A Decade of Inside-Out in Ohio

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

Abstract

For a decade, Xavier University has offered the Inside Out program in a level-3 male institution each spring. Three years ago, Xavier began to offer a second course each fall in a neighboring institution. Although working with two different prisons and administrations has provided some unique challenges to successfully running the program, the close proximity of the prisons (one mile apart) has also provided some interesting benefits for the students enrolled in the course. Over ten years, the course has grown substantially with the addition of an overnight incarcerative experience for the outside students, new course assignments, innovative class projects, and a desire to expand the program further to a nearby women’s level 4/5 institution. With the longstanding relationship between the Inside Out Program and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, we are fortunate to have the flexibility to attempt innovative and unique exercises in our course and have them continually evolve.

Author

• Cheryl Lero Jonson, Xavier University