“Inside-Out” Prison Exchange Program

April 5, 2013

In partnership with Smith State Prison and the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology offered its first Inside-Out class this spring semester. The “Inside-Out” Prison Exchange Program provides an opportunity for students at Georgia Southern University to go inside the walls of a prison to conduct a class with incarcerated residents of the facility. After receiving training from the Inside-Out National Instructor Training Institute this past summer, Dr. Miller developed the course “Exploring Issues of Crime and Justice Behind the Walls” to teach at Smith State Prison. The class is comprised of 14 outside students and 16 inside students and has met at the prison every Friday morning this semester. In this combined class, both inside and outside students are able to share information, experiences, and ideas about crime, justice, imprisonment, and the criminal justice system. Students are challenged to think critically about ways to reduce crime and promote justice. Through this type of experimental teaching setting students are encouraged to foster a greater understanding of criminal justice issues and to think of solutions.

Dr. Agnich will receive training this summer and will be teaching a “Gender and Crime” class in a local women’s facility in the fall. We hope to add more Inside-Out courses in the future. Students should strongly consider registering for one of these courses.