The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program

Congratulations, Kenny! 🎉

Introducing our 2024 Social Connectedness Fellows!

Meet Kenny Butler (he/him), holding a BA in Organizational Studies from Pitzer College and currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at Cal Poly Pomona. Deeply engaged in social justice work, Kenny is a coach and dialogue partner for the The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program and a volunteer facilitator for the Prison Education Project. He also mentors participants in the Reintegration Academy program. Recently, he undertook a Fulbright fellowship in Uganda to research the country’s recidivism rate, driven by a passion for advancing social justice inspired by his mentors.

Kenny’s project, "The Impact OF and ON Formerly Incarcerated Men and Women Who Are Involved in Inside-Out Trainings and Workshops," aims to understand the impact of Inside-Out alumni, referred to as “coaches” and “dialogue partners,” on training and workshop participants. The project also examines what these activities mean in the lives of the alumni and explores how The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program can expand these and further activities for formerly incarcerated individuals. Learn more: https://buff.ly/4cnCZ2J

Congratulations, Joe! 🎉

Learn more about Joe's research project here: https://www.socialconnectedness.org/fellowship-program/2024-fellowship-program/

Introducing our 2024 Social Connectedness Fellows!

Meet Joe Schwartz (he/him), a teaching assistant and training coach with Temple University's Inside-Out Training Institute and a reentry strategist with the Liberation Foundation Reentry program. After serving 15 years in prison, Joe dedicates himself to initiatives focused on criminal justice reform and expanding educational opportunities. He recently joined the steering committee of the Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education in Prisons - PA CHEP working to galvanize the collective efforts of colleges and universities to implement educational programs within carceral institutions. Joe believes that education invigorates dignity, humanity, and purpose, and for the justice-impacted, meaningful change is about seizing first-time opportunities.

Working with The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, Joe’s project, "The Impact OF and ON Formerly Incarcerated Men and Women Who Are Involved in Inside-Out Trainings and Workshops," aims to understand the impact of formerly incarcerated "coaches" on training participants and examine what these activities mean for the coaches themselves. Joe explores how Inside-Out can expand these activities for other formerly incarcerated individuals, promoting education as a transformative force. Learn more: https://buff.ly/4cnCZ2J

"Christians must join the freedom caravan and take part in the ongoing work of reimagining true justice."
-Dominique DuBois Gilliard

The Elkhart County Jail Ministry is proud to help facilitate the Inside Out Prison Exchange Program at the Elkhart County Jail. Every May, Goshen College brings GC students (outside students) inside the jail to study with incarcerated men and women (inside students). They take a college accredited class called Justice In Our Lives.

By the end of the 3-week class, these two groups of people who would have likely never come into meaningful contact with each other, graduate side by side, not just as classmates but also as best friends.

It continues to be one of the most meaningful opportunities offered at the Elkhart County Jail. Thank you to Sheriff Siegel for allowing it to happen, and to Goshen College for making it happen.

Join a FREE Inside-Out Course on Zoom!

📚 Course: "Storytelling- How Stories Shape Us and Our World"
🗓️ Fall 2024 (Late August to Early December)
🕰️ Wednesday evenings on Zoom
💰 NO COST
🎓 FOR CREDIT

Contact us at [email protected] or 215-204-2201 to apply or learn more! 🌟

Please share and help us spread the word!

📢 OPPORTUNITY ALERT: Free College Classes for Justice-Involved students! 📢

The course is "Storytelling- How Stories Shape Us and Our World" on Wednesday evenings on Zoom. You do not need ANY prior college experience to join! This class is also open to anyone who has previously taken an Inside-Out course.

Apply now:
[email protected] or 215-204-2201

Please share this with your network!!

Don't miss today's Zoom session with trained instructor Ashley Appleby from CT! The conversation will provide a space to discuss individual and programmatic success and challenges a year after the reinstatement of Pell Grants for incarcerated students.

Following a presentation of the recent data on the state of funding for higher education in prison programs, the floor will be open to all who attend the virtual meeting to discuss their interest and experiences navigating student enrollment and funding in the age of Pell. The goal of this conversation is to bring together Inside-Out practitioners, directors, and instructors for an open dialogue with one another.

Get the Zoom link here: https://mailchi.mp/41188bf1c7aa/july-17-zoom-insideout-pellgrants-education

Join us on Wednesday, July 17th, 4:00 - 5:15pm EST for a conversation facilitated by Ashley Appleby!

This conversation will provide a space to discuss individual and programmatic success and challenges a year after the reinstatement of Pell Grants for incarcerated students.

Following a presentation of the recent data on the state of funding for higher education in prison programs, the floor will be open to all who attend the virtual meeting to discuss their interest and experiences navigating student enrollment and funding in the age of Pell. The goal of this conversation is to bring together Inside-Out practitioners, directors, and instructors for an open dialogue with one another.

Get the Zoom Link here: https://mailchi.mp/5f2d362a8dd9/july-17-zoom

Inside-Out is coordinating a college class for formerly incarcerated people who you think may be interested in attending. Traditionally, Inside-Out classes include incarcerated people and college campus students, but this class will also include students released from prison, as well.

Join us for a course this fall with Arcadia University.

The course is "Storytelling- How Stories Shape Us and Our World" on Wednesday evenings on Zoom. The Fall 2024 Semester begins in
late August and goes on to early December.

Classes are: NO COST, ON ZOOM, FOR CREDIT

Interested? Apply now!

Contact us at:
[email protected] or 215-204-2201

Join us TODAY - Tuesday, July 2nd - from 4:00 - 5:15pm EST!

Today's Zoom Conversation will discuss the exponential growth and impact of the Australian (Victorian) prison programs over the last ten years. In 2015, Marietta Martinovic commenced the first Australian Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. From this, the first Australian prison-based Think Tank was formed, and due to the success and expansion of Inside-Out to a further seven prisons, there are now six prison-based Think Tanks in operation. Over time, as ‘inside’ students were paroled or released and were unable to remain members of the prison-based Think Tanks, a community-based Think Tank – Beyond the Stonewalls Advisory Collective (BSWAC) – was formed in 2020. To date, more than 100 robust consultations have taken place with various stakeholders, where the voices of incarcerated/ex-incarcerated people have been amplified in operational/procedural decision-making, hence leading to systemic change.

Conversation Facilitator:
Marietta Martinovic (RMIT, Australia)

Get the link to join here: https://mailchi.mp/b3f19c0c5f5b/july-2-2024-zoom

Felix Rosado joins the Chestnut Hill College community as an inspiring and unconventional adjunct professor. Just two years ago he was serving a sentence of death by incarceration (more commonly known as life without parole), from which he was freed via governor clemency after 27 years.

Rosado said that while incarcerated, he rediscovered his Catholic faith, was introduced to the concept of restorative justice, and sought to make amends for his crime by educating and serving others. Rosado finished teaching two courses this spring semester on restorative justice under the Justice Studies Department. Lauren Barrow, Ph.D., Chair, Center for Education, Advocacy & Social Justice and Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, first met Rosado at a training 10 years ago through the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program.

Read the full story here:

Felix Rosado Shares Inspirational Journey from Incarcerated to College Professor as He Joins CHC to Educate on Restorative Justice | Chestnut Hill College Felix Rosado joins the Chestnut Hill College community as an inspiring and unconventional adjunct professor. Just two years ago he was serving a sentence of death by incarceration (more commonly known as life without parole), from which he was freed via governor clemency after 27 years.

Justice-involved/formerly incarcerated people can join an online Inside-Out course this Fall. There is NO cost, but internet access and a computer are needed. Traditionally, Inside-Out classes include incarcerated people and college campus students, but this class will also include students released from prison, as well.

Join us for a course this fall with Arcadia University. The course is "Storytelling- How Stories Shape Us and Our World" on Wednesday evenings on Zoom. The Fall 2024 Semester begins in late August and goes on to early December.

Interested? Apply now - We hope to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected] or 215-204-2201

Join us today at 4PM EST!

Hosted by Haley Zettler (TX), Nadia Gutierrez (MX), and Lauren Mayes (BC), this conversation will provide an initial discussion on creating an international Inside-Out course, bringing students together across universities and cultures. It will include considerations about university partnerships, enrollment issues, correctional clearances, format, scheduling, funding, etc.

Get the link to join here: https://mailchi.mp/a82aa7438b2e/june-13-2024-zoom-session

We are excited to share the publication of a new book by one of our trained instructors, Reiko Hillyer, from Lewis & Clark College!

Titled "A Wall is Just a Wall: The Permeability of the Prison in the Twentieth-Century United States", the book draws from Hillyer's experiences teaching Inside-Out courses.

Learn more here: https://www.dukeupress.edu/a-wall-is-just-a-wall

We have another Zoom Session next week! Join us on Thursday, June 13th from 4:00 - 5:15pm EST for an initial discussion about creating an international Inside-Out course and bringing students together across universities and cultures.

Conversation Co-Facilitators:
Haley Zettler (TX), Nadia Gutierrez (MX), Lauren Mayes (BC)

Learn more about this event here: https://mailchi.mp/a82aa7438b2e/june-13-2024-zoom-session

For college senior Nana Ampofo, an unconventional book club inside one of the nation’s largest jails has transformed her career ambitions. Each week, the 22-year-old drives a van of her DePaul University peers to Cook County Jail to discuss books with inmates and recently, the well-known activist Sister Helen Prejean. Ampofo comes prepared with thought-provoking questions to launch the conversations at the Chicago jail about the most recent books they've been reading together.

One club rule is clear: Discussions about personal lives are encouraged, but no questions are permitted about why other members are in jail. “That’s part of dehumanizing people. You want people to tell you their own story and have their own autonomy,” Ampofo said. “When you go in with an open mind, you see how similar people are to you.”

The student-led volunteer effort started years ago as an offshoot of a DePaul program offering college credit classes at the jail on the city's southwest side. The book club, with a new cohort each academic quarter, tackles books that resonate personally with group members who are nearly all Black or Latino.

DePaul has offered college classes through a national program called The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program™ since 2012. Classes are held at both the Cook County Jail and the Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum security men’s prison about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago.

Read the full article here:

College students, inmates and a nun: A unique book club meets at one of the nation’s largest jails A unique book club at one of the nation's largest jails brings together college students and inmates

Graduating with a Sense of Purpose Alicia Bennett '24, a double major at Pace, is this year's NYC Campus Community Service Award recipient, in part for her dedication to helping people who are incarcerated. Find out how her passion for service shaped her journey at Pace.

Don't miss this highlight from our May Newsletter: Temple University Criminal Justice professor Tara Tripp led a Spring 2024 Inside-Out course on the theme of “Color Blind Justice/JustUS.” Inside-Out students tackled issues involving race, class, gender, and examined how those factors impact justice-based outcomes. Several students in the course are Criminal Justice majors with aspirations to attend law school or work with agencies that provide direct service to justice-involved individuals.

Read the full newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/81ad8e77c08a/inside-out-may-2024

{Ink}arcerated: Creativity Within Confinement Learn more about a few of the artists BEHIND the art from ASU's 2024 {Ink}arcerated: Creativity Within Confinement Art Show100% of art show proceeds benefit ...

Over the past couple weeks, we've received some awesome feedback from our Inside-Out Trained Instructors regarding current and former classes that they have taught over the past few years. This data is incredibly helpful as we determine how to best support our instructors around the globe.

In Spring 2024, 35 different schools reported running current classes. Of these 35 schools hosting classes in 2024, 32 different disciplines are being taught.

Here's a glimpse at some of the course titles from this Spring:
- Justice in Our Lives
- Narrating Our Stories: Culture, Society, and Identity
- Death, Dying, and Religion
- Gender, Space, and Institutions
- Restorative Storytelling
- Risk & Resilience
- Women in the Contemporary World

We’re pretty sure there have been more classes taught, so if your class isn’t reflected here, please be in touch with the Inside-Out Center via email at [email protected]!

Snapshots of Two Interns Who Are Moving On

Kit Cali, a Temple MSW student, is completing her internship with Inside-Out at the close of this semester. Kit co-facilitated the online Inside-Out course at CFCF, one of the Philadelphia Jails, working with instructor Sue Pierce of Arcadia University during the Fall 23 and Spring 24 semesters.

This unique class included college campus students, incarcerated students, and formerly incarcerated / community students. In this role, Kit coordinated the breakout sessions and co-taught a number of classes. She assisted in recruitment and outreach, as well as providing ongoing support to the community students.
Beyond that, Kit has been instrumental in surveying students in several area courses and providing reports based on the data obtained. She was also an active member of the 25th+ Anniversary Volunteer Team. Additionally, Kit participated in other events and workshops, including Temple Criminal Justice Department’s re-entry simulation and providing support in the community with the mobile arm of Why Not Prosper.

Kit brought strong organizational skills to this internship where she built on them, especially mixing social work with criminal justice. She has been a great asset to the Greater Philadelphia Area Network over the past year. Her commitment, intelligence, and strong skills will be greatly missed as she enters her final year as an MSW candidate. We wish her the very best for her future!

(Ann Schwartzman)

We have had the distinct pleasure of working with Anya Rainwater, who has interned with the Inside-Out Center since September, 2022. Anya is a Criminal Justice major, graduating summa cm laude this semester. One of Anya’s greatest achievements in her work was the timeless dedication that she put into making the 25th+ Anniversary a success.

She played a central role in organization, communication, development of the plans for the event, and the many logistics involved in moving these plans towards reality. To say that we could not have done the event without her would be an absolute understatement. Literally, she would see what had to be done and just make it happen, with a subtleness and confidence that augurs a leader in the making.

Anya also spent quite a few months working on the Resource Community website that is available to everyone who has taken an Inside-Out training. The site is meant to be a place where people can upload and download resources, but we were lacking the staff to further develop it into the dynamic space that it could be. Anya reformulated the flow of the site, gathered live links to the 40+ articles that are available there, and uploaded approximately 100 projects from all of the virtual trainings that we have held since 2020. This was a massive undertaking. We are quite sure that Anya would be honored if people took advantage of what is now available on the site.

There are a number of other things that Anya worked on, too numerous to mention. And she did all of this with an over-full course load, a part-time job, and a deep love and dedication to, of all things, ultimate frisbee. Anya has been an incredible colleague who has experience, smarts, and wisdom beyond her years to take on her journey forward. We’re excited to see what the next chapter brings.

(Lori P***a)

In February of 2024, Inside-Out Instructors Dr. Fairleigh Gilmour, Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Gender Studies at the University of Otago in Aotearoa New Zealand, and Dr. Ashley M. Appleby, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Endicott College, located in Massachusetts in the United States, visited Durham University's Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, co-directed by Drs. Hannah King and Kate O'Brien.

The visit included a trip to Kirklevington Open Prison, where the instructors, along with a group of undergraduate students, took part in an Inside-Out focused workshop inside the facility with a group of currently incarcerated men. Additionally, and together with Dr. Josie Phillips, the group was featured as a panel, titled "Teaching in Prison: International Reflections on the Value of a Critical Pedagogical Approach" at Durham University's Criminal Justice, Social Harms, and Inequalities Research Group. The group is grateful for Inside-Out in bringing them together to collaborate across the globe!

April is Second Chance Month (aka "Fresh Starts").

For many people in prison, it is the first time to try college-level classes.

Inside-Out has provided higher ed courses to people impacted by the justice system since 1997.

We need your support NOW to continue to:
- Share the Inside-Out model by training many more educators each year
- Facilitate workshops on topics that highlight social engagement
- Coordinate Zoom conversations on relevant social justice topics
- Work with Inside-Out alumni to co-facilitate workshops and trainings
- Further expand and support our global network of instructors

A snapshot of the Inside-Out Network:
- Nearly 1,500 educators who have taken an Inside-Out training
- 100s of classes each year offered across our network
- Approximately 65,000 Inside-Out alumni since 1997
- 30+ formerly incarcerated coaches working on trainings and workshops
- Two dozen think tanks throughout the world
- And growing strong!

Visit our website to support: https://insideoutcenter.org/supporting-inside-out.html

We look forward to many more years of providing higher education to members of our community!

Support the Inside-Out program through the purchase of a one-of-a-kind limited edition Inside-Out T-shirt. Please use the attached order forms to email orders to [email protected].

Special t-shirts created for the Inside-Out 25th+ anniversary event held in November 2023 are also available. T-shirts are black or purple with a full-color design and come in short-sleeved versions.

The Inside-Out Newsletter is a free, monthly online newsletter that shares Inside-Out Center updates. Each edition will contain an inside look into new and exciting projects of those involved in the program, educational opportunities, and other great articles covering the impact Inside-Out is having nationwide.

Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/gpRUEb

"Inside-Out can change the perceptions of people who will live and work in a better criminal justice system."

This article by Kevin Wright, Cassandra Philippon, Cody Telep, and Olivia Shaw examines the transformative power of Inside-Out:
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/WRUMPXWRNIGFABAHIVZ8/full?target=10.1080/10511253.2023.2182898

Learning with the Others: Perspective-Taking and the Future of Criminal Justice in the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program Alumni of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program declare their experience in the course as “life-changing.” If this impact holds true for all who have completed an Inside-Out course, the program wi...