• Welcome to UCLA Prison Education Program

    Launched in 2016, the UCLA Prison Education Program creates innovative courses that enable faculty and students at the University of California, Los Angeles to learn from, and alongside, participants incarcerated at the California Institute for Women (CIW), Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall (BJN), and Camp Joseph Scott (CJS).

Reduce Mass Incarceration and Recidivism

As California voters demand strategies to end mass incarceration and recidivism (such as Proposition 47, Proposition 57 and Senate Bill 260), UCLA has an extraordinary opportunity to implement transformative programs linking university students and faculty with incarcerated students at several Southern California correctional facilities.

UCLA Education

In its first two years, the program’s credit-bearing courses served 25 incarcerated students (13 at CIW, 12 at BJN), 22 UCLA students, and involved 12 UCLA faculty. The program is planned to expand to offer more courses per year and enroll 15 incarcerated and 15 UCLA students per course for a total of 180 students (ages 16-65) annually. Classes held in Chino and Sylmar, CA serve students from throughout the LA metropolitan area and beyond.

Narratives of Change

Two credit-bearing courses titled “Narratives of Change” (CIW) and “Narratives of Justice” (BJN) were piloted in 2016-2017. In addition to these critical thinking, writing, and performance courses, three non-credit programs provide: 1) a faculty lecture series based on participant interests including philosophy, urban planning, and molecular science, 2) an International Human Rights Law Clinic where six law students and 10 incarcerated students assess resources and services available upon re-entry and 3) a creative writing workshop. ​

“The mission of the UCLA Prison Education Program is to make postsecondary education accessible to women and young people who are currently incarcerated, and to bring UCLA faculty and students to learn alongside them, thereby challenging bias, discrimination, and injustice in a shared and collaborative learning experience.”

We thank the following organization for the generous support of our efforts: