Tuesday, July 15, 2025



Wesleyan Center for Prison Education: Informal Proposal

After many years of prisoner advocacy work by Wesleyan students and faculty, including the facilitation of academic workshops in two Connecticut correctional facilities, we propose the establishment of the Wesleyan Center for Prison Education.

 

The Center’s Plan:

Two-Year College-in-Prison pilot program to be run in collaboration with Cheshire Correctional Institution.

Wesleyan Education at Cheshire: 15 inmates will be selected through a rigorous admission process to participate during the first year of the pilot program. Each student will enroll in 2 courses per semester. Courses will be taught by Wesleyan faculty. After two semesters, an additional 15 students will be admitted to the pilot program, producing a total of 30 program participants and 4 courses taught each semester. One transferable undergraduate credit will be awarded upon successful completion of each course.

Prison Education at Wesleyan: A POI “Critical Pedagogy” service-learning seminar will be taught at Wesleyan in the fall semester. This course will involve a practicum component in which Wesleyan students tutor inmates that have not yet been accepted into the program. In addition to assisting participants to develop the essential capabilities that will prepare them for enrollment in credit-bearing courses, this component will aim to establish a mutually productive dialogue between Wesleyan students and those incarcerated.

This program will be fully funded by private donors not currently drawn upon by Wesleyan University. Because of a conditional commitment from one such source, we are confident that funding will not jeopardize this program.

The Center’s Mission:

To practice Wesleyan’s commitment to civic engagement by offering college courses to incarcerated individuals, in order to enhance both Wesleyan’s academic community and the lives of those who are systematically denied access to educational opportunities.

We believe that educational opportunity should be a fundamental right and recognize that a college education enables effective citizenship. As Wilbur Fisk wrote in 1831 and Wesleyan’s 2005 strategic plan reaffirmed, education serves two purposes: “the good of the individual educated and the good of the world.” This program embodies this core Wesleyan value and will demonstrate Wesleyan’s commitment to quality education, intellectual development and civic engagement.

We hope that you will support this potentially groundbreaking College-in-Prison program. If you have any questions or comments please email: WesleyanPrisonEducation@gmail.com.

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