Sixteen students, eight from Penn State Brandywine and eight incarcerated people, graduated from the George W. Hill Correctional Facility’s “Inside Out” program on Nov. 28.

The graduation ceremony was the culmination of a semester-long project featuring the “inside” students from Penn State and the “outside” students from the George W. Hill Correctional Facility.

During the 13-week semester, students learned to be effective public speakers and challenged their ideas about the criminal justice system. The innovative program provides a transformative opportunity for learners of diverse ages, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender to thrive in a classroom and recognize their potential.

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program began in 1997 at Temple University and has expanded across the country. The George W. Hill Correctional Facility first participated in the program last year. 

After its successful completion in fall 2022, the course was administered for a second time in the fall 2023 semester.

During the closing ceremony, several students shared examples of speeches they had prepared for class and their reflections on the program, and each student was awarded a certificate.

Among the guests attending the ceremony were Brandywine’s Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells, Director of Development Patton Vo, Interim Director of Academic Affairs Jen Nesbitt, Prison Warden Laura Williams, and the prison’s Reentry and Program Administrator Kelly Shaw.

“One of my favorite quotes from a Brandywine professor this year is, ‘We are a community of people learning,’ and that really stuck with me,” said Brandywine’s Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells.  “I think the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program and what we’ve done here together is a testament to that.

“When you look at all the partners that have come together — Delaware County, the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, and Penn State Brandywine — it’s really a testament that we’re a community of people learning.”

Warden Williams noted how courageous it is for the students, both inside and outside, to take part in the course.

“We’re celebrating a moment where so many people have learned to find their voice and be able to employ and use it in a way — with confidence — that they may not have been able to before taking this course,” said Warden Williams. “Voices are such an important and profound way of communicating with other people, and so many people who are incarcerated in America today don’t have a voice.

“I’m very proud of the students who took the courageous step to join this course, whether from the inside or outside, to explore this opportunity and be able to use their voices in a very different way.” 

Over the past few years, Delaware County has moved to change how it addresses public safety and reduce recidivism.  

In 2022, Delaware County reassumed control of the George W. Hill Correctional Facility to remove the profit motive around incarceration and invest in the long-term health of residents.

Local jails, like Delaware County’s, house people who either have been accused of a crime and are awaiting a court hearing or have received a sentence of less than two years, typically for a relatively minor, non-violent offense.

Nearly all will soon return to the community, and pragmatic results-focused policies are key to reducing recidivism. As many as 60 percent of the inmates at any time are recidivists, usually for minor crimes or parole violations.   

“Programs like ‘Inside Out’ help incarcerated people build their skill sets in preparation for their return to our community, and it creates opportunities for people inside and outside of prison to have transformative learning experiences that emphasize collaboration and dialogue,” said Warden Williams. 

Learn more about the Inside Out program.