About the University of Scranton Prison Education Program

The University of Scranton’s Prison Education Program started with 16 students in Fall 2021. At our nearby facility Dallas State Correctional Institution, we offer 9 courses a year. Our current degree is an Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies, involving common general education curriculum at a Jesuit University. After a first year of enduring high attrition, we matriculated a second cohort of 17 students to share the classroom.

December 2023 cohort one, of nine students, graduated with their associates in a grand ceremony involving family, some-30 University faculty and staff, and the prison administration. Our second cohort will graduate December 2024, to be immediately followed by the enrollment of our third cohort of 20 students.

I am so proud of my University for so widely supporting and participating in this program—from a large and eager faculty pool to administrators folding program details into their work flow. We have plugged into Pell and several grants; and hopefully all systems are go for sustaining our work in the coming years.

A few words, from our students themselves, on the impact of the program:

From D, “These classes helped me realize that the world is much larger than my personal experiences….[this] encourages me to continue breaking away from my past ways of thinking and behaving … I’m not exaggerating when I say that this the 2nd most important thing to happen for me in my entire life. The first being overturning my life sentence.” 

From M, “Being part of the first graduating class was an incredible honor and experience for myself and my classmates. Becoming an alum of the University of Scranton is a title that I will carry proudly and will always remember what it took to become one, and remember the amazing people that made it all possible. You have changed my life, my future, and opened the door to a new and exciting world of opportunity. Thank you!”

From S, “This program was both enlightening and fulfilling … the small group size and encouraging professors made this a first-rate program that fostered interesting discussion and better understanding of differing points of view in an otherwise hostile environment.”

And, D, from our valedictorian’s graduation speech, “I never imagined this would be possible, so I was ecstatic when I found out that I got accepted into this program. As a lifelong student, I place a high value on education. It has opened many doors in my life and allowed me to explore the world from a prison cell.

Some of the material I encountered in our coursework challenged my longstanding beliefs. This led to the uncomfortable process of questioning what I believe and why I believe it. During this painful growth process, I leaned on my fellow students and friends who helped me see things differently and encouraged me when I felt overwhelmed … The University of Scranton has challenged me to think more critically, write more eloquently, and given me the skills to be successful in any of my future endeavors. Some years ago I came across the short poem: ‘Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw the mud, the other the stars.’ The University of Scranton has helped me see the stars.

Everyone in our graduating class has already served more than 15 years in prison and nearly half of our class is serving life-without-parole sentences. Many people question why we should invest in long-termers and lifers, but this query is short sighted. We are not islands, we are connected to many people. By investing in our education, you are investing in our sons and daughters, nieces, and nephews and all of our loved ones. We share what we learn not only with our loved ones but also with those we interact with in here. In fact, you often hear the guys on our block, who are not in the program, discussing the material we cover in class, as if they are in class with us. Your goodwill is expressed through us, and in turn our families and communities are lifted up.”