Bard Prison Initiative
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Reimagining Higher Education
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 College
Defying expectations of who college is for and where it can lead
Creating & protecting academic spaces where students and 90+ faculty engage in
ambitious college coursework.
Establishing
independent college campuses
in prisons, libraries and nonprofit agencies showing that student achievement is possible everywhere.
Providing comprehensive
reentry planning
upon enrollment, and engaging alumni after release through a suite holistic supports and services.
Engaging
emerging and existing college-in-prison programs
, and guiding their establishment of college-in-prison education programs across the world.
BPI Voices
“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
Hear More BPI Voices
News & Highlights
More News & Stories
College-in-Prison
Responding to the Strike Across NY Prisons and Defending the Future of College-in-Prison
05/13/2025
College-in-Prison, Consortium, Special Announcements
Press Release: Dr. Shari Mackinson announced as the Morehouse-BPI Faculty Fellow and Assistant Director of the AYC-HEP
04/24/2025
College-in-Prison, Policy
Higher Education Is Undergoing a Revolution. It’s Happening Behind Bars.
11/17/2023
More News & Stories
In the Media
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.
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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