstract

This qualitative study explores if and how prison disciplinary power influences the engagement of in-prison higher education and how policies can be drafted to protect incarcerated students’ rights and access to education. Over 310 institutions of higher education provide postsecondary education to incarcerated people. While non-incarcerated postsecondary students are afforded certain rights, these rights may be compromised during incarceration. Prison-initiated disciplinary decisions often have long-term academic consequences for incarcerated students. Using contract theory and a lens of educational equity, this paper documents how college-in-prison program stakeholders think about and respond to instances of disciplinary power and related tensions of student rights during confinement. Interviews were conducted with 25 prison education stakeholders, including prison staff, program staff, and alumni.

Authors

• Caisa Elizabeth Royer, University of Utah

• Erin L. Castro, University of Utah