Welcome to the Georgia State University Prison Education Project (GSUPEP)
The Georgia State University Prison Education Project (GSUPEP) creates relationships among the University System of Georgia, the Georgia Department of Corrections and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The initiative’s goals include bringing higher education into prisons, supporting reentry into society by those who have been incarcerated and reducing recidivism. In offering support and opportunity to all students, the GSUPEP seeks to promote lifelong learning that strengthens human character, increases understanding of life experiences and motivates all to engage in productive citizenship.
The Georgia State University Prison Education Project (GSUPEP) began in 2016 through a partnership with Common Good Atlanta at Phillips State Prison in Buford, Ga. A Perimeter College faculty member taught an English Composition I class to a cohort of 15 students serving time within the prison. The students were granted admission to the college and were expected to meet the same course objectives as in other Perimeter College classes. Students who successfully completed the course earned Perimeter College credit.
GSUPEP now is working to develop partnerships with other nonprofit groups, such as Reforming Arts, to bring a full associate degree program to women incarcerated at Lee-Arrendale State Prison in Alto, Ga. The project also is providing pre-college classes at the U.S. Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta and the Atlanta Transition Center.
The prison education project trains college instructors for working in the prison setting, coordinates events in colleges and area businesses about prison reform and reentry, and works to gather books and supporting materials for the instruction of classes inside prisons.
GSUPEP is committed to education in prisons and will work to:
- Increase the number of incarcerated students and facilities served.
- Build signature experiences for on-campus students by arranging academic exchanges between classrooms within prisons and those on traditional campuses.
- Work to ensure that incarcerated students can continue their educations when released from prisons.
Please contact Katherine Perry if you are interested in learning more, booking a speaker for an event, or donating books or supplies.
The following chart, based on data from the World Prison Brief at the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR) at Birkbeck, University of London, and the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), shows the rate of incarceration for selected countries around the world, as well as for individual states in the United States. The numbers are per 100,000 people. Georgia’s incarceration rate is 503 per 100,000 people.
“Participation in correctional education programs is associated with a 13 percentage-point reduction in the risk of reincarceration three years following release.”
“On average, inmates who participated in correctional education programs had 43 percent lower odds of recidivating than inmates who did not.”
“We found that providing correctional education to prisoners is cost-effective compared with the direct costs of reincarceration. We also note that the results are likely to be conservative, because they do not include the indirect costs of reincarceration.”
— “How Effective is Correctional Education?,” RAND Corp. Research Report 2014
Information About Incarceration and Related Topics:
- Almost 2.2 million people were incarcerated in the United States in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.
- Another 4.6 million people in the United States were on probation or parole in 2015, according to the Bureau of Justice.
- According to the Georgia Department of Corrections 2016 Annual Report, Georgia housed 54,026 inmates. The report said 95 percent of the inmates will reenter society.
- Georgia released 18,131 people from incarceration in 2016, according to the state report.
- Nationally, 40 percent of inmates released will be reincarcerated within three years, according to a RAND Corporation report
LINKS to Other Prison Education Programs
FAQs
What is the Georgia State University Prison Education Project?
When and how did the project begin?
What facilities do you serve?
- Phillips State Prison (for men)
- Lee Arrendale State Prison (for women)
- Atlanta’s United States Penitentiary (for men)
- Atlanta Transitional Center (for men)
If you would like programming in your facility, please contact us.
Who can participate?
Who teaches in the program?
What kind of training is required for professors?
Does GSUPEP offer degrees?
How is GSUPEP funded? How is money spent?
How can I get involved?
GSUPEP also accepts book donations to help build libraries at the facilities. We especially welcome publisher donations of textbooks. Please contact us to set up a drop-off or pickup of books.
If you are interested in teaching, you must be available to be hired as an adjunct teacher by Perimeter College and must hold accredited degrees in the subject area you would like to teach. We give teaching preference to our current professors, but always welcome a new face.
Dr. Peter Lindsay
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Political Science
Georgia State University, Atlanta Campus
plindsay2@gsu.edu
404-413-6177
Marissa McNamara
Associate Professor of English
Clarkston Campus
mmcnamara@gsu.edu
678-891-3726
Dr. Katherine D. Perry
Associate Professor of English
Decatur Campus
kperry1@gsu.edu
678-891-2580
Dr. Andy Rogers
Interim Associate Department Chair of English
Decatur Campus
arogers41@gsu.edu
770-274-5476
Links
How Your Donations Can Help
Your donation helps to cover the costs of needed supplies or required costs. For example:
- $50 pays for paper, pens, and folders for one class.
- $100 pays for the entrance exam for five students.
- $600 pays for the entrance exam and college application fee for 15 students.
- $1,500 pays for a set of textbooks for one course for a class of 15 students.
- $15,000 pays for tuition and fees for one class of 15 students for one semester.
Interested in contributing? Please email Dr. Katherine D. Perry
or call 678-891-2580.
The Georgia State University Prison Education Project (GSUPEP) began in 2016 through a partnership with Common Good Atlanta at Phillips State Prison in Buford, Ga. A Perimeter College faculty member taught an English Composition I class to a cohort of 15 students serving time within the prison. The students were granted admission to the college and were expected to meet the same course objectives as in other Perimeter College classes. Students who successfully completed the course earned Perimeter College credit.
GSUPEP now is working to develop partnerships with other nonprofit groups, such as Reforming Arts, to bring a full associate degree program to women incarcerated at Lee-Arrendale State Prison in Alto, Ga. The project also is providing pre-college classes at the U.S. Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta and the Atlanta Transition Center.
The prison education project trains college instructors for working in the prison setting, coordinates events in colleges and area businesses about prison reform and reentry, and works to gather books and supporting materials for the instruction of classes inside prisons.
GSUPEP is committed to education in prisons and will work to:
- Increase the number of incarcerated students and facilities served.
- Build signature experiences for on-campus students by arranging academic exchanges between classrooms within prisons and those on traditional campuses.
- Work to ensure that incarcerated students can continue their educations when released from prisons.
Please contact Katherine Perry if you are interested in learning more, booking a speaker for an event, or donating books or supplies.
The following chart, based on data from the World Prison Brief at the Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR) at Birkbeck, University of London, and the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), shows the rate of incarceration for selected countries around the world, as well as for individual states in the United States. The numbers are per 100,000 people. Georgia’s incarceration rate is 503 per 100,000 people.
“Participation in correctional education programs is associated with a 13 percentage-point reduction in the risk of reincarceration three years following release.”
“On average, inmates who participated in correctional education programs had 43 percent lower odds of recidivating than inmates who did not.”
“We found that providing correctional education to prisoners is cost-effective compared with the direct costs of reincarceration. We also note that the results are likely to be conservative, because they do not include the indirect costs of reincarceration.”
— “How Effective is Correctional Education?,” RAND Corp. Research Report 2014
Information About Incarceration and Related Topics:
- Almost 2.2 million people were incarcerated in the United States in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.
- Another 4.6 million people in the United States were on probation or parole in 2015, according to the Bureau of Justice.
- According to the Georgia Department of Corrections 2016 Annual Report, Georgia housed 54,026 inmates. The report said 95 percent of the inmates will reenter society.
- Georgia released 18,131 people from incarceration in 2016, according to the state report.
- Nationally, 40 percent of inmates released will be reincarcerated within three years, according to a RAND Corporation report
LINKS to Other Prison Education Programs
FAQs
When and how did the project begin?
- Phillips State Prison (for men)
- Lee Arrendale State Prison (for women)
- Atlanta’s United States Penitentiary (for men)
- Atlanta Transitional Center (for men)
If you would like programming in your facility, please contact us.
Who teaches in the program?
GSUPEP also accepts book donations to help build libraries at the facilities. We especially welcome publisher donations of textbooks. Please contact us to set up a drop-off or pickup of books.
If you are interested in teaching, you must be available to be hired as an adjunct teacher by Perimeter College and must hold accredited degrees in the subject area you would like to teach. We give teaching preference to our current professors, but always welcome a new face.
Dr. Katherine D. Perry
Associate Professor of English
Decatur Campus
kperry1@gsu.edu
678-891-2580
Dr. Andy Rogers
Interim Associate Department Chair of English
Decatur Campus
arogers41@gsu.edu
770-274-5476
Marissa McNamara
Associate Professor of English
Clarkston Campus
mmcnamara@gsu.edu
678-891-3726
Dr. Peter Lindsay
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Political Science
Georgia State University, Atlanta Campus
plindsay2@gsu.edu
404-413-6177
Links
How Your Donations Can Help
Your donation helps to cover the costs of needed supplies or required costs. For example:
- $50 pays for paper, pens, and folders for one class.
- $100 pays for the entrance exam for five students.
- $600 pays for the entrance exam and college application fee for 15 students.
- $1,500 pays for a set of textbooks for one course for a class of 15 students.
- $15,000 pays for tuition and fees for one class of 15 students for one semester.
Interested in contributing? Please email Dr. Katherine D. Perry
or call 678-891-2580.
TESTIMONIALS
“DARKNESS–devoid or partially devoid of light.
I lived in the prison system as an inmate for five years, due to no one’s fault but my own. I was away from my family, away from the life I knew. My descent was into a world so dark, I wondered if I would survive–my soul was troubled.
I enrolled in a creative writing class … . Little did I know that this class taught by Katherine Perry would change what was then my life behind a 20-foot razor-wire-topped fence. Katherine taught me that everyone has a story to tell and writing poetry became my way to communicate who I was as a human being. Katherine became a light in the darkness that surrounded me.
My poetry took me back home to those I love and missed so very much. At times I was taken back to my Native American roots, to the ceremonies, to the laughter. The light became brighter with each written word, I found comfort and the strength I needed to overcome so many negatives. I also noticed that my fellow classmates began to open up, becoming more comfortable with the poetry written in that small class room made a positive impact on us all.
I was released from prison 10 years ago, I continue to write poetry, and I have been approached about writing a book of my journey, a journey from darkness to light that never would have been possible without that first class of creative writing taught by Katherine.
Being given the opportunity truly changed my thought processes from negative to positive. I began to see myself and the other women in a different light, and for that I am forever grateful…my soul is no longer troubled.”
Sonia Turley-Landers
(Sonia enrolled in a class sponsored by the Alabama Prison Arts and Education Program through Auburn University. Her professor, Katherine Perry, now teaches at Perimeter College and is a leader in the Georgia State University Prison Education Program coordinated through Perimeter College.)
“Over the last 22 years, I have worked with thousands of college students. When I leave a class that has been lively and engaging, I am energized; I know the students have learned; I know we have accomplished something together. As a teacher, there is no better feeling.
Thus far, I have left each of my prison classes with that feeling. These students truly understand the power of an education. They are curious, eager, and hard-working.
Recently, at Phillips State Prison, I worked on an essay with a student who told me he wasn’t writing for an assignment; he had been so inspired by Milton that he was researching to learn more. This is the first student I have ever heard say that.
I do not know what makes a person commit a crime. What do I know is that people deserve a second chance. Everyone deserves to learn, to enrich their lives, and to contribute to society, whether that is in the community inside of the prison for which they can serve as an example or in the communities they enter when they are released.
I believe that people benefit from education, that they are more confident, can do higher levels of thinking, and can make more informed decisions. Those are the people I want in my world. So, I teach, and I teach in prisons.
It is a privilege to work with these men and women who are hungry for knowledge and for a better life, and to know that maybe I have been one part of a system that has served them, and therefore all of us, well.”
Marissa McNamara
(Marissa McNamara is an assistant professor of English at Perimeter College and a faculty participant in the Georgia State University Prison Education Program.)
“My reasons for teaching in prisons have changed over the years. I started because I watched a person I love sit behind bars with nothing productive to do with his time; when I started, it was a way for me to reach out to the men and women behind bars who most people never contact or think about. Over the years, though, I’ve found the experience of teaching behind bars to be highly rewarding as an educator because the students are more invested in their education; they know exactly how devastating a lack of education is. The combination of giving back to my community through teaching at-risk populations and the personal gratification of teaching those who really want to be taught keeps me going back inside to teach year after year.
We started the Georgia State University Prison Education Project because we believe our judicial system is broken and needs our assistance. Our society has failed many of our most vulnerable populations with poor education and lacking support systems. Rather than helping our citizens, we over-incarcerate them and fail to offer real rehabilitation during incarceration. Teaching college courses in prisons is our way of working to break the cycle and to change our justice system one student at a time.”
Dr. Katherine D. Perry
(Dr. Katherine D. Perry is associate professor of English at Perimeter College and a co-founder and coordinator of Georgia State University Prison Education Project.)
TESTIMONIALS
“DARKNESS–devoid or partially devoid of light.
I lived in the prison system as an inmate for five years, due to no one’s fault but my own. I was away from my family, away from the life I knew. My descent was into a world so dark, I wondered if I would survive–my soul was troubled.
I enrolled in a creative writing class … . Little did I know that this class taught by Katherine Perry would change what was then my life behind a 20-foot razor-wire-topped fence. Katherine taught me that everyone has a story to tell and writing poetry became my way to communicate who I was as a human being. Katherine became a light in the darkness that surrounded me.
My poetry took me back home to those I love and missed so very much. At times I was taken back to my Native American roots, to the ceremonies, to the laughter. The light became brighter with each written word, I found comfort and the strength I needed to overcome so many negatives. I also noticed that my fellow classmates began to open up, becoming more comfortable with the poetry written in that small class room made a positive impact on us all.
I was released from prison 10 years ago, I continue to write poetry, and I have been approached about writing a book of my journey, a journey from darkness to light that never would have been possible without that first class of creative writing taught by Katherine.
Being given the opportunity truly changed my thought processes from negative to positive. I began to see myself and the other women in a different light, and for that I am forever grateful…my soul is no longer troubled.”
Sonia Turley-Landers
(Sonia enrolled in a class sponsored by the Alabama Prison Arts and Education Program through Auburn University. Her professor, Katherine Perry, now teaches at Perimeter College and is a leader in the Georgia State University Prison Education Program coordinated through Perimeter College.)
“Over the last 22 years, I have worked with thousands of college students. When I leave a class that has been lively and engaging, I am energized; I know the students have learned; I know we have accomplished something together. As a teacher, there is no better feeling.
Thus far, I have left each of my prison classes with that feeling. These students truly understand the power of an education. They are curious, eager, and hard-working.
Recently, at Phillips State Prison, I worked on an essay with a student who told me he wasn’t writing for an assignment; he had been so inspired by Milton that he was researching to learn more. This is the first student I have ever heard say that.
I do not know what makes a person commit a crime. What do I know is that people deserve a second chance. Everyone deserves to learn, to enrich their lives, and to contribute to society, whether that is in the community inside of the prison for which they can serve as an example or in the communities they enter when they are released.
I believe that people benefit from education, that they are more confident, can do higher levels of thinking, and can make more informed decisions. Those are the people I want in my world. So, I teach, and I teach in prisons.
It is a privilege to work with these men and women who are hungry for knowledge and for a better life, and to know that maybe I have been one part of a system that has served them, and therefore all of us, well.”
Marissa McNamara
(Marissa McNamara is an assistant professor of English at Perimeter College and a faculty participant in the Georgia State University Prison Education Program.)
“My reasons for teaching in prisons have changed over the years. I started because I watched a person I love sit behind bars with nothing productive to do with his time; when I started, it was a way for me to reach out to the men and women behind bars who most people never contact or think about. Over the years, though, I’ve found the experience of teaching behind bars to be highly rewarding as an educator because the students are more invested in their education; they know exactly how devastating a lack of education is. The combination of giving back to my community through teaching at-risk populations and the personal gratification of teaching those who really want to be taught keeps me going back inside to teach year after year.
We started the Georgia State University Prison Education Project because we believe our judicial system is broken and needs our assistance. Our society has failed many of our most vulnerable populations with poor education and lacking support systems. Rather than helping our citizens, we over-incarcerate them and fail to offer real rehabilitation during incarceration. Teaching college courses in prisons is our way of working to break the cycle and to change our justice system one student at a time.”
Dr. Katherine D. Perry
(Dr. Katherine D. Perry is associate professor of English at Perimeter College and a co-founder and coordinator of Georgia State University Prison Education Project.)