Charles Long Social Science
Degrees Behind Bars: Mapping the Public Visibility of Higher Education in Prison
Scholars Journal
In 1994, Congress cut off Pell Grants for incarcerated students, and college in prison nearly disappeared. When Pell Grants returned in 2023, higher education in prison began growing again. But as new programs spread, how can anyone tell what they offer? This project looks at the public face of higher education in prison: the websites, program pages, and reports colleges use to describe their work. Using a national directory, Charles reviews 46 programs offering bachelor’s degrees or higher. Many programs tell compelling stories about impact, but clear and comparable data are often much harder to find. In this new era of growth, visibility may shape the future of the field as much as expansion itself.
Major: Sociology, Social Welfare
Mentor: Victoria Robinson, Ethnic Studies