Topic: Justice initiatives
Blog Post
September 25, 2023
Accessibility and Disability Services in Postsecondary Education in Prison Programming
An Interview with Jenifer Montag
This is the second post in our series spotlighting the complex and challenging situation regarding disabilities, accessibility, and accommodations in postsecondary education in prison programs. Read the first entry and announcement of the series. We recently spoke with Dr. Jenifer K. Montag, director of disability services at Marion Technical College, about her work as a researcher-practitioner, the challenges of providing disability services to postsecondary students in prison, and what needs to change for equitable access to education inside. To…
Blog Post
September 11, 2023
Building College-Community Partnerships for Reentry
New ECMC Foundation Funding to Support Higher Education After Incarceration
Higher education in prison programs are receiving significant attention in light of the restoration of Pell grants, but the provision of reentry support and continuing education post release has only recently become a focus of the field. From complex college application systems and financial aid processes to meeting basic needs, students face a range of obstacles that may prevent them from completing their degrees after incarceration. Building pathways that specifically support students in achieving their educational goals post-release will be…
Past Event
September 29, 2023
Pell 101
Information for Librarians and Those Serving People in Prison
As of July 1, 2023, people who are incarcerated are once again eligible to receive the federal Pell grant, ending an almost 30 year ban. While this represents a long sought victory for advocates working to expand access to postsecondary educational opportunities inside, the process by which Pell restoration is being implemented is complex, involving many stakeholders across Departments of Corrections, colleges and universities, accreditors, and federal agencies. People who are incarcerated will be the critical stakeholders in ensuring access…
Blog Post
September 7, 2023
Technology in Higher Education in Prison Programs Survey Report Released
Ithaka S+R has published the results of a first-of-its-kind, nationwide survey of technology access in higher education in prison programs. You can read the full report findings, discussion, and recommendations here, as well as a condensed version of the key findings and figures. Important Information for a Field in Flux In July, the FAFSA Simplification Act went into effect, reinstating federal Pell grant funding for students who are incarcerated, and it is expected to increase access to…
Research Report
September 7, 2023
Technology in Higher Education in Prison Programs
A Report on Survey Findings
In an effort to make visible the national landscape of access to educational technology in prison education programs, Ithaka S+R launched a national survey in the fall of 2022. The survey asked respondents about student access to technology in their higher education in prison program, collecting demographic information before focusing on four thematic areas: technological devices, learning management systems and software, network connection and internet access, and future technology plans.
Research Report
September 7, 2023
Technology in Higher Education in Prison Programs: Key Findings and Figures
This report includes the key findings from the technology in higher education in prisons survey that Ithaka S+R fielded in 2022. The survey focused on four thematic areas: technological devices, learning management systems and software, network connectivity or internet access, and future information technology plans.
Upcoming Event
October 12, 2023
The American Prison, a Site of Digital Exclusion
Digital Inclusion Research Forum
Mass incarceration impacts millions of Americans and its toll on families and communities of color is exacerbated by the digital exclusion of people in prison. When the digital divide is the prison wall, there are special challenges in conducting research that might inform effective interventions. Nonetheless, highlighting existing research and the opportunities for advancing digital inclusion at this critical moment has the potential to unlock opportunity for people in prison nationwide. At a session at the…
Past Event
August 23, 2023
Education Technology in Prison Programs
Survey Finding & Building the Technology Ecosystem
Technological solutions to support and enhance correctional education have been a growing area of interest over the past several years. A series of major “shocks to the system,” such as COVID, staffing shortages, and soon, the restoration of Pell grants, has only accelerated questions about technology, its implementation, and proper role in supporting education. To help answer these questions, a session at the Correctional Education Association Conference, led by representatives from RTI and Ithaka S+R, will present recent research…
Blog Post
July 26, 2023
Disability, Accessibility, and Higher Education in Prisons
Earlier this month, the FAFSA Simplification Act restored federal Pell grant funding for students who are incarcerated in US prisons. This has driven excitement about higher education in prisons, with pieces celebrating the revised policy in Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education. While this is unequivocally good news, it is important to understand that full Pell reinstatement is propelling, and arriving amidst, rapid change in higher education in prisons,…
Blog Post
June 5, 2023
Humanizing Language in Policy
This is the third and final entry in a series of blog posts reflecting on findings from our recent report on state media review directives, Security and Censorship. The first blog post announced the report publication, offered key findings, and emphasized how the research connects to broader debates about education, censorship, and policy. The second blog post zoomed in on the report recommendations and model policy, highlighting aspects of the report that may be of most interest…
Past Event
May 24, 2023
The Role of Technical Assistant Providers in Higher Education in Prison
On May 24-25, Ithaka S+R’s Managing Director, Catharine Bond Hill, and Senior Program Manager for Justice Initiatives, Kurtis Tanaka, took part in a summit in Nashville, hosted by the Alliance for Higher Education in Prisons with support from Ascendium Education Group, on the role of technical assistance (TA) providers in the field of higher education in prisons (HEP). With the restoration of Pell grants for incarcerated students right around the corner, there is urgent need to convene intermediaries to discuss…
Blog Post
April 20, 2023
Media Review Directive Model Policy
In Security and Censorship: A Comparative Analysis of State Department of Corrections Media Review Policies, we examined media review directives from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, analyzing common policies, procedures, and language across these documents. Based on this analysis, we recommend a series of changes to media review directives and related policy. We believe that the suggested changes will benefit departments of corrections (DOC) by streamlining procedures and improving communication with people who are incarcerated. The…
Blog Post
April 20, 2023
Education, Information, and Security
Key Findings and Context from New Report on Prison Media Review Policies
With federal Pell grant funding set to resume for college students in prison, higher education in prison programs sit at a critical juncture. As students in prison gain access to additional educational programming, how can we ensure that the courses and curricula they receive are comparable to offerings on the outside? One necessary step is to ensure that the same quality course materials and readings are available. Under the current media review policies of many departments of corrections (DOC), we…
Research Report
April 20, 2023
Security and Censorship
A Comparative Analysis of State Department of Corrections Media Review Policies
Despite resurgent public interest in censorship issues, research and reporting on prison censorship policies remain largely localized, with few wide-scale studies of the issue. The highly decentralized nature of the carceral system in the United States complicate such an undertaking. In an effort to make available policy information more accessible and to develop a sense of how censorship policies might impact higher education in prisons, Ithaka S+R examined media review directives across all 50 states and Washington DC.
Past Event
March 24, 2023
Innovation in Access and Equity for Incarcerated People in Massachusetts
On March 24 at 11 am ET, Ithaka S+R’s Kurtis Tanaka will speak on a panel at Emerson College’s Education in Prison Conference alongside Robert Tynes and Sally Davidson. The panel is titled, “What Does the Date Tell Us?” The conference will look at the social and economic benefits of providing college in prison in Massachusetts and nationally, including leading analysts and policy-makers alongside college-in-prison alumni, and keynote speaker Reginald Dwayne Betts on how college-in-prison is part of a new…
Blog Post
January 12, 2023
Preserving Their Stories: Archiving Mass Incarceration
A New NEH-Funded Project
We’re thrilled to announce that the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), through its Research and Development Program, has granted funding to a new Ithaka S+R project to explore how the stories of people who are justice impacted can best be preserved and develop strategies to make these first-hand experiences of mass incarceration accessible. In partnership with the Justice Arts Coalition (JAC), “Preserving Their Stories” will explore how creative works generated by people in prison circulate beyond prison…
Past Event
March 16, 2023
Serving 500,000 New Students
Planning for Pell Restoration for Incarcerated College Students
Effective July 2023 incarcerated people will again be eligible to receive Pell grants to support their education, ending a 29 year ban. How will academic libraries support an estimated 500,000 newly eligible students in prison? This panel at ACRL 2023 brings together practitioners and researchers from a public, academic, and college in prison program library to discuss how libraries are currently providing services, and to share strategies for providing library access to college students who are currently incarcerated. Recognizing the…
Blog Post
December 6, 2022
What Colleges Need to Know About Reentry
Takeaways from the Education Justice Project's Reentry Guide
The Education Justice Project (EJP) recently released its “National 2022 Interactive Reentry Guide, Mapping Your Future.” With the restoration of Pell funding for students in prison set to take effect July 1, 2023, it will be more important than ever for colleges and universities to build their awareness of the reentry process and the resources these students will need to support their success.
Past Event
December 13, 2022
Inspiration, Knowledge and Curiosity While Incarcerated
On Tuesday, December 13 at 7:00 – 8:30 pm, Ithaka S+R’s Kurtis Tanaka will participate in a San Francisco Public Library panel on “Inspiration, Knowledge and Curiosity While Incarcerated.” Panelists will share best practices and insights from their own endeavors and will highlight the role of information access in maintaining inspiration in carceral contexts. Incarceration does not foreclose peoples’ ability to think, dream, create, envision, and learn individually and collectively. Join facilitators working to ensure access to the resources…
Blog Post
October 24, 2022
Reflections on NCHEP 2022
National Conference on Higher Education in Prisons
Organized by the Alliance for Higher Education in Prisons, the 12th National Conference on Higher Education in Prisons brought together educators, administrators, and current and former students of higher education in prison (HEP) programs to share information about challenges, trends, and changes in the HEP landscape. The theme for this year’s conference was “What’s Next?” and we were eager to learn what educators and administrators were focusing on and preparing for in the proposed legislation.