Information for Researchers
The following list is a selection of websites that are useful in exploring and understanding the field of prison postsecondary education and prison research in general. Please feel free to forward us the addresses of other relevant sites that we have not included here:
- Prison Postsecondary Education
- Women and Prison Education
- Prison Life and Population
- Impact of Incarceration on Prisoners' Families
- Prisoners' Rights and Prison Reform
Prison Postsecondary Education
Inside-out is a program at Philadelphia’s Temple University that brings undergraduate college students into Pennsylvania prisons to study with convicted felons.
The Correctional Education Association is home of the Journal of Correctional Education, which has many articles concerning postsecondary education, as well as ABE, ESL, pre-GED and GED.
The Prison Journal, published by the Pennsylvania Prison Society, includes articles on the impact of education in prison.
Education Update Online focuses on educational programming in New York State. The May 2005 issue is devoted to postsecondary correctional education in New York state.
The New Republic’s October 2002 issue focuses on the efficacy of education in improving the prison setting, and decreasing recidivism.
Applied Research Center (ARC) publishes ColorLines. The Spring 2003 (6:1) issue includes an article by Gabrielle Banks entitled “Learning Under Lockdown” concerning education within the California Prison system.
The Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 2004 (39:2), includes an article by Charles A. Ubah entitled “Abolition of Pell Grants for Higher Education of Prisoners: Examining Antecedents and Consequences.”
Partakers is a Boston-based advocacy group, with a specific relationship to Boston University’s Prison Education Program. Partakers' College Behind Bars program supports incarcerated students by funding BU programs, tutoring students who are preparing for the BU entrance exam, and supporting incarcerated students with letters and visits. Preparing for Release is a document created by Partakers to assist with the re-entry process.
System for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES) devotes the winter 2002 issue of its quarterly newsletter “Field Notes” to education in prison. SABES is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
The November Coalition examines the ramifications of the Higher Education Act of 1998, which limits the financial aid eligibility of those convicted for drug possession or trafficking.
The Open Society Policy Center is a good source of information regarding Second Chance Act legislation, submitted April 2005, authorizing Department of Justice support of re-entry activities.
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Women
and Prison Education
The report Changing Minds: The Impact of College in a Maximum-Security Prison, 2001, is the result of collaborative research by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and Women in Prison at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. The report examines the positive effects of postsecondary education on women in a maximum-security prison in New York State.
Justice Now is a California advocacy organization with a special focus on women in prison
Justice Works Community provides an extensive bibliography concerning issues of incarcerated women.
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Prison Life and Population
The Worcester Telegram and Gazette published thirteen articles over four days (March 20-23, 2005) on life in prison. The articles are journalistic but comprehensive.
The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics is useful in researching the characteristics of the incarcerated, such as educational levels, and current levels of enrollment in educational programming.
Mother Jones, in its November/December 2003 issues, includes an article by Samantha Shapiro regarding the prison system under faith-based leadership.
Columbia Journalism Review, in 1999, published a useful bibliography addressing prison privatization, politics of incarceration, corrections management, prisoners’ rights, prisoners’ health, and women offenders.
The US Department of Justice contains statistics from the Bureau of Justice.
The Sentencing Project offers criminal justice policy analysis, data, and program information for the public and policymakers.
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Impact of Incarceration on Prisoners' Families
Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE) is an organization which addresses the needs of the family and friends of the incarcerated.
Child Welfare League of America publishes research on the impact of parents’ incarceration on children.
Family and Corrections Network offers a comprehensive bibliography on the impact of incarceration on prisoners’ families.
back to top Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) is a national group working to repeal mandatory sentencing laws and to improve sentencing guidelines.
Prisoners'
Rights and Prison Reform
At Boston’s Suffolk University, the Center for Restorative Justice hosts educational and collaborative events for practitioners of restorative justice.
Critical Resistance is an organization in opposition to the expansion of the “prison-industrial complex.”
The Criminal Justice Policy Coalition is a Massachusetts-based organization in support of humane treatment of prisoners and prison reform legislation.
The Atlantic Monthly included a three-part series in its December 1998 issue entitled “The Prison-Industrial Complex,” by Eric Schlosser, about penal institutions becoming a growth industry.
PrisonSucks.com is a prison reform site that reviews current books and compiles statistics.
GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) is a New England-based organization focused on the legal rights of gay, lesbian, and transgendered individuals. Its website includes a thorough directory of resources for imprisoned GLT persons.
The 360 Degrees website has a listing of documentary films concerning prisoners’ rights and prison reform.
The Justice Policy Institute is a non-profit research and public policy organization dedicated to ending society's reliance on incarceration and promoting effective and just solutions to social problems.
The Mennonite Central Committee US Office of Peacebuilding provides various materials including issues of victim-offender reconciliation.
The Prison Fellowship is a non-profit volunteer-reliant ministry focused on the mission of transformation through faith.
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