Criminal Justice and Security Studies
The Inside-Out Program
The Inside-Out Program provides students with the ability to:
- Create an environment that will facilitate the honest exchange of ideas in a dialogic format.
- Provide an experiential setting for the students to test and hone their theoretical understanding of various criminal justice and correctional issues
- Assist all involved in further developing their capacities for written and oral self-expression.
- Create a professional connection between those on the outside and those on the inside.
This course is an interdisciplinary and experiential seminar that uses the Inside-Out philosophy and brings together college students and residents from a correctional treatment facility to explore the roots of restorative justice practices and their applications for problem-solving. Students will critically analyze the empirical evidence on restorative justice practices.
Selection process
Applications will be advertised every Fall Semester to interested applicants who have taken CJS 101, SSC 200, and have a strong desire to connect criminal justice to their potential career choices. Once applications are reviewed students will be invited to a group meeting to learn more about the parameters of the course. Students must pass a full background check to participate in this course. Students must be admitted by the instructor to enroll in the course. Up to 12 qualified students will be selected. Please reach out to Dr. Susybel Kallsen for questions.
About the Inside-Out Program
Lori Pompa, founder of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, began her work as a volunteer in jail programs and later in a prison reform organization. In 1995, a class visit to Graterford Prison sparked the idea of transforming insightful conversations with incarcerated individuals into a semester-long seminar, giving birth to the Inside-Out Program. Launched as a trial project in 1997, it has since grown into a national and international model, boasting over 30,000 alumni and 800 teachers globally. The admission of Graterford Prison in 2002 significantly contributed to the program's expansion.
The Inside-Out Center
The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program challenges crime, justice and social stereotypes by facilitating meaningful conversations between individuals inside and outside correctional facilities. It goes beyond reevaluating basic notions of justice, providing outside participants with insight into correctional life and allowing incarcerated individuals to contextualize their experiences. Profound understanding and valuable life lessons emerge during these conversations. The joint participation of "inside" and "outside" individuals in the Inside-Out experience has the potential to significantly transform lives. By humanizing the complexities of the criminal justice system, the initiative aims to enhance awareness of societal concerns and human nature. Transformative learning participants become agents of change, questioning oversimplified assumptions and influencing public opinion. The initiative seeks to break down barriers, foster permeability, and promote a society that rejects dehumanization.