“In Education Behind the Wall, the authors focus on introducing the reader to key issues and processes in these dynamic institutions—higher education and prisons—and suggest more humane approaches to learning and living productively in both.”

Fulbright Chronicles

“Why teach in prison, how to teach in prison, who is taught in prison—these are the compelling questions that motivate the superb essays in Education Behind the Wall. Important at both a theoretical and practical level, this is necessary reading whether you are a veteran of prison instruction or you are only now considering the prospect of prison teaching.”

Mary Fainsod Katzenstein, Emerita, Department of Government, Cornell University

"From a resounding forward by Lee Pelton that grounds the importance of college in prison in the bonds between education and democracy, to Mneesha Gellman’s ethically nuanced and politically savvy closing argument, Gellman and her collaborators have given us a superb book that asks the tough questions about why to do this work, and it offers a host of practical answers on how to do it well."

Daniel Karpowitz, Assistant Commissioner, MN DOC & Special Advisor to Governor Tim Walz

“When you go to prison, it is rare to get a second chance. This book shows why college in prison is so important. The chapters reveal not only opportunities for higher learning, but pathways to change lives.”

John Yang, former Emerson Prison Initiative student