Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program
About the program
The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University (ASU) and the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) are pleased to offer students the opportunity to enroll in the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Applications for the Fall 2023 course are now closed.
The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program is unlike any other class offered at ASU. The class combines ASU students (outside students) with an equal number of incarcerated students (inside students) at an Arizona State Prison Complex facility. Both ASU and incarcerated students have the same syllabus and academic requirements, and students learn about crime and justice together through collaboration and dialogue.
Inside-Out was founded by Lori Pompa at Temple University with the first class taking place in the Philadelphia Prison System in 1997. The program has since grown to include over 1,200 trained instructors from nearly every U.S. state and 12 countries reaching over 60,000 students. The Spring 2016 Inside-Out class taught at ASU was the first time the course was taught in the state of Arizona.
The course was first taught by Dr. Kevin Wright. For any general questions about Inside-Out at ASU, please contact Dr. Wright (kevinwright@asu.edu)
To be considered for the course, students are required to fill out an application. Students who make the short list of applicants will then complete a brief interview with the course facilitators, who are responsible for selecting the final roster of students for the course. Class size is very limited.
If you have questions about the Fall 2023 Inside-Out course, contact Dr. Wright (kevinwright@asu.edu)
Barrett, The Honors College, also offers Inside-Out courses.
Watch video from the Inside-Out information session (held October 5, 2016) here!
Download our brochure: Moving beyond the walls that separate us
Course description
Fall 2023
CRJ 317 Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program (3 credits)
"Motivational Justice"
Instructors: Kevin Wright, PhD; Alexis Klemm, BS
The course meets Thursdays from 3:30-6:30pm (because of transportation time, students should be available between 2:00pm and 8:00pm on class days).
The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program is a semester-long introduction and application of the concepts around motivational justice. The curriculum in Fall 2023 will include literature and principles from psychology, communication, and criminology that emphasize the importance of motivation, communication, and social relationships to our everyday lives and criminal justice. .
Inside and outside students meet separately on the first and last weeks of class in order to properly orient and debrief the experience. During the semester, inside and outside students will discuss issues, complete reading/writing assignments, and work together to complete a group project.
NOTE: Transportation to and from the prison will be provided by ASU. Students are required to meet at ASU Downtown and will be dropped off at ASU Downtown after class. The security of all students is a priority and care is taken to ensure semi-anonymity (first names only) to prevent outside contact during or following the semester.
How to apply
To be considered for the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program:
- Complete and submit an application. Applications for the Fall 2023 class are now closed.
- If selected, attend a 15-minute screening interview in person or via Zoom.
Important dates:
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Application deadline for Fall 2023 was April 14th.
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Screening interviews (for those chosen for an interview) will be held April 17-21.
- Selected students will be notified by end of day April 21st.
Next Course
The next IO course offered by CRJ will take place in Fall 2022.