Brandeis University Press Unlocking Learning: International Perspectives on Education in Prison (Brandeis Series in Law and Society)

Contributors from many countries share their insights about effective educational programs for people in prison and show what the United States can learn from the models and struggles beyond its borders. Countries around the world have disparate experiences with education in prison. For decades, the United States has been locked in a pattern of exceptionally high mass incarceration. Though education has proven to be an impactful intervention, its role and the level of support it receives vary widely. As a result, effective opportunities for incarcerated people to reroute their lives during and after incarceration remain diffuse and inefficient. This volume highlights unique contributions from the field of education in prison globally. In this volume, academics and practitioners highlight new approaches and interesting findings from carceral interventions across twelve countries. From a college degree-granting program in Mexico to educational best practices in Norway and Belgium that support successful reentry, innovations in education are being developed in prison spaces around the world. As contributors from many countries share their insights about providing effective educational programs to incarcerated people, the United States can learn from the models and struggles beyond its borders.