Reimagining the Potential of Higher Education in Prison and Reentry
Metropolitan Universities, Vol. 36, No. 1 (2025): 3-22. DOI.
Abstract
As scholars deeply entrenched in the higher education in prison (HEP) field, with an explicit focus on our work connecting campuses and communities in urban settings, we are honored as guest editors of Metropolitan Universities Journal to curate this special issue dedicated to HEP. We were honored that the scholarly voice of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) recognized the value of Marquette University in the broader arena of higher education in prison (HEP) programs. Indeed, as a Jesuit, Catholic institution, an Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) member, and our location as an urban university in the heart of Milwaukee, WI, Marquette University’s mission encourages our engagement with this important matter of supporting the educational outcomes of students impacted by incarceration, both while they are in prison and when they return home. This work ultimately serves higher education's civic purpose while supporting urban communities.