“I am a learner”: how higher education in prison changes students’ relationship to education

Higher education in prison enables positive outcomes for students and are often deemed as rehabilitative for the individuals themselves. We explore whether and how higher education in prison impacts students’ relationship to education. Using data from pre- and post- life history interviews with 24 students enrolled in college courses offered inside correctional institutions, we describe how students shift from negative prior experiences with education to a place where they feel eager, engaged, and agentive in their learning. These results extend and further explicate recent studies on the value of higher education in prison for rehabilitating students’ lives through education.