Transformative Learning for Our Students When They Go Behind Prison Walls

Abstract

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange allows students and others outside of prison to go behind the walls to reconsider what they have learned about crime and justice, while those on the inside are encouraged to place their life experiences in a larger framework. In the groups’ discussions, countless life lessons and realizations surface about how we as human beings operate in the world, beyond the myths and stereotypes that imprison us all. The program demonstrates the potential for dynamic collaborations between institutions of higher learning and correctional institutions.