News and Media
College in Prison Changed Them. Now They Want to Change Minds.
(April 2, 2024) Julie Flaherty writes, “TUPIT students, including the first Tufts class to earn their bachelor’s degrees behind bars, celebrate the program that turned them on to civic responsibility.”
Everything you need to know about how Tufts helps with prison reentry — and how you can help too
(March 29, 2024) Jake Ren writes, “In this disorienting new world, it can be easy to get lost and return to bad influences. At MyTERN, students find community members who can guide them through the convoluted processes of obtaining crucial reentry resources, such as employment, housing, transportation, and childcare, making the right path an accessible option”
How to transform policy into change: Tufts Education Reentry Network
(March 11, 2024) Jake Ren writes “On the evening of Feb. 29, the Rabb Room in Barnum Hall became a productive dialogue space consisting of Tufts undergraduates, Tufts Prison Initiative graduates, activists and government legislators, all gathered to discuss how to turn policies on paper into real change.” Click the link above to read the full daily article.
Tufts celebrates first class of incarcerated graduates at MCI-Concord
(January 29, 2024) Ivy Scott from the Boston Globe writes about the 10 students from our first cohort at MCI-Concord graduating with their Bachelor’s degrees in Civic Studies from Tufts University on Tuesday January 23rd, 2024. It was a incredible ceremony held in MCI-Concord’s gym and was attended by Tufts administration, faculty members, and most importantly, family and friends of the students.
Tufts prison initiative gives grads the gift of hope
(January 19, 2024) Rachelle G. Cohen from the Boston Globe writes about the positive impact of TUPIT, and prison education programs more generally, on incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students. Cohen spoke with several of our students about how TUPIT has changed their lives for the better.
Announcing the TUPIT reSentencing Journal Collection
(May 2, 2023) The TUPIT team and Tufts Archival Research Center partnered to create an archive of all submitted work from reSentencing volume 1. Read about and find out how to access it here.
Image by John Sanchez from reSentencing volume 1.
(April 27, 2023) Reporter Sam Russo goes in-depth discussing the Tufts University Prison Initiative with participants in the program.
Rewriting Their Prison Stories, Sentence by Sentence
(Mar 17, 2023) A first-of-its-kind national journal of literature and art gives voice to hundreds of people affected by incarceration. Written by Julie Flaherty.
Image by Abigail Cook from reSentencing Vol. 1
TUPIT celebrates first volume of ReSentencing, success of education program
(Feb 15, 2023) TUPIT’s reSentencing journal gallery opened on Tuesday February 7 in the lobby of Tuft University’s Barnum Hall. Written by Ella Kamm with Tufts Daily.
(Nov 14, 2022) As part of the Tufts Prison Initiative, a philosophy teacher and her students held an Ethics Bowl with incarcerated students. Written by Taylor McNeil with Tufts Now.
Learning Lessons—and Earning Degrees—on the Inside
(July 6, 2022) Through the Tufts University Prison Initiative of Tisch College, the first cohort of incarcerated students earn associate degrees—the first group to do so in state history. Written by Amy Rosenberg with Tufts Now.
TUPIT pushes for program allowing incarcerated individuals to obtain Tufts bachelor’s degree
(March 30, 2021) Zoe Kava reports: “resolution calls on the university to allow currently and formerly incarcerated individuals who are taking Tufts courses through the TUPIT program, which is taught by Tufts professors, to earn a Tufts bachelor’s degree in civic studies…”
TUPIT Addressing Mass Incarceration through Education
(December 30, 2020) The Tufts University Prison Initiative of Tisch College has adapted and persevered during COVID-19, providing invaluable opportunities to formerly incarcerated individuals. Written by Jeremy Goldstein.
17 of the Most Innovative Courses of the 2019/2020 Academic Year
(February 20, 2020) Medium journalist Sanna Sharp profiles a course taught by TUPIT director, Hilary Binda, “Mass Incarceration and the Literature of Confinement.”
After Prison, Education Equals Opportunity
(October 8, 2019) Dr. Stanley Adrisse, a convicted felon, shares his story of earning a Ph.D., becoming a professor, and advocating for reforms that support successful re-entry.
Tufts Expands Commitment to Prison Education
(December 11, 2018) The new program, in collaboration with Bunker Hill Community College, offers prisoners at MCI-Concord a chance to earn a college degree.