ABOUT SJPEP
The Stanford Jail and Prison Education Program (SJPEP) is a volunteer-run, interdisciplinary co-teaching education space linking current Stanford graduate students with incarcerated community members in Bay Area jails and prisons. We aim to create two-way learning and teaching educational opportunities for folks inside in dynamic and decentralized classrooms.
______________________________
Jails are not meant for long-term stays. They lack programming, outdoor spaces, adequate healthcare, and other infrastructure necessary to care for people over an extended time. Yet, for local California jails like the ones where The Stanford Jail & Prison Education Program (SJPEP) hold classes, incarcerated folks are staying longer and longer. Many stay 10+ years in jails designed for short-term stays.
The mission of SJPEP is to address a local need by filling the educational programming gap in jails in the Bay Area. Founded in 2011, SJPEP has reached more than 600 incarcerated students across San Francisco and San Mateo county jails and provided volunteer positions for almost 200 graduate instructors from over 30 academic disciplines across Stanford University.
Our courses are custom-designed each term by a multidisciplinary group of Stanford instructors and centered around a co-learning model, in which Stanford instructors alternate leading the classes and, when not teaching, they learn along with the other students. This fosters a sense of community and co-creation of the courses in real time, connecting Stanford and incarcerated students as they learn together. This pedagogical approach, centering equity, was awarded a 2024 grant from Stanford's Center for Teaching and Learning.
Students in SJPEP courses publish poetry, zines, and other collaborative showcases exploring the intersection of art and justice. We also prioritize reaching fluent Spanish speakers at Stanford and within the carceral system and lead courses taught primarily or exclusively in Spanish. Because a large proportion of the incarcerated people within California jails are Spanish speakers, this addresses an additional need by removing language barriers that may otherwise prevent or limit access to programming. Because students can often use participation in our courses towards time credits that support early release from jail, this also creates more equitable access to opportunities for students to work towards their own release.
With the expansion of our leadership team in 2023, we have been able to pursue additional opportunities to support students preparing for their life after release, and embrace our students' thriving outside of the classroom and the jail. We bring back formerly-incarcerated students to instruct incoming Stanford graduate instructors in the program, among other such opportunities.
______________________________
Jails are not meant for long-term stays. They lack programming, outdoor spaces, adequate healthcare, and other infrastructure necessary to care for people over an extended time. Yet, for local California jails like the ones where The Stanford Jail & Prison Education Program (SJPEP) hold classes, incarcerated folks are staying longer and longer. Many stay 10+ years in jails designed for short-term stays.
The mission of SJPEP is to address a local need by filling the educational programming gap in jails in the Bay Area. Founded in 2011, SJPEP has reached more than 600 incarcerated students across San Francisco and San Mateo county jails and provided volunteer positions for almost 200 graduate instructors from over 30 academic disciplines across Stanford University.
Our courses are custom-designed each term by a multidisciplinary group of Stanford instructors and centered around a co-learning model, in which Stanford instructors alternate leading the classes and, when not teaching, they learn along with the other students. This fosters a sense of community and co-creation of the courses in real time, connecting Stanford and incarcerated students as they learn together. This pedagogical approach, centering equity, was awarded a 2024 grant from Stanford's Center for Teaching and Learning.
Students in SJPEP courses publish poetry, zines, and other collaborative showcases exploring the intersection of art and justice. We also prioritize reaching fluent Spanish speakers at Stanford and within the carceral system and lead courses taught primarily or exclusively in Spanish. Because a large proportion of the incarcerated people within California jails are Spanish speakers, this addresses an additional need by removing language barriers that may otherwise prevent or limit access to programming. Because students can often use participation in our courses towards time credits that support early release from jail, this also creates more equitable access to opportunities for students to work towards their own release.
With the expansion of our leadership team in 2023, we have been able to pursue additional opportunities to support students preparing for their life after release, and embrace our students' thriving outside of the classroom and the jail. We bring back formerly-incarcerated students to instruct incoming Stanford graduate instructors in the program, among other such opportunities.
______________________________
