A History of the Changing Terrain of Post-Secondary Education in Prisons and How It Can Inform Programs Serving Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

The history of post-secondary carceral education reform in the United States, like criminal justice reform at large, has been non-linear. Beginning in 1965 and up to the early nineties, great strides were made in expanding prison education programs until it was almost completely reversed during the tough-on-crime era. Since 2007, legislation has been introduced to improve the quality and accessibility of education for those currently and formerly incarcerated. A panoramic view of the history of carceral education allows for a deeper understanding of its achievements and, more importantly, its shortcomings—and how to improve upon them as we continue to develop the prison-to-university pipeline. This research uses descriptive and critical analyses to assess gaps in carceral education and how Underground Panthers serves to fill them upon release