Why Race Matters for Higher Education in Prison

Overview & Synopsis

There has been bi-partisan momentum to provide higher education opportunities for students who are impacted by the criminal legal system, but similar to the context of the contemporary crisis of higher education, the problem of racial inequity persists. The Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, a national multi-stakeholder network supporting quality higher education in prison, stated in their most recent report, "programs are ill-equipped to support faculty and staff in reflecting on how race, class, gender, ability, sexuality, and other identity or status markers might impact their interest in, or approach to, teaching in prison, as well as their experiences while doing so (Erzen et al., 2019)." In this spirit, this essay will address issues of racial inequity and injustice within higher education in prison programs--examining issues of faculty diversity, pedagogy, and barriers students impacted by the criminal legal system face in continuing their higher education upon release. In addressing these barriers, there is an opportunity to overcome racial inequity at a massive scale and set an example, both for higher education communities and society as a whole.