
Charlotte West
53 posts
Open Campus national reporter covering the future of postsecondary education in prison.
‘I know how to walk the walk’
As some of the largest employers across the country, colleges and universities can provide job opportunities to formerly incarcerated students in addition to educating them.
May 24, 2023
‘I know how to walk the walk’ — the power of hiring a formerly incarcerated student
Donnie Veal, 51, doesn’t fit the profile of a typical student at University of California Santa Cruz. In…
May 24, 2023
Native Hawaiians are overrepresented in prisons. Here’s how cultural education could help.
Having culturally relevant content makes higher ed more relatable to Indigenous students, encouraging more of them to pursue degrees.
May 21, 2023
What happens when prison tech stops working
When prison tech stops working, those inside are left with limited recourse.
May 11, 2023
Illinois’ governor is letting this man out of prison after 26 years so he can earn his Ph.D.
Education played a central role in Johnny Pippins’s life inside prison and in his request for clemency.
May 5, 2023
Trauma is ‘unavoidable’ in prison. Here’s how educators can help.
Clinical psychologist Napoleon Wells reflects on trauma, healing, and education in carceral spaces.
April 26, 2023
How students are helping to get people out of prison
Film students in Santa Cruz are working with others at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. on a project focused on wrongful conviction.
April 12, 2023
One route to a “fresh start” on student debt
The Education Department released new information about how to access “fresh start” — the policy that will bring all eligible defaulted loans into good standing.
March 27, 2023
Reviving women’s stories and critiquing the carceral state
What happens when women write the history of their own prison?
March 27, 2023
Pell’s return holds promise, and problems
Although educating people in prison has been shown to have a number of benefits, Pell money may be difficult for many to access for a host of reasons.
March 15, 2023