Following a year of uncertainty regarding the program’s future, the 5Cs’ Justice Education Center (JEC) appointed a new interim director, Tessa Hicks Peterson, last month. Peterson has since initiated plans to pilot multiple new partnership models next fall for Inside-Out, as the program navigates reconstruction following the closure of its partner institution, the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) — also known as Norco prison — in the fall.
The JEC works to provide reintegration support for both incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals through Pitzer’s Inside-Out program.“Outside” college students and “inside” incarcerated students take classes together, with inside students working toward a Bachelor’s of Arts degree through Pitzer College’s Pathway-to-BA program. Since the CRC announced its closure last year, Inside-Out classes have been held via Zoom.
Inside students currently participating in Pitzer’s Pathway-to-BA program are set to graduate on May 19 after fulfilling the 32-credit course requirement. They will then be relocated to other prisons in California, but they haven’t been told which facilities they’ll be transferred to, according to Peterson.
“It is a disturbing experience,” Peterson said. “They’re not certain what, where and how they will all land, but they will be finishing their bachelor’s with us before they get transferred, which is really important. We’re very happy that we were able to pull that together with them, and they’ve been working really hard to make sure that happens.”
“It is a disturbing experience,” Peterson said. “They’re not certain what, where and how they will all land, but they will be finishing their bachelor’s with us before they get transferred, which is really important. We’re very happy that we were able to pull that together with them, and they’ve been working really hard to make sure that happens.”
Peterson is working to rebuild the Inside-Out program with other institutions following CRC’s closure. After former JEC director Romarilyn Ralston stepped down to teach prison education at UCLA, Peterson, the first Inside-Out teacher and director in 2018, returned as director. Peterson noted that she hoped someone new would take over, following her 18-month period that ends in June 2028.
“It’s a temporary role, and just was a bit of a band-aid in a moment where we really needed not to lose any steam and have someone who knew the program step in to help out,” she said.
Kenneth Butler, a formerly incarcerated Pitzer Pathway-to-BA Program graduate and Napier Fellow, was appointed as JEC program assistant in January. Butler won a Fulbright scholarship and has studied prisons in 14 countries worldwide.
Together, the two plan to pilot a program with the Male Community Reentry Program (MCRP) this fall, offering three in-person Inside-Out classes through Pitzer and Pomona. The MCRP is a community‑based reentry program located in downtown Los Angeles that operates in partnership with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
In addition, Peterson said the JEC will partner with the California Institute for Women (CIW) in Chino Hills this fall.
Derik Smith, literature professor at Claremont McKenna College and Inside-Out faculty member, underscored the value of continuing programs for incarcerated students.
“The Pitzer program has done many good things,” Smith said. “A lot of learning has been developed about how prison education can be advanced by private institutions, like the Claremont Colleges, through the work that has been done by [the] Inside-Out program at Pitzer.”
Though the prison closure poses challenges for the Inside-Out program, Smith stated that, from his perspective, prison closures were ultimately a good thing.
“It’s unfortunate that a lot of that will not be available to some people within this system, but as I said, nevertheless, it seems to me that closing prisons is what we want,” he said.
The JEC will explore partnerships with universities that grant credits for incarcerated students toward pre-existing bachelor’s programs in the fall, and will continue to explore fundraising options to re-establish the Pathway-to-BA program in the future with adequate funding.
“In both cases, we aim to coordinate with other universities where these students are already taking classes … to ensure credits transfer in order to advance students towards a BA,” Peterson said.
Peterson said the JEC has also explored partnerships with programs across the Los Angeles area that also focus on formerly incarcerated individuals, including Starting Over Inc, Crossroads, InsideOUT Writers and The Reintegration Academy.
While the program continues to look for ways to expand and reach the broader community, Gutierrez said maintaining the opportunity for 5C students to take Inside-Out courses is important.
“We have options now. But I think for me, it’s very important to always keep in mind what this program is also giving our outside students,” Gutierrez said. “Of course, it’s an exchange … so having options to keep the program running is important, and I am pretty confident that we’re going to be able to.”
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