With a class mantra like ‘Keep it Complicated,’ the students of the most recent University of Oregon (U of O) Prison Education Program (PEP) weren’t sure what to expect when they entered the classroom at the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) for the first time. During the first quarter of 2024, the subject was geography, specifically focusing on ‘Culture, Ethnicity, and Nationalism.’”
At the closing ceremony of the 11-week course, students shared their favorite moments and reflected on their experiences in the class. As one student described it, the ‘geography of self and belonging’ seemed to encapsulate the overarching theme of everyone’s favorite moments—learning about each other, discovering common interests amidst their differences, fostering a sense of belonging and diversity, and realizing that they were all students, whether inside or out. One adult in custody (AIC) noted, “We become more than just what we’ve brought in here,” and although he spoke from within the prison walls, students from the outside resonated with his sentiment.
The University of Oregon’s Prison Education Program conducts ‘Inside-Out’ courses each term at the Oregon State Penitentiary, Oregon State Correctional Institution, and has recently expanded to include Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF). In these Inside-Out programs, students from U of O attend classes alongside adults in custody for a duration of 10-weeks. Additionally, PEP offers hybrid and inside-only learning opportunities across several of the Department of Corrections’ facilities. These include a television program broadcast on AIC TVs, as well as ‘Learning, Engagement, and Activity Packets’ designed for those unable to attend in person.
Oregon State Penitentiary Media Team- Written by PIO Stephanie Lane, Photos- AIC Dustin Bryant
