The Power of Maps
If a picture provides a thousand words, perhaps a map offers a thousand possibilities. The picture captures a moment; a map reveals movement, relationships and potential. The JPEN map is one of its tools for exploration, decision making and storytelling.
As the coordinator for JPEN, I am privileged to visit, annually, with each of the schools designated on the included map. In some cases, the visit is coordinated with a significant milestone such as a commencement exercise.
Here are a few reflections upon visits, regular conversations and convening of the program directors, both virtually and in-person.
Boston College: Patrick Conway, Ph.D., offers his reflections on the most recent commencement ceremony at MCI-Shirley. See his piece in this newsletter.
University of Scranton: Chris Haw, Ph.D., program director, engaged Adianna Smith from the University’s Student Life Office, to pursue next steps for its associate of arts degree recipients through its Prison Education Program (PEP). JPEN is connecting the Scranton team with other schools in the JPEN network to create a pathway for its released graduates to continue their coursework on campus. The JPEN schools have offered to assist in this consideration and designing.
St. Joseph’s University: Ann Green, Ph.D., continues to lead the charge on Hawk Hill with its longstanding Inside Out Prison Ed. Program. JPEN is working with SJU and other institutions of higher education in the Philadelphia region to advance its SCI Chester program towards an associate's degree.
Georgetown University: Valerie Coats and Arlando “Tray” Jones, III keep JPEN connected with the University’s Prison and Justice Initiative (PJ&I). A return visit to Georgetown's program is being planned for winter/spring of 2026. In the meantime, Valerie and Tray participate in the JPEN gatherings and the Mini Meets of the Consortium of Catholic College Prison Programs.
John Carroll University: Malia McAndrew, Ph.D. and Rich Clark, Ph.D., program directors, invited Fr. Tom Curran, S.J. to join them when they welcomed Chris Lowney, author of Heroic Leadership, to help launch a study program and course on Jesuit leadership with their students at Northeast Reintegration Center (NeRC). The intent is to have this course replicated and shared with JPEN institutions. Regis University’s Erin Trumble is in dialogue with the John Carroll team about having this course in the Colorado institutions it serves.
Marquette University: Theresa Tobin, Ph.D., Darren Wheelock, Ph.D., Alex Gambacorta, Mandy Balek-Stephens and Cherita Rayford shared the experience of the McNeely Prison Education Consortium (MPEC) and Education Preparedness Program (EPP) with Fr. Tom Curran, S.J., in September 2025. The visit included classroom experiences on the Marquette campus with formerly incarcerated, instruction in the Racine Correctional Institution (RCI) and the Racine Youthful Offenders Correctional Institution (RYOCF). Marquette also works with Partners In Hope, a faith-based reentry program.
St. Louis University: See the article about Courtney Everett’s and Lisa Jaeger, Ph.D.’s participation in the Corrections Safety and Health in Action Symposium in Colorado. Amanda Baquette, Ph.D., SLU’s PEP director, proudly shares this photo of its new reentry lab provided by JPEN:
Rockhurst University: Craig Watz, J.D., program director, received a grant from the McNeel Family Foundation of Kansas City to create podcasts with the students of the Chillicothe Correctional Center for Women about the transformative experience of Jesuit education. In 2024, Rockhurst awarded AA degrees to 11 of the Chillicothe students (5 carceral and 6 DOC staff).
Loyola University of New Orleans: Annie Phoenix, Ph.D., Stephanie Gaskil, Ph.D., and Br. Beau Guedry, S.J., are working with their students at the Rayburn Correctional Center to produce “Characteristics of Jesuit Higher Education in Prison.” This effort is part of the Mission Priority Examen (MPE), which is conducted at every school in the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). The goal of the MPE: “… to look honestly at an institution’s life, notice the activity of God within it, and respond freely to grow in Faith, Hope, and Love.”
Regis University: Erin Trumble, M.A., and Fr. Tom Curran, S.J., are working with Academic Dean Madhu Rao, Ph.D., of the University’s Anderson College of Business and Computing in establishing a series of business courses, including starting a business, business communication and entrepreneurship in the course offerings provided at the Limon Correctional Center. These offerings are part of Regis' efforts to grow its catalogue of course offerings and move towards the awarding of an Associate of Arts degree.
Lastly, maps can spark curiosity and invite questions about “What’s next?” JPEN is in a dialogue and supporting five other Jesuit colleges exploring a prison education program. The schools include: Loyola University Chicago, St. Peter’s University in Jersey City, Fairfield University, LeMoyne in Syracuse, NY and St. John’s in Belize.
Would you like to donate to JPEN?
Visit the Jesuits of Central & Southern Province support page to learn more about how you can contribute.
To designate your gift to the Jesuit Prison Education Network, scroll down the webpage to "Donation information" to select a gift amount. Then scroll down to the "Designation" box, click on it, and select JPEN from the drop-down menu.