For the first time, Eastern Michigan University students have the opportunity to participate in a program allowing them to take part in the Inside Out prison exchange program.
It is a national program bringing higher education into prisons across the nation.
Women’s and gender studies Lecturer Jessica Kilbourn and her colleague Kathryn Ziegler, have decide to bring it to the women’s facility in the Huron Valley Correction Facility.
The program would bring 15 outside EMU students into a prison with 15 inside students this upcoming fall to take a semester long WGST 202 introduction to gender and sexuality course from 6:15 – 8: 45 p.m.
Kilbourn said the program began in 1997 and it was based on the idea that incarcerated men and women, along with
college students, would mutually benefit from studying crime, justice and related social issues.
The program is important around the nation because it breaks down stereotypes, Kilborne said.
“I think it’s so important to open minds and change stereotypes and offer the truth about those on the inside,” she said.
“The class isn’t just about them and it’s about us coming together and learning from each other. It’s far reaching beyond the walls of prison. They break through the stereotypes by determination and especially if they’re in there for life, it allows them to make something that’s not such a great situation into something they can learn from.”
Kilbourn said this program will provide a wealth of opportunities for all of the individuals involved.
“These women are amazing,” she said. “I just get a smile on my face thinking about them and the opportunity students will have. Given the opportunity to learn and grow, they’re going to take it and run with it. They’re just really grateful to have this opportunity.”
Kilbourn decided to get EMU involved because of her previous experience working with prisoners.
“My colleague and I did some workshops at the Ryan Correctional Facility with a woman out of Deaborn and we became interested,” she said. “We are the first to actually implement it here at Eastern. Other faculty members have done the workshops, but we’re the first to actually do it.”
The process has been a lot of work, according to Kilbourn. She had to get support from the administration and those in charge of the correctional facility.
“It’s been a lot of leg work, but it’s been worth it,” she said.
The administration has been very supportive, Kilbourn said.
“They are eager and they’ve been supportive from day one,” she said. “There are so many people that are eager to see this program happen. Not just the students, but the community as well. We’ve just had total support.”
In order to participate, all of the participants must go through an application process.
“We starting that next week,” she said. “There’s certain criteria that they will have to fall under. There will be a long list. We believe we will get over a hundred applications from the women at Huron Valley. They will then be vetted to see if they fall under the criteria.”
The class will examine the many different aspects of gender and other things as well, Kilbourn said.
“It will also look at aspects of sexuality and also orientation and identity,” she said. “We will look at how we come to learn who we are and the use of labels and the use of language. We will look discuss privileges and oppression by looking at the criminal justice system.”
Outside of the class content, students will learn life lessons.
“I see this being community building,” she said. “Something like this is just life changing. We change people’s perceptions when we hear other’s stories. I think this class allows for a greater understanding of one another. That’s a valuable lesson.”
Kilbourn said students should know this opportunity is not open to just women, but men as well.
“This class is open for everyone,” she said. “Men can absolutely join in.”
Kilbourn said people being scared and/or hesitant to participate are common, but no one’s safety will be compromised.
“When I’ve given out flyers, people say ‘oh, this is crazy’ or ‘oh, I would be scared,’” she said. “Those feelings are valid. I think going inside if you’ve never been is scary, but this is part of the learning experience. We’ve taken steps to make sure the students will be safe going in.”
Amanda Newhouse, a potential incoming freshman, said she would think about participating in the class.
“After you get over the thought of having a class in a prison, the idea is kind of cool,” she said. “I would think about doing it.”
For more information, contact Jessica Kilbourn at jkilbourn@emich.edu.
