As COVID-19 creates unprecedented conditions for people everywhere, but uniquely for those incarcerated, the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison is working in collaboration with higher education in prison programs across the country to support some of the most vulnerable members of our community. These efforts are part of the collective effort to “flatten the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure that the most vulnerable among us have access to quality healthcare.
As we respond to this humanitarian crisis, the Alliance is committed to advocating on behalf of people confined in jails, prisons and detention centers, as well as justice-involved people in the community, and to providing support to programs that honor the humanity of all people who are incarcerated. The Alliance expresses its strong support for initiatives that focus on the following:
This may include:
Once it is medically prudent, we advocate for the immediate reinstatement of all face-to-face programming, including: visitation (family and legal); all levels of education (including higher education/postsecondary education); personal enrichment and professional development programming; and other activities that provide the human connection and intellectual engagement vital to the health and wellbeing of all people. We must not forget that one of the great elements of the current crisis is the debilitating experience of social isolation, which incarcerated people know all too well.
To learn more about the Alliance’s efforts and the rapid responses of the higher education in prison stakeholder community, visit: Alliance for Higher Education in Prison COVID-Action Page.