Saint Louis University Prison Program
Program Website: www.slu.edu/x49684.xml
Contacts: Kenneth Parker, Director, Prison Program, Kenneth L. Parker, kennethlparker@gmail.com, 314-977-2861; Mary Gould (Assistant Professor, Communication) mgould9@slu.edu, 314-977-3546 and Devin Johnston (Associate Professor, English) johnstdd@slu.edu, 314.977.3013. Co-directors Prison Arts and Education Program.
Program Description: Theology professor Kenneth Parker, Ph.D., founded the SLU Prison Program after watching a story on 60 Minutes about a similar effort at Bard College in New York. With the approval of University administrators and state officials - as well as funding from the Incarnate Word Foundation - SLU began offering a certificate in theological studies to incarcerated people in early 2008. Fifteen incarcerated students completed the five-course program in May 2010.
The original goal of the SLU Prison Program was to help incarcerated people who get paroled adjust to society as well as make mentors out of the incarcerated serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. That goal has since grown: Serving the incarcerated remains a priority, but during the course of the certificate program, Parker found that prison employees often lack adequate access to opportunities for higher education. “Our innovative program will serve both populations equally,” Parker said.
Degrees Offered: Certificate programs, Associate of Arts
Programs Offered: Professors from across the University teach classes in humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and sciences. Classes are on-site for prisoners and staff.
Unique Features: No other prison education program in the nation attempts to simultaneously meet the educational needs of both prisoners and employees, making the SLU Prison Program unique. In conjunction with the degree program, we have developed the Arts and Education Program, which sponsors a speaker series and workshops. The Video-in-Prison (VIP) program, a main campus student initiative, records events on the main campus and these recordings are aired on the internal network of the ERDCC.
Headquarters: St. Louis, MO
Correctional Facilities Served: Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center
Population Served: Incarcerated men and prison staff
Number of Students: 20 incarcerated people; 20 prison staff members
Graduates to Date: 15 incarcerated people with Certificates in Theological Studies
Year Founded: 2007
Founders: Kenneth L. Parker
College/University/Organization Partnerships: Saint Louis University
Funding: Grants from the Incarnate Word Foundation, Lutheran Foundation, and the Hearst Foundation, a major anonymous foundation, and numerous individual donations
InmateAID Aid
