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Prison University Project hosts second annual board of directors retreat
On Saturday, June 8, Prison University Project board members gathered in downtown Oakland for our second annual board retreat. The goals for the day were to energize and invigorate—to increase the...
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The New York Times: The Judge and Jury Agreed I Didn’t Kill Anyone. So Why...
In 2003, Adnan Khan committed a robbery in which one of his accomplices unexpectedly killed their victim. The prosecutors, judge and jury all agreed Khan did not plan or commit the murder. Yet he was...
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San Francisco Chronicle: I did 18 years in prison for murder. Now I’m on a...
In 1996, I took a man’s life and nearly paid for it with my own. I was a different person back then — a young man who carried a gun and wasn’t afraid to use it. One evening, I came home and saw my...
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Prison University Project hosts book club discussion with students and...
“I’m just a regular guy, a voice in the middle of a sea of voices that don’t seem to matter to most—which is why we may forever be misrepresented unless we speak for ourselves.” —D. Watkins On July 26,...
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Introducing our new Chief Operating Officer
We are thrilled to welcome Reed Goertler as our new Chief Operating Officer. Reed Goertler has been committed to working in organizations that address the needs of underserved populations throughout...
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Prison University Project releases report on best practices for higher...
In partnership with the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, the Prison University Project released the first comprehensive report written by and for practitioners to share recommendations for...
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Inveterate—The Rock of Deferred Literacy
I grew up in south Los Angeles, in a community that was primarily African American, with a small segment of Latino and Asian Americans. Although, at that time I didn’t realize it, we were a community...
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Screening “College Behind Bars”
On September 18, the Prison University Project welcomed filmmaker Lynn Novick and her colleagues—producer Sarah Botstein; Chris Pigott of DKC News; Julia Lourie of the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI);...
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Faculty Spotlight: Courtney Rein
Courtney Rein has been teaching at the Prison University Project since 2015. In 2018, she co-authored a paper with College Program student David “Solo” Bennett for our inaugural academic conference,...
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Call for Papers: Academic Conference Spring 2020
A panel from San Quentin’s first academic conference in 2018 In the spring of 2020, the Prison University Project will host its second academic conference at San Quentin State Prison. The conference,...
View ArticleAccrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Site Visit
As many of you know, the Prison University Project is applying to become an accredited independent college with the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). As part of this...
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The Marshall Project: I Host a Popular Podcast. I’m Also in Prison.
Prison University Project student Rahsaan “New York” Thomas writes in The Marshall Project about his experience working on the award-winning Ear Hustle Podcast from inside San Quentin. The sun shines...
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David Cowan to be honored at UnCommon Law’s 4th Annual Uncommon Heroes event
Prison University Project’s Operations Manager and Director of Bonafide David Cowan will be honored at UnCommon Law’s 4th Annual UnCommon Heroes event on November 13. Since his release from San...
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WitnessLA: Dispatches from San Quentin—Is San Quentin State Prison The Future...
Prison University Project student and Program Clerk James King explores the future of reform. I hear it all the time. “San Quentin is unique,” “If only we could take what’s happening here and...
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November 2019: Letter from the Executive Director
Published in the November 2019 newsletter, which you can read in its entirety here. One of the most remarkable aspects of San Quentin as a community is the way it has evolved over time as a meeting...
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Footnote to What It is Like to Be an Older Inmate Doing Time in Prison
Published in the November 2019 newsletter, which you can read in its entirety here. Being incarcerated is physically and mentally stressful enough, even for a young, able-bodied person, but for someone...
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The Opportunity to Be a Living Example: On Becoming a Teaching Assistant
Published in the November 2019 newsletter, which you can read in its entirety here. In 2017 I graduated from Patten University with a GPA of 3.22. Thereafter, I found myself involved with the teaching...
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Using Education to Struggle for Justice: An Interview with Josh Page
Published in the November 2019 newsletter, which you can read in its entirety here. Since the College Program at San Quentin was founded in 1996, hundreds of people have worked as instructors, teaching...
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Prison University Project board member Sia Henry on Impact Justice’s trip to...
The group touring a factory/woodworking shop in a Helsinki prison In the fall of 2019, Sia Henry, Prison University Project board member and Senior Program Associate at Impact Justice, organized and...
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Review team from Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges...
From October 21 to 24, we hosted a ten-person peer review team from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) as part of our efforts to seek independent accreditation. We...
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