Teaching Computing in Prison

This is a place to foster a growing community of computing educators around teaching in prison – for those who are interested in possibly doing this in the future, and those with plans or experience doing so. Higher education in prison (HEP) has expanded rapidly in the U.S. over the past several years after a policy change that re-instated pell grant eligibility to incarcerated adults. This follows a global shift toward more rehabilitative, as opposed to punitive, strategies toward criminal justice as more countries recognize the wide-ranging benefits to all members of society. However, computing education, as well as basic digital literacy, remain a challenge as various factors like technology infrastructure, perceived threats to security, and instructor willingness remain challenges to offering CS courses in prison education programs. Despite these barriers, there are several models of CS education happening in prison today including in-person and virtual instruction, for-credit college courses and informal workshops. In this session, we will talk about different ways of getting started with teaching in prison, as well as practical strategies for navigating challenges from our own personal experience of teaching CS in prison settings.