Since 1999, BPI has worked to redefine the availability, affordability, and expectations typically associated with higher education in America, creating groundbreaking opportunities for liberal arts education in prison, and beyond.
Explore the CollegeA Distinct Approach
Defying expectations of who college is for and where it can lead
A Rigorous Academic Curriculum: BPI creates and protects academic spaces where students and 90+ faculty engage in ambitious college coursework. Students enroll in Bard College AA, BA, and MA degrees that span the liberal arts and enrich their writing, reading, knowledge, and thinking.
College in More Places: BPI establishes independent college campuses in prisons, libraries and nonprofit agencies, highlighting that rigorous liberal education and student achievement is possible everywhere.
Lifelong Connectivity: BPI begins reentry planning upon enrollment in the college and includes comprehensive support in the areas of continuing education, employment, housing, technology, and wellness. Once home, BPI engages alumni through a suite of individualized and holistic supports and services.
Community of Practice: BPI engages emerging and existing college-in-prison programs, supporting efforts to grow educational opportunities for incarcerated people internationally. BPI offers direct practitioner experience and expertise through technical assistance, an annual intensive two-week residency on Bard College’s campus, and partnership in the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison, and has worked to convene, cultivate, and establish new programs in the field
“Bringing the traditions of college into a prison is transformative, giving the people within the opportunity to reinvent themselves and change their life’s trajectory.”
— Reynaldo Perez '21
College Behind Bars
The four-part Emmy-nominated documentary College Behind Bars shares an intimate look at the lives and experiences of a dozen BPI students and their families. The documentary confronts and challenges conventional wisdom about the purpose of both education and incarceration.
College Behind Bars premiered on PBS, streamed on Netflix, and contributed to a national conversation that spoke to the history and implications of mass incarceration in the United States. The film makes the human dimension of mass incarceration visible, promotes equitable access to education, and continues to support policy conversations.
Learn More & How to Watch
Your Impact
At BPI, we invest in people, reinvent institutions, and make genuine education more accessible. Your support makes this possible and will help BPI continue the groundbreaking work to redefine college access and address the harms of mass incarceration. Become a BPI supporter today and join a distinguished community that believes in the power of education.
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