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Stay up to date on what's happening in the Saint Louis University Prison Education Program by subscribing to our newsletter via the form on the left side of this page.

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Events

Inside Out Speaker Series: Spring 2024

Ander Beristain, assistant professor of Spanish and Linguistics, will talk about his work with bilingual communities and his own experience as a first-generation college graduate. 

Native American writer and poet Sherwin Bitsui will read excerpts from his collection of poems.

Isaac Joel Torres will present and discuss his photography, including portraits from Stateville Correctional Center and other documentary work.

The Chamber Music Society of St. Louis will present chamber music to guests at ERDCC

The St. Louis Chess Club will host a chess tournament at ERDCC. Before the tournament, a grandmaster will give a tutorial on the latest strategies and techniques of the game. Participants will then test their skills by competing against each other.

Spring 2024 Courses

Theology 2210: Introduction to the New Testament

This course covers writings of the New Testament and other early Christian literature; their formation as historical, cultural, literary, and theological products; their messages to their original audiences and meaning for contemporary readers and communities.

Philosophy 2050: Ethics

An introduction to the philosophical study of morality, this course tackles questions like "What is a good human life?"  We explore major ethical theories including deontological ethics, consequentialist ethics, and
virtue ethics, considering the potential strengths and weaknesses of each theory.  By applying ethical theories to living questions, students learn to evaluate both the morality of their individual actions and the justice of the systems and practices that structure our society.

English 1500: The Process of Composition

In our first cohort of staff students in over three years, Missouri Department of Correction employees will learn how to develop effective personal and expository prose writing skills, including methods of invention, organization, audience analysis and style. Focuses on the compositional process.

English 1900: Advanced Strategies of Rhetoric and Research

Studies complex structures of language including its logical and persuasive possibilities. Emphasizes analytical reading, critical thinking, and research methodology skills.

News

Higher Education in Prison

Unlocking Potential: Basia Skudrzyk and the STEM OPS Journey: Follow Basia's journey from incarceration to doctoral studies in business administration focusing on supply chain management and food insecurity at the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) and Business Journals Top 40 Under 40.

Achieving Liftoff: From Incarceration to Graduation: Raymond Haug was caught in a cycle of addiction, homelessness and prison. With the help of scholarships and a campus community, he transformed his life and found a calling in mechanical engineering.

Saint Louis University, as the first to launch a Prison Education Program, leads the newly formed Jesuit Prison Education Network (JPEN). JPEN is a collaborative effort of nine Jesuit universities. 

Voices of Incarcerated People

The XSTREAM Media Center located in the Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correction Center was featured in the latest edition of The Prison Journalism Project (PJP) newsletter. PJP seeks to empower marginalized communities by bringing transparency to the world of mass incarceration through journalism. 

Voices of Reentry: This project invites formerly incarcerated people to tell their stories and, through storytelling and community dialogue, engages the public in conversation about the role we can all play in welcoming returning citizens into our communities.

Inside Wire: Colorado Prison Radio beams music, stories, news and entertainment into prisons across Colorado and broadcasts its sounds to listeners outside facilities as well, across the U.S. and beyond.

Legal Aid Justice Center: The Legal Aid Justice Center partners with communities and clients to achieve justice by dismantling systems that create and perpetuate poverty.

View Archived News