Morehouse Higher Education in Prisons Program
Morehouse College
The Morehouse Higher Education in Prisons Program (HEP) provides a liberal arts education rooted in Black life, history, and culture. We extend Morehouse’s commitment to empower men to lead consequential lives inside Georgia prisons. HEP journeys with incarcerated men as they cultivate their moral and intellectual lives.
Why Higher Education in Prisons?
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Education as Liberation
Access to education affirms the students’ human dignity. The classroom functions as a space of agency and empowerment as students and faculty learn and grow together.
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Affirming the Whole Person
HEP affirms the whole person - mind, body, and spirit. Students develop holistically and assume new identities beyond the labels assigned to them. While reducing recidivism is important, it is not the only, nor the most important outcome.
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Benefit to Students
In 2023, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy demonstrated that education in prison reduces recidivism and improves post-release outcomes for students. College education reduces recidivism the most and provides the highest benefit per student when compared to adult basic education, secondary education, and vocational education.
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Community Benefits
Incarcerated scholars become socially and politically engaged, building community and advocating for change, while incarcerated and when back in their home communities.
What part should HBCUs play?
Mr. Rodney Spivey-Jones, 2022-23 Andrew Young Center Scholar-in-Residence, and Calvin Bell III, Morehouse 2024, sit down to discuss the impact of education on the incarcerated.
Our Timeline
Co-curricular Experiences
In early October 2024, the Morehouse College basketball team played a friendly yet competitive, very inspiring game against incarcerated players at FCI-ATL.
HEP Student Ambassadors
In 2022, the AYCGL announced its first cohort of Higher Education in Prison (HEP) Student Ambassadors. HEP Student Ambassadors support Faculty Teaching Affiliates and serve as peer tutors for incarcerated students. They also work on campus at Morehouse to raise awareness on issues of criminal justice reform, the value of prison education, and the impact of mass incarceration on our communities.
Nathaniel Norment, PhD
“If you have knowledge of yourself, knowledge of your history, knowledge of your culture, it empowers you.”
Our Team
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Shari Mackinson, Ph.D.
DIRECTOR
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Kristin Moody, Ed.D.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
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Taura Taylor, Ph.D.
FACULTY FELLOW
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Nathaniel Norment, Jr., Ph.D.
AFFILIATED FACULTY
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Winfield Ward Murray, Esq.
AFFILIATED FACULTY
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Rodney Walker
AFFILIATED FACULTY
Learn More About Higher Education in Prisons
Articles
“The Elevating Connection of Higher Education in Prison: An Incarcerated Student’s Perspective” by David Evans, Common Good Atlanta
“Reimagining the Potential of Higher Education in Prison and Reentry” by Darren Wheelock, Theresa Tobin, and Robert Smith, Marquette University
