The Inside Out program at MSU connects students in the Criminal Justice program with those most affected by the system they are studying. In the semester-long course, MSU (“outside”) students go behind prison walls to study with incarcerated (“inside”) students as peers.

“This course is an opportunity for the ‘outside’ students, the college students, to go behind prison walls to reconsider what they have come to know about crime and justice,” said Professor Jennifer Cobbina. “At the same time, it’s an opportunity for those who are inside prison to place their own personal life experience in a much larger framework as we talk about issues of crime and justice and other issues of social significance.”

The Inside Out program was founded in 1997 and is utilized by many higher learning institutions worldwide. Cobbina brought the program to MSU, realizing the need for students to not only learn about the criminal justice system, but interact with those affected by it. Many carry stereotypes about incarcerated individuals based on what they see in television and other media.

MSU students are forced to confront any preconceived notions or stereotypes head on as they sit in a circle to discuss many topics, including crime, race, prisoner rehabilitation, and victimization. Any stereotypes are quickly dissolved when the two groups of students begin to interact.

“This course reminds every one of us of our own humanity,” Cobbina said. “This really allows inside and outside students to engage in a collaborative examination of issues of social significance.”

“Inside” students also benefit from the course, with many referring to it as a turning point that motivates them to seek further education.

“Inside Out really creates a partnership between institutions of higher learning and the prison system in order to really try to deepen our conversation about approaches to understanding crime and other social justice-related issues,” Cobbina said. “It’s an opportunity where students are invited to become agents of change in their own lives and the broader community.”

The course proves to be a transformative, unique experience for the students involved, inside and out.