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College Inside

A biweekly newsletter about the intersection of two major systems shaping our society: criminal justice and higher education. Written by Charlotte West, Open Campus staff reporter.

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PDFs of previous print issues
  • College Inside | Nov-Dec 2023
  • College Inside | October 2023
  • College Inside | September 2023
  • College Inside | August 2023
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  • College Inside | December 2022
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Posted inCollege Inside

How students are helping to get people out of prison

By Charlotte WestApril 12, 2023April 12, 2023

Film students in Santa Cruz are working with others at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. on a project focused on wrongful conviction.

Posted inCollege Inside

One route to a “fresh start” on student debt

By Charlotte WestMarch 27, 2023March 27, 2023

The Education Department released new information about how to access “fresh start” — the policy that will bring all eligible defaulted loans into good standing.

Posted inCollege Inside

Pell’s return holds promise, and problems

By Charlotte WestMarch 15, 2023March 16, 2023

Although educating people in prison has been shown to have a number of benefits, Pell money may be difficult for many to access for a host of reasons.

Posted inCollege Inside

Hope vs reality as Pell returns to prisons

By Ryan MoserMarch 1, 2023March 2, 2023

Federal financial aid is coming back to prisons, but it’s not going to be simple.

Posted inCollege Inside

The future of computer programming in prison

By Charlotte WestFebruary 15, 2023March 5, 2024

Not much has changed in conversations about prisons, education, and technology since the 1970s.

Posted inCollege Inside

Pursuing a degree inside isn’t easy, but success is ‘so sweet’

By Charlotte WestFebruary 1, 2023February 1, 2023

How education on death row gave one prison journalist the tools to fight back against the system.

Cynthia Gonzalez is a producer at Inside Wire
Posted inCollege Inside

A look inside prison radio

By Charlotte WestJanuary 18, 2023January 18, 2023

Prison radio stations give people access to meaningful professional training and opportunities for creative expression.

Posted inCollege Inside

Reflections on a year of covering prison education

By Charlotte WestDecember 21, 2022December 21, 2022

Most of the people I’ve talked to who went to college inside have gotten an education in spite of prison, not because of prison. And there’s a great hunger for education inside.

Posted inCollege Inside

Takeaways from a prison education program’s demise

By Charlotte WestDecember 8, 2022January 5, 2023

Education inside can be delayed or ended altogether. The collateral consequences that go far beyond not finishing a degree. 

Posted inCollege Inside

How to parent a college student from prison

By Charlotte WestNovember 18, 2022November 18, 2022

A first-person essay on being a college student from afar, plus a look at coverage of prison education in Illinois.

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