The new prison education initiative will bring together five local, state and national prison education programs into one initiative housed at the University of London. Notre Dame Center for Social AffairsThe Notre Dame Programs for Education in Prisons (NDPEP) provide liberal arts educational opportunities to those incarcerated in Indiana, create infrastructure to support NDPEP participants’ return to their home communities, Provide teaching and research opportunities for faculty, staff and students. issues related to imprisonment.

“NDPEP represents a wonderful way for Notre Dame to fulfill its Catholic mission and become a healing and uniting force for good. Pastor Robert A. Dowd, CSC, Vice President and Vice-Chancellor of Interdisciplinary Initiatives. “This will not only provide those incarcerated with opportunities to learn and blaze new paths in life, but will also allow faculty and students to apply their skills and gain a better understanding of the challenges facing society’s correctional system. make it possible. “

NDPEP includes the Morrow College Initiative, the Women’s College Partnership, Inside Out, the In-Prison Shakespeare Program, and the Indiana Prison Liberal Arts Network (IPLAN).

“This Center is focused on engaging injustice wherever it occurs. It makes a lot of sense to do that,” he said. Suzanne Shanahan, Executive Director of the Center for Social Affairs Leo and Arlene Hawke. “We look forward to the rich possibilities for research and education that the move will open up.”

The Morrow College Initiative and Women’s College Partnership is a liberal arts degree program launched in collaboration with the National Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), the BPI Consortium for Prison Liberal Arts, a network of 15 college-in-college is part of national prison programs. BPI was founded by his Bard College undergraduate in 1999 and now operates out of his seven interconnected prisons in New York State.

Morrow Initiative It was founded in 2013 as a joint academic collaboration between the University of Notre Dame and Holy Cross College. Its mission is to ensure that men in correctional institutions throughout Indiana have access to a world-class liberal arts education. To date, he has awarded 102 associate’s degrees and 29 bachelor’s degrees to Westville Correctional Institution students. The Women’s College Partnership was launched in January 2019 in partnership with Marian University and the Indiana Department of Corrections. To date he has awarded ten associate degrees and he has five bachelor’s degrees.

“Holding NDPEP in social affairs centers is recognizing the impact of mass internment on society as a whole.” Anna Haskins, Andrew V. Tacks Associate Professor of Sociology and member of the Morrow Steering Committee. “This is not an individual issue, but a broader social issue that should concern us all. It provides a rich interdisciplinary community that unites efforts.”

In 2012, the Center for Social Concerns launched an Inside-Out course as part of the National Inside-Out Program. This course offers a restorative justice approach as an alternative to the current criminal justice system. Westville Correctional Institution “inside” students and Notre Dame “outside” students attend classes together at the correctional facility.

The Shakespeare in Prisons Network, also formed in 2012, is a loose alliance of programs in prisons across the country. The network’s mission is to bring Shakespeare to those incarcerated and instill essential reintegration skills through ongoing teaching, education and performance. Shakespeare at the University of Notre Dame is part of the network and offers regular classes at the Westville Correctional Facility.

IPLAN was established in July by the University of Notre Dame, Holy Cross College and Marian College to expand existing prison education programs while facilitating new joint efforts of higher education institutions across the state and nationally. It is designed to serve not only as a statewide training and advocacy center, but also as a national resource on in-prison higher education for organizations and educational institutions.

In mid-November, the university will formally announce the composition, scope and resources of the NDPEP and highlight its integration with the Center for Social Affairs at events with national, state and local partners.