Prison Experiment Is a Worthy One

If all goes according to plan, members of the Wesleyan faculty may be teaching at a local prison as early as next year. Student advocates for the Prison Solidarity Project (PSP)—an offshoot of WesPREP that hopes to start a College in Prison program on campus—have already proposed a two-year pilot program, in which interested professors would teach selected inmates at the nearby Cheshire Correctional Institution.

Many colleges have run their own version of the program for years, so we have little doubt that it can be worthwhile. That said, some serious issues need to be addressed before the administration can put its faith (and money) in the project.

First off, who will provide the funding? Professors who teach these courses don’t work as volunteers, as evidenced by the stipends they receive at Bard College and Boston University. Without a private backer, the University will have to delve into its own funds for compensation. Will they have a private backer, or will they have to take a chunk out of their already-strapped endowment?

There are also ethical concerns. Other schools, such as Bard, award full academic credit to inmates. This means that those enrolled in the program can earn full college degrees while in prison. Though the current proposal suggests offering “non-academic” credit for classes, that clause could easily be revised. Does Wesleyan really want to sanction a program that provides inmates with such enormous benefits?

If the program does manage to get off the ground, the University should insure that students are involved. The “Activism and Outreach through Theater” course already allows them to perform alongside prisoners at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School. We believe the program will have a much greater impact if students, not just professors, get a chance to teach the incarcerated.

We applaud the students of PSP for their initiative. If the University structures this program thoughtfully, they could demonstrate a genuine commitment to social reform. We hope the administration will work to address these issues.