Boston College Expanding to MCI Shirley

The Boston College Prison Education Program (BCPEP) recently expanded its work to include programming at the women’s correctional facility in Framingham, marking a significant step forward in broadening access to high-quality liberal arts education for incarcerated students in Massachusetts. This expansion builds on the program’s commitment to educational equity by extending degree pathways and academic opportunities to a population that has historically had far fewer opportunities for higher education in prison. Through credit-bearing coursework, academic advising, and faculty engagement grounded in the values of Jesuit education, the program seeks to create an intellectually rigorous and supportive learning environment that recognizes students as scholars and members of a shared academic community.

The launch of programming at Framingham also reflects a deeper investment in addressing gender disparities within college-in-prison initiatives. With this expansion, Boston College is now the only degree-granting higher education program available to incarcerated women in Massachusetts. The inaugural cohort of twelve students is currently completing their first semester, marking the beginning of a new academic community within the facility. Women in prison often face distinct educational interruptions, caregiving responsibilities, and reentry challenges, making sustained access to higher education particularly important. By establishing a presence at Framingham, the program aims not only to expand enrollment but also to cultivate spaces of reflection, dialogue, and personal growth that support long-term flourishing—strengthening the program’s statewide impact while reaffirming its core belief that higher education can foster dignity, connection, and meaningful pathways forward for all students.

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