Prison Education and Reentry Commons^™

“I Never Thought I Could Accomplish Something Like This”: The Success And Struggle Of Teaching College Courses In Jail, Brittnie L. Aiello, Emma Duffy-Comparone

Criminology Faculty Publications

In this article, we discuss the challenges and potential benefits of teaching in the “revolving-door” of the criminal justice system: county jails. Massachusetts jails hold pre-trial offenders as well as those serving sentences of up to 2.5 years. Over four semesters, we have learned that flexibility and creativity are necessary to navigate the challenges this heterogeneous population presents, not the least of which is a class in constant flux. In spite of many challenges of teaching in a jail, the classes we teach give students a recovered or newfound belief in their own self-worth and ability, opportunities for intellectual engagement, …