College-in-Prison

For Credit Courses

EJP offers upper-division courses at Danville Correctional Center to eligible incarcerated individuals. Most courses meet weekly for a three-hour class. The day and time of classes changes each semester, according to instructors’ schedules and room availability. Students earn University of Illinois credit, which can be applied towards certificates or, upon release, to bachelor’s degree programs...

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Writing and Math Partners (WAMP)

WAMP is EJP’s tutoring program. Several times a week, Writing and Math Partners from campus and the community attend WAMP sessions at Danville Correctional Center, replicating the structure and energy of office hours or study hall. Attendance at WAMP sessions generally ranges from 15 – 40 students, all working on various forms of scholarship. WAMP…

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Community Library

EJP’s Community Library at Danville Correctional Center contains over 4,000 volumes in addition to other resources that serve the academic pursuits and research needs of EJP at the prison. The Community Library also offers programming and community space typical to academic and public libraries—a purposeful third space. Its primary goal is to help students develop…

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Computer Lab

EJP maintains a computer lab at Danville Correctional Center. Students use it to produce assignments and notes, watch uploaded content (there is no internet), and gain confidence on computers. Some instructors also hold classes in the lab. EJP students provide tech support. We aim for the lab to be a valued and vibrant space that…

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Community Anti-Violence Education

Prison is the perfect place to stop the cycle of violence. Many incarcerated individuals have sincere desires to turn their lives around and see their communities become safer places. CAVE provides EJP students an opportunity to train as peer facilitators, and to support others’ efforts to engage in social and emotional learning that can lead…

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Mindfulness Discussion Group

MDG members meet weekly at Danville Correctional Center to discuss their individual mindfulness practices, including the obstacles they encounter and how to overcome them. Members also talk about the benefits of mindfulness, and the connections between mindfulness and other fields of study. All of this is supplemented with a variety of readings on the theory…

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Writing Workshops

Students cultivate a range of writing skills through EJP’s on-going series of extracurricular writing workshops. Past workshops include Creative Writing, Composing Introductions and Conclusions, Practically Painless English, and Grammar Workshops. There have also been poetry workshops and series that focus on creative non-fiction. The writing workshop coordinator makes available opportunities for students to submit their…

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STEM Workshops

Our Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) workshops are not-for-credit offerings that invite students to explore a range of topics. There is great variety among the workshops. Some offer basic skills, others supplement upper-level course work, and others cover advanced topics. A workshop might be a one-time event or a series of workshops. The format…

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Computer Workshops

These not-for-credit workshops, which are held in EJP’s computer lab at Danville Correctional Center, allow EJP students to gain confidence in diverse aspects of computing, from foundational skills like keyboarding to advanced programming skills. There is no internet in the lab at this time. Some workshops are one-time events, while others are series that last…

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Language Partners

Language Partners was formed when EJP student Ramon Cabrales came up with a powerful idea. Observing that he and other bilingual EJP students were ideally suited to tutor incarcerated men in the general population who have low levels of English proficiency, he proposed that EJP establish a peer English as a Second Language (ESL) program. His…

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Academic Advising

EJP’s academic advisors assist and work with students at the prison. They conduct individualized and group office hours, offer workshops on academic skills and success, and collaborate with other EJP members to provide strong academic and extracurricular support programs. EJP’s academic advisors typically hold similar positions on campus or in the community, for example as…

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The Amplifier Newsletter

EJP’s student newsletter, The Amplifier, is produced in EJP’s computer lab at Danville Correctional Center. To date, it has been a publication of student writing, including book reviews, creative non-fiction, editorials and commentary, and cartoons. Incarcerated students fill the positions of managing editor, assistant managing editor, copy editor, calendar editor, and production crew. In the…

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