Welcome to the UNC Asheville Prison Education Initiative!
We see past the present to a post-carceral society achieved through intentional educational opportunities grounded in antiracism and trauma-informed practices. Our Mission is to:
- Offer high-quality liberal arts education to students in carceral institutions in Western North Carolina
- Collaborate with community partners in developing resources to ensure those students’ educational success post-release
- Design and deliver educational opportunities for children and families of justice-involved individuals
- Advocate for education-related reform in criminal justice
Recent News & Events
Collaboration with Buncombe County Detention Facility
We are currently collaborating with the Buncombe County Detention Facility to offer credit-bearing college courses at the facility. A celebration of course completion takes place on Friday, February 21, 2025.
Laughing Gull Foundation Grant
In November 2024, UNC Asheville’s Prison Education Program was awarded a $50,000 grant by the Laughing Gull Foundation (LGF) to support the program, specifically our collaboration with Mayland Community College at Avery Mitchell Correctional Institution to offer a 4-year degree to incarcerated students.
Our Prison Education Network
UNC Asheville’s PEP actively participates in the North Carolina Prison Education Consortium (NCPEC), and Leslee Johnson, our PEP Director, currently serves as secretary of this organization, which brings together state universities, community colleges, North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) and state-wide Re-entry Councils and non-profits serving justice impacted individuals with a specific focus on the role and value of Higher Education in Prison (HEP) on positive outcomes and increased opportunity.
Upcoming Collaborations
Collaboration is underway between UNC Asheville’s PEP, Mayland Community College, North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections (NCDAC) and Avery Mitchell Correctional Institution (AMCI) to support a new cohort of incarcerated students. Mayland CC will deliver an AAS in Business Administration, supported by academic advising by UNC Asheville in order for students to continue, while incarcerated, to earn an Individualized Degree (BS). This program would be the first such collaboration between two schools to work together to offer an Associates of Applied Sciences that builds into a Baccalaureate degree from a four-year institution to incarcerated students. Recruitment of a 15-student cohort from across the state of North Carolina is anticipated to begin in the Summer/Fall 2025.
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Stay Connected
The UNC Asheville Prison Education Program is funded through the Laughing Gull Foundation