RSVP for EJP’s reentry simulation on Saturday, Oct 10, from 10-12 p.m. CST! Event link here.
Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to begin my work as an intern for the EJP in both the director’s office and the events coordination team. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with an organization that represents my values and goals for the future. Looking back at…
Education Justice Project (EJP) leadership feels compelled to address the damaging misrepresentation of research in the recent Inside Higher Ed (IHE) article, “Prison Education May Raise Risk of Reincarceration for Technical Violations.” EJP, a unit of the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has for eighteen years successfully hosted a college-in-prison program…
The holiday season can be hard emotionally for those in prison, so we create winter programming for EJP students and affiliates that is fun and festive. For instance, this winter break, we offered a two-part music workshop titled, “Snap Clap Sing Whistle Stomp.” It took place in a room with a digital keyboard, which allowed…
We have been featuring profiles of EJP alumni who are now out in the world making an impact in their communities. In our latest EJP profile, we would like to share the story of David Gbabiri, a high school principal and English teacher in Garoua-Boulaï, a city in eastern Cameroon near the border of the…
“I had been locked down for a while,” says Larry Brent, who was among EJP’s first cohort of students at the Danville prison in 2008. When EJP came into the prison, he “signed right up.” It was a “mind blowing experience,” he recalls. He first took classes in history and religion. In December 2018, a…
We are proud to share that EJP is offering our first-ever graduate-level course this Fall 2025 at Danville prison. Soo Ah Kwon, a professor of Asian American Studies, and long-time EJP instructor, is teaching EPOL 518: Youth, Culture and Society. While pursuing her Ph.D. at Berkeley researching youth activism, Soo Ah first got involved with…
“There are men and women on the inside,” says Angel Pantoja, EJP alumnus, “who, every day, take it upon themselves to listen to their peers, to counsel them and help them work through not only the suffering that comes with incarceration, but also the deep traumas many have carried since childhood.” During his time incarcerated…
Education Justice Project hosts a project called RIPPLE Effect, which sends holiday cards and letters inside prison and will be directly impacted by the recent decision to digitize all prison mail in Illinois. Illinois Department of Corrections has implemented a policy to scan all incoming mail. Prison authorities claim the move will stop the flow…
For the first time, a former EJP student has been accepted and enrolled in the University of Illinois. Mike Pierce is working on a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Trauma-Informed Practice and Pedagogy at the College of Education. After being transferred to Danville prison in 2018, Mike started taking courses…
We have been spotlighting the accomplishments of EJP alumni recently (see posts about Johnny Page and James Wood) and are happy to feature one of our most recent alumni in this blog. Anthony “Milo” Olivieri was released from Danville Correctional Center where he was part of EJP, and now he is living in the city…
We wish to extend congratulations to Johnny Page, EJP alumnus, who was recently named Director of Reentry in the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention and Services at the Illinois Department of Human Services. That sounds like a long title, and his job is not a simple one. His position is to connect different state agencies,…
A second cohort of EJP Alumni Fellows has been selected to build professional skills and networking opportunities among our former students. This initiative also aims to foreground the voices of those who can best speak to the importance of higher education in prison, the conditions of life inside, and the need for reentry resources —…
Since he was released five months ago, James Wood, known as “Silk,” has been surrounded by the EJP community. The skills he learned from EJP while he was inside have also prepared him to be successful. After serving a 31-year sentence, he needed all the assistance he could get. He recently got a full-time job…
A new book by EJP alumnus Raylan Gilford talks candidly about the emotionally fraught time of reentering society after a lengthy prison term. Navigating ReEntry Trauma: A Guide For Life After Lockup is his fourth book. EJP will be hosting a book launch with Raylan on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m….
EJP held our Fall Convocation at Danville Correctional Center on August 20, 2025 to kick off the new academic year. The theme of the convocation was “Self-Actualization: Becoming Purpose Driven.” The nearly two-hour long event included words shared by EJP students, instructors, and program leaders. “The EJP Community is rewarding,” said the opening speaker Maurice…
EJP is committed to building inclusive, people-centered learning communities on campus and at Danville Correctional Center. Given the current climate, and considering feedback we’ve received from members inside and out, we are currently reimagining how we organize our work around community and belonging, including its purpose, mission, and activities. While we have paused Critical Conversations,…
We want to introduce you to our new cohort of EJP scholars for the 2025-26 academic year. This spring we have 21 students in our new cohort who are already diving into EJP’s curriculum. These individuals join the more than 500 who have taken courses with EJP since the program started in 2008. Every year,…
“It makes me feel like I’m not alone,” says Ricardo Guzman, who used a copy of EJP’s A New Path: A Guide to the Challenges & Opportunities After Deportation to prepare for his release from prison and deportation to Mexico. “Other people went through this. They made it. I can also make it.” Education Justice Project…
This year more than ever, EJP recognizes the linkages between incarceration in the United States and the criminalization of immigrants, particularly those from Mexico. Some EJP students, after serving a long sentence in prison, have been deported. Some of them came to the United States seeking a better future like previous generations of immigrants, and…
We wanted to disseminate an executive summary from a research luncheon held at this year’s National Conference on Higher Education in Prison (NCHEP). Several current and former EJP members participated in the discussion including Ashton Klekamp, Rob Scott, Paméla Cappas-Toro, and Mollie Hosmer-Dillard. Erin Castro (pictured here), former EJP instructor who co-founded the University of…
EJP was invited to participate in a legislative subject matter hearing held on Tuesday (5/6) on Credit for Change, a statewide campaign aimed at repealing the state’s so-called “Truth-in-Sentencing” laws that have led to thousands of people serving long sentences in Illinois prisons. EJP’s Policy Discussion Group at Danville Correctional Center has been studying this…
It’s the time of the year when EJP reviews applications from individuals hoping to join our program at Danville Correctional Center. Every spring, EJP starts a new admissions cycle. We typically accept approximately 20 incoming students, with notices of acceptance going out in May. It can feel life-changing to some individuals when, after pursuing their…
The Education Justice Project (EJP) has made the commitment to apply to become a center at the University of Illinois. This decision comes after a multi-year process involving our largest external funder, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which awarded EJP a $1 million grant in 2017 and most recently renewed the grant for additional 36…
EJP is thrilled to welcome Shaelyn Smith as our new Academic Director! In this role, Shaelyn will lead all our college-in-prison programming. Shaelyn is familiar with the obstacles and rewards of running a higher education program in a prison. She has spent the last eight years working with the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project (APAEP),…
An interesting and timely EJP course, Latin American Studies 395: Latin American Insurgencies, is being taught this spring at Danville prison by instructor Liliana Lule. The course studies uprisings in Latin America from pre/colonial era to the present, with the goal of understanding how historical events influence contemporary examples of resistance. “Classes like this one…
Growing up with system-impacted family members, Jessica Vargas was familiar with the effects of incarceration early on. Her experience drove her to get involved with EJP’s Prison-to-Gown Pathway (PGP) program, where she conducted outreach to justice-impacted students on the Illinois campus and connected them with resources. Jessica is from Humboldt Park, a Puerto Rican neighborhood…
As a member of the Education Justice Project’s (EJP) Social Media Team, Natalie Cline (Advertising, Class of 2025) has gained hands-on experience and worked for an organization whose mission she believes in. In the two years since she started, Natalie has helped nearly double the number of followers on EJP’s social media platforms. EJP has…
This holiday season, we are thrilled to announce we have selected several recipients of the Education Justice Project Scholarship! Every year, EJP offers several scholarships to those formerly incarcerated and those impacted by the criminal legal system to continue their education. Their stories are examples of the role that education can play in transforming lives. …
By Brian Dolinar We are excited to share the news that we have chosen our first ever cohort of EJP Alumni Fellows. The new fellowship program is intended to enrich EJP’s efforts to support critical awareness of issues related to higher education in prison, incarceration, and reentry, while supporting EJP alumni in the development of…
We are excited to announce the results of our 2024 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Survey, the second survey since EJP launched our DEI Initiative. The DEI Survey was first released at a lunch event on Monday, December 2, 2024 with EJP members. You can read the 2024 DEI Survey online. The DEI Team plans…
Liliana Lule is a lecturer in the Latino/Latina Studies department at the University of Illinois. She has recently joined EJP as an instructor and will be teaching in Danville in Fall of 2023. EJP’s bi-annual call for course proposals appeared in Liliana Lule’s email inbox in February of 2023. The announcement struck a chord with…
This year, EJP’s Prison-to-Gown initiative has begun its research and exploration phases to provide support for people making the transition from incarceration to academic study on college campuses. The initiative operates from an understanding that most institutions for higher education are not geared to address the specific challenges that formerly incarcerated people face, and that…
Spankey Davis is the Senior Alumni Advocate for ConTextos, a Chicago non-profit that uses education and personal narrative to promote healing, reflection, and social change. In describing ConTextos, the non-profit where he works, EJP alumnus Spankey Davis says, “We are a harm reduction organization that uses art and literature as therapeutic tools to help young…
Johnny Page has come a long way since he enrolled in classes at Cook County Jail just to get off the deck. Locked up at eighteen, he had always enjoyed reading and was an exemplary student when younger. However, in high school he got caught up in street life and dropped out. Once he started…
Fidelis Anyanegbu is a lawyer from Nigeria pursuing an LLM at the University of Illinois. During his year in the United States, he is working as a member of the office staff for EJP. In July of 2022, Fidelis Anyanegbu left his home in Anambra, Nigeria and boarded a plane headed for Illinois, which is…
Kevin McSweeney is the arboretum director at the University of Illinois and also teaches soil science classes on campus. He is going to be teaching with EJP in Spring 2024. In Spring of 2024, EJP will welcome Kevin McSweeney as a new instructor. Kevin studied environmental science at the University of Sheffield in the United…
Shiphrah Nantongo loves her job. She announces this fact with a verve and vitality that feels rare to American ears. Shiphrah is the Project Officer for Wells of Hope Ministries’ Safe House for Women, a Ugandan transitional home for women who have been incarcerated. When I asked her what motivates her, Shiphrah spoke with buoyancy:…
Language Partners (LP) is one of the only English as a Second Language (ESL) programs offered in Illinois state prisons. It’s one of twelve educational programs offered by the Education Justice Project at Danville Correctional Center. Ramon Cabrales, a passionate, bilingual EJP student who saw the need for a peer-led ESL program at Danville Correctional…
Recently, our Higher Education in Prison (HEP) Task Force collected and analyzed Illinois-driven data gathered by the Data Working Group at EJP. This data helped EJP’s HEP task force with two of its objectives including: To obtain and analyze data on existing Illinois HEP programs. To identify data points that should be collected for more…
During their annual work on Mapping Your Future, the RGI team pays close attention on how to better adapt their guides to make them more accessible for readers. This year was no exception, as Natalia discussed the changes made, “Last year, our guide was at a high school reading level. This can be a challenge…
Michael Harrell knows the exact number of days he was incarcerated: 20 years, 5 months, 4 weeks, and 3 days. Six months after his release, Michael is now a Reentry Case Manager at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, a nonprofit restorative justice organization. He helps trauma-impacted individuals acquire basic documentation and achieve their goals. Some…
Illinois is poised to become a national exemplar in the field of higher education in prison (HEP). The Illinois Higher Education in Prison Task Force met for the last time on July 28, 2022 to adopt 31 recommendations. They include steps toward implementing a legislative action plan to expand and support high-quality HEP opportunities throughout…
The Reentry Guide Initiative (RGI) is gearing up to distribute hard copies of the 2022 edition of Mapping Your Future: A Guide to Successful Reentry in Illinois. This guide, which EJP has updated annually since 2015, provides more than 200 pages of information on preparing for reentry while incarcerated and steps to take following release….
In recent weeks, EJP highlighted an article from the Chicago Sun, written by EJP alum Johnny Page-then co-director of programs and partnerships for ConTextos. His op-ed (https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/5/18/23095977/violence-interrupters-chicago-shootings-seandell-holliday-bean-millenium-park-contextos-op-ed) commented on the need for more proactivity within the violence prevention landscape of Chicago. Johnny also made a call for the removal of barriers for those with lived…
Higher education in prison experts Tim Barnett and Sharon Varallo presented at the Illinois Higher Education in Prison Task Force on May 5, 2022. Sharon Vallaro is the Executive Director of the Augustana Prison Education Program (APEP), which allows incarcerated individuals at East Moline Correctional Center the opportunity to earn bachelor’s degrees. Professor Vallaro emphasized…
“EJP’s mission does not end once a person leaves prison,” states Nia Hill, EJP’s scholarship and travel grant coordinator. EJP’s scholarships provide pathways for EJP students and others impacted by incarceration to continue pursuing their educational goals. EJP has been offering academic scholarships since 2011. Scholarship funds can be applied to any post-secondary academic purpose,…
When he sets his mind to something, Jose Ornelas Vallejo will get the job done. Driven, motivated, and with a can-do attitude, Jose was an ideal recipient for one of the EJP scholarships offered this spring. Formerly incarcerated individuals residing in Mexico with a strong desire to study at a secondary or post-secondary education are…
After COVID-19 forced a second suspension of our programming at Danville Correctional Center in January 2022, we’re grateful that EJP classes were able to resume in March. However, we’re still trying to recover from the setbacks we encountered during the shut-down. The suspension has led us to extend our courses into the summer, to make…
Alejandro Sandria’s nervous excitement is palpable as his wife translates. He is the recipient of an EJP scholarship, awarded this spring to a formerly incarcerated individual residing in Mexico. These need-based scholarships provide support for further study at a secondary or post-secondary institution. Alejandro plans to use these funds to pursue his own personal study…
Cesar Fierro, Aspiring Baker Each spring, as a part of our scholarship programs, EJP hosts two scholarship competitions for individuals in Mexico. The scholarships provide support for people with previous connections to incarceration to study at secondary or post-secondary institutions in Mexico. César Fierro, one of the recipients of this year’s scholarships, says he wants…
Keiahty Jones, EJP alumni incarcerated for almost 14 years, was able to go home in November. How would he summarize reentry? “It’s like walking on glass through a desert,” he said. Keiahty spoke about his experiences during prison and reentry as part of EJP’s 2022 Impact Week, which featured EJP alumni speaking to EJP supporters…
Last week, in lieu of our annual gala, EJP hosted a virtual Impact Week highlighting EJP alumni and community members. On Tuesday, EJP was joined by EJP alumni Joseph “Joe Joe” Mapp. Joseph is the Communities Partnering 4 Peace program manager and director of reentry at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago. He recently…
After being incarcerated for 22 years, one of David “Happy” Todd’s biggest challenges upon release was adjusting to his family and their way of living. Happy shared his reentry experiences with his family as part of EJP’s 2022 Impact Week, which featured EJP alumni speaking to small groups of EJP supporters via zoom. To them,…
As an organization committed not only to mitigating the negative impacts of incarceration but also to supporting more just and humane responses to harm and violence, many members of EJP strive to enact abolitionist values throughout the work that we do. Prison abolition is a multifaceted, complex subject that goes far beyond merely closing prisons….
Over the past two weeks the IL senate has done something unprecedented. It failed to confirm appointees to the Prisoner Review Board, three individuals with solid qualifications, some even unanimously approved by a subcommittee. As a result, the Prisoner Review Board has only six members and is unable to complete some of its vital tasks…
The Illinois Higher Education In Prison Task Force held an initial meeting in February to begin working toward its goal of reporting on ways to improve higher education in Illinois prisons. At the meeting, the members set bylaws, guidelines and plans for the task force, and made space to build community within the collective. The…
Friends of the Education Justice Project (FEJP) is a 501(c)3 non-profit that exists solely to raise funds for EJP. Its members fund academic scholarships for formerly incarcerated people and their family members, provide small grants to EJP alumni to help with unanticipated financial needs such as medical expenses, groceries, and bills, and support other needs. …
EJP publishes two reentry guides every year: Mapping Your Future: A Guide to Successful Reentry in Illinois and A New Path: A Guide to the Challenges and Opportunities After Deportation. Of the two, A New Path is created for those who face deportation to Mexico or Central America following their sentence. Lee Ragsdale, the reentry…
We are excited to announce that HJR27, which calls for the creation of a Higher Education in Prison Task Force, was adopted by the Illinois General Assembly in October. Multiple organizations, educators, and incarcerated individuals were involved in supporting the resolution’s passage, which was co-sponsored by Carol Ammons in the House and Kimberly Lightford in…
EJP provides for-credit courses and other academic programs to incarcerated individuals within Danville Correctional Center. While students at Danville take the same classes and parse through the same course material as UIUC students on campus, the educational experiences of the two can be quite different. Ellen Ritter currently serves as the academic director, after starting…
Over the years, the Education Justice Project has grown and attracted many international scholars from around the world. Their diversity in backgrounds and perspectives have become valuable assets to furthering EJP’s missions. Below, three members of EJP from different countries recount how they learned about the program and what they have noticed through their involvement…
The Education Justice Project started the Reentry Guide Initiative to try to answer some of the questions that formerly incarcerated individuals might have when reentering the world after finishing their sentence. Currently, EJP produces two reentry guides; Mapping Your Future: A Guide to Successful Reentry in Illinois and A New Path: A Guide to the…
When EJP was first in the makings, the group was treading quietly on campus, forgoing publicity through flyers and other means. Advised by both the University and Danville Correctional Center to keep it low-key in case of pushback from members of the public, and against the backdrop of a general pro–incarceration mood in the country,…
The Reentry Guide Initiative team recently printed 7,000 copies of the 2021 version of Mapping Your Future: A Guide to Successful Reentry — the largest order up to date. Of the total copies, 4,000 were delivered to the Illinois Department of Corrections and they will be distributed to prisons throughout Illinois. “We hope to get…
The prison population is one of the groups most vulnerable to COVID, and the pandemic hasmade incarcerated individuals more isolated than ever. That is one reason why the return of in-person EJP programming is so important. EJP members are excited to return to DanvilleCorrectional Center and resume teaching after having not been at the prison…
I’m Laura Kalmes. My work is focused on educational justice, and this is an extraordinary opportunity for me to engage with such a dynamic and dedicated group of activists and professionals. I completed a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Educational Policy Studies, and I now teach sociology and philosophy of education at Illinois…
EJP’s Writing Workshop Coordinator, Chelsea Catt, earned her PhD from the University of Illinois. She studied language and literacy with a specialization in writing studies. Her professional areas of interest include prison education, narrative inquiry, and expressive writing.
The Reentry Guide Initiative is one of EJP’s largest endeavors. The hundreds of pages for the two guides – Mapping Your Future and Returning Home – require research, interviews, writing and proofreading for each new edition. This year, the RGI team had an even greater challenge: creating guides that included relevant information during a pandemic,…
As a father of three, Robert Reed recognized while in prison that he needed to be a strong example for his children, Anthony, Diamond and Justin. Robert knew, as soon as he heard about EJP, therefore, that he wanted to join. Along with his wife, Arlinda, he has been connected with the program for more…
David Todd is a fervent advocate for education-in-prison programs. He credits such programs, including his time taking courses with EJP, with helping him find his two passions: cosmetology and mentorship. David was released from prison at age 41 in 2017, after serving 21 years. He decided while in prison that he needed to change his…
Linda Larsen became Research Coordinator of EJP’s Reentry Guide Initiative (RGI) in January 2021, but has been working as a member of RGI since 2017. Linda’s background is in writing and teaching about writing. In addition to her work at EJP, she works as Publications Coordinator for SEDAC, an applied research center at the University of Illinois…
When I entered EJP I was coming from a dark place. I was searching for the power within knowledge to harness it for destructive purposes. I was angry at the institutions that cause harm to my community and I was searching for retribution. I could not fathom that I was the greatest cancer to my…
Welcome to EJP’s new website! We’re so excited to launch this new home for EJP’s online presence, and to have you here with us. This has been a long time in the making, and we hope you take a few minutes to explore. EJP’s previous website launched in 2012. It greatly improved access to information…
Features The Beginning, Middleton and End of My Writing Process | Logan Middleton (EJP volunteer) Nick & Shorty | Chad Lane Bookshelf: Review of Adam Cohen’s book, “Im*be*ciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck” | Pablo Mendoza Thanks for Your Embrace | Karl Eric Ezekiel Simmons Dr. Didactic | Thomas…
Features Welcome to the very first all-poetry issue of the Amplifier, featuring original poetry written by EJP students.
Features Knock Knock | James Wood Waiting for the Bus | Millie Wright My Introduction to Yoga | Raphel Jackson Spring 2018 Semester Review
Features Learning in El Barrio | Anastacio Esparza Word of the Day: Sankofa | by Copenhaver Cumpston Congratulations Andy Borum, volunteer of the year Thoughts Are Not Facts | Raylan Gilford From Scientific American: Michael Shermer, Postmodernism vs. Science Call the Waaahmbulance – The Amplifier’s new advice column
Features Shouting at Air | David Hensley Apt Tutor, a tribute to Edward Viens | Sean Lawless Dare to be Different: an interview with Terrance Hanson | Angel Pantoja Book review of Learning from the Octopus by Rafe Sagarin | Edward Viens
Contents: Manny | Angel Pantoja Second Sight | Bert Stabler Book review of Le Ton beau de Marot by Douglas Hofstadter | Edward Viens
Features Call of Duty | Angel Pantoja Wordplay | Edward Viens What’s in the Box? | Raylan Gilford Book review of Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal | Josh Walbert
Features Cubs and Trump | Angel Pantoja Positively Speaking | Sean Lawless
Features Interview with Bert Stabler | Terrance Hanson Road Warrior | Angel Pantoja Anthem Protest | John Cunningham Book review of Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner | Christopher Shea
Features Mis Heroes | by Angel Pantoja Weeds, Words, and Woods | Edward Viens Book review of Rosa Lee by Leon Dash | Christopher Shea
Features Is “Free College” the Answer? | C.J. Shea Interview with Ian Scott, co-facilitator of C.A.V.E. | Terrance Hanson When We All Act (Outgoing Reflections) | Ramón Cabrales Bookshelf: Review of Things that Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics, by Charles Krauthammer | C.J. Shea
Features Interview with Stephen Sherman | Raylan Gilford
Features Newsnotes: Progress in Post-Incarceration Eduction To Code or not to Code | Josh Walbert Inheritance? | Nikia Perry Breathing Space 10 Ways to Live Restoratively Bookshelf: Review of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson | C.J. Shea
Features Breathing Space | David Hensley Reader Poll
Features Higher Education Update from Rebecca Ginsburg IDOC Director Baldwin’s “Ask” / Address for the Illinois Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentence Reform
