Subject Area Track Descriptions

1)  Equity & Inclusion:

Classism and Racism are pervasive in all institutions in the United States including prison and higher education systems. This conference track will seek to bring to the surface the pervasive reality of oppression, as well as possibilities for true equity and inclusion to transform and abolish systems.  

2)  Advocacy: 

Policy change is a necessary and essential goal. This track will highlight and  uplift advocacy efforts led by currently and formerly incarcerated people to increase access to education and opportunities for meaningful careers within the field of higher education in prison.  

3)  Programming & Informal Education: 

Education is not limited to experiences recognized by institutions. This conference track will present innovative models for education inside and outside of prisons led by currently and formerly incarcerated people. 

4)  Research/STEM: 

Research allows us to better understand our experiences and contribute to collective knowledge. This conference track will highlight, demonstrate and uplift the transformative potential of research in all areas with an emphasis on STEM, which is often neglected in higher education in prison programming.  

5)  Pathways to Professions (new this year!): 

Formerly incarcerated applicants face particularly difficult barriers to entry, promotion and advancement, and professional success. In this conference track, presenters from professional fields traditionally inaccessible to those experiencing lifelong collateral consequences of incarceration such as from the fields of medicine, law, finance, business, academia, tech, and more who will speak to their experiences and explain how they overcame the barriers to work in their field.