Sarah Eve Simmons
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Graduate Thesis
  • Undergraduate Senior Thesis
  • Artist's Statement
  • Contact
  • Links

When social institutions collide: 
The intersection of post-secondary correctional education and civic engagement in higher education through the creative arts

Abstract
   
     With the United States’ incarceration rate increasing at an alarming rate over the past 30

years, the punitive “tough on crime” approach of politicians being celebrated, and a large percent

of every state’s budget spent on “corrections,” programming in prison has significantly

dwindled. In my study, I focus on two existing university-based programs, Inside-Out Prison

Exchange Program and the Prison Creative Arts Program. Both programs have not only

survived the current state of adversarial policy without the help of public scholarship, but have

thrived in spite of it. This leads me to question, what has caused these programs to pursue this

field in the face of such opposition?


     My study centered on understanding the relationships between institutions of higher

education and institutions of corrections, especially through the creative arts. I sought to identify

the values and beliefs that guide both programs and analyze how these have impacted their

participants. My process of reflexive micro-ethnographies relied on the compilation of nine

semi-structured in-depth interviews as primary data sources to gain an understanding about the

university-based programs’ structures and processes. In order to maintain epistemic integrity, I

examined multiple perspectives from several participants in each program: the founders of the

university-based program, their full-time administrative staff, and other researchers with whom

the programs interact.


     Through the process of data collection, I found that both programs had similar

philosophies to Paulo Freire and Myles Horton, who encouraged people to take an active role in

their education. Both programs have a strong foundational belief in the process of facilitation

over traditional teacher/student dynamics. However, the different structures the programs

established to make these experiences possible for participants are intriguing.


     The information gathered would be greatly beneficial for new and expanding incorrections

programs to consider. The data and analysis offered make a case for in-corrections

programming to not only continue, but to link up with higher education institutions. This study

provides a conceptual framework that introduces how these partnerships could be materialized. It

allows both the educational institution and corrections to adopt and adapt what would work best

within their facilities. I argue that these partnerships not only meet the needs of the institutions,

but also benefit the social bodies with whom they interact.

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.