Inside-Out of the Desert: Arizona’s First Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program

• In Event: The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program Across Time and Place

Abstract

The first Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program to be taught in the state of Arizona took place in the spring of 2016. The class comes as part of a rapidly evolving partnership between the Arizona Department of Corrections and Arizona State University. The purpose of this paper is to identify some of the benefits and challenges to teaching Inside-Out in the state of Arizona. It will be argued that the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program represents the epitome of the design principles of a New American University: measuring ourselves by whom we include, leveraging our place, and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural, and overall health of our communities. More broadly, this paper will focus on thinking about teaching Inside-Out as part of a larger vision that combines teaching, research, and service.

Author

• Kevin A. Wright, Arizona State University