Faculty Perspectives

For the educators that participate in Jesuit prison education programs across the country, the impact of prison education has transformed the value of teaching and higher education. Read below reflections on the impact of prison education from educators throughout the JPEN network.

Dr. Erica Ferg, Regis University

Teaching in Regis University's Virtual Inside-Out Prison Program has been one of the greatest honors and best experiences of my teaching career. The program is a first of its kind in allowing "inside" incarcerated students from multiple facilities and "outside" non-incarcerated students simultaneously to form a class, and it represents some of the fullest expression I have yet encountered of the Jesuit educational mission to serve communities on the margins. And yet, I often felt, in working alongside these students, that it was I who was the recipient of a beneficial experience. My own class was one that consisted entirely of incarcerated men and women living in four different facilities across Colorado, and I was constantly blown away by how hardworking and immediately engaged the students were with the class materials. Students seemed deeply to feel the relevance and privilege of higher education and never needed any convincing about the importance of certain material or the utility of building certain educational and intellectual skills in the way that can sometimes happen when teaching non-incarcerated students. I felt so privileged and honored to be a part of such a moving learning experience for folks to whom life and society had very often dealt a poor hand. Finally, and perhaps most unexpectedly, I was deeply humbled to have learned from the students a profound personal lesson about the capacity of suffering well.

Dr. April Samaras, Regis University

I taught COM 212 for two cohorts, I was incredibly impressed by the work ethic of these students. They have such a hunger and motivation to learn. Between the reading, writing and class discussions they are using a language in which they can truly express themselves and their commitment to a better life. The students' life experiences and interpretations of the course material produced amazing and meaningful discussions.

Dr. J’Lyn Chapman, Regis University

I began teaching incarcerated students at a point in my career when I was questioning the purpose of higher education and feeling discouraged by the constant need to keep students stimulated and engaged. I quickly realized my incarcerated students are capable of achieving so much with so little. Their hunger for knowledge and dignity shapes our experience together, even as we are constrained by limited resources. I cannot imagine a more ideal student.

Dr. Tim Trenary, Regis University

As I reflect on the tapestry of experiences that shape my teaching career, one thread shines luminously—my time with the Inside-Out program. Witnessing our mutual transformation from apprehension to deep engagement with mathematics and our shared humanity has been a pivotal part of my Inside-Out teaching experience. It has been one of my most meaningful life experiences and deeply reinforced my belief that math can be a gateway to liberation when mixed with love. It's been a vivid testament to the untapped resilience, curiosity, and intellectual potential that can emerge in the most unexpected settings.

Dr. Roberta Mancuso, Regis University

Reflecting on my experience in the program, I can honestly say that it has been one of the most rewarding teaching experiences of my academic career. While it’s certainly an opportunity for students to further their education, often creating accessibility to a wider array of possible future trajectories, the Inside Out program is transformative to students and faculty alike.

It’s transformative because of the insights we gain about what it means to be human and the profound understanding that we collaboratively develop about the privileges of intellectual discourse, deep reflection, and personal freedoms, regardless of our lot in life.

Illustrating the remarkable resilience of this population, in one class discussion, an Inside student commented on what an extraordinary gift it was to be able to sit in his cell for hours at a time and focus solely on mastering the material from our course. He could have chosen to perseverate on his lack of personal freedoms and the grim realities of a life sentence in the prison system, but his optimistic view of this unique learning opportunity was astounding and awe-inspiring.