Prison-to-university pipelines: experiences, challenges and future avenues of research and transformative action.

Date: December 14th, 2023
Time: 9:00 am PST / 5:00 pm GMT / 6:00 pm CET
Zoom link: https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/93769869575

This is the first webinar of our new ECPA-SCRA webinar

About the webinar:

As rates of incarceration continue to increase and calls for abolition and alternative justice systems are resonating around the world, this webinar aims to shed light on the complex reality of incarceration, the lived experiences of those targeted by this harmful system, and the role of higher education settings in promoting transformative change and social justice. This webinar is the first of the webinar series organised by the European Community Psychology Association (ECPA), in collaboration with the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA). We envision a session encompassing important conversations regarding the access of imprisoned people to higher education and the development of prison-to-university pipelines as a way to challenge the violence of incarceration. Drawing on the lived experience of transitioning from a prisoner to a social change agent and scholar, Dr Beasley will focus on the possibilities that incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people conceive for themselves, the impacts of these possibilities, and how these factors modify life paths. On the other hand, Dr Aresti will discuss his long-term work of building prison-university pipelines as a way to combat stigma and promote more inclusive and just societies.The webinar will also establish a collaborative dialogue on the future paths of transformative research and action in this area, identifying gaps in academic knowledge and offering insights on the role that community psychologists can play in advancing justice for people affected by incarceration and the criminal-legal system. It will also act as a forum for addressing innovative approaches and frameworks that can help us better comprehend the transformative potential of prison-to-university pipelines.

Speakers:

Dr Christopher Beasley, Phd (he/they)
University of Washington Tacoma

Chris is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington Tacoma, where he studies transitions from prison to college, leads the development of the Husky Post-Prison Path ways initiative, advises the Formerly Incarcerated Student Association, and builds a post-prison community across the UW system. His scholarly work emphasises the possibilities incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people imagine for themselves, influences on these possibilities, and how they alter life courses. Chris has also spoken extensively about the role of people with lived expertise in the creation of social change and ways to realise this potential. He is invested in this scholarship because of his/their own transition from prisoner to social change agent and scholar. 

Dr Andreas Aresti, Phd (he/him)
University of Westminster, London

Andy is a Senior Lecturer in criminology at the School of Social Sciences at the University of Westminster. He is one of the three founder members of British Convict Criminology and has played a leading role in the development of the Convict Criminology (CC) perspective in the UK, also forming the Convict Criminology at Westminster research group. Andy’s work challenges current (mis)representations of crime, prisons and former convicts. He runs three prison-to-university pipeline projects at Prisons in England and has helped others, both in the UK and overseas, to start similar projects. Dr Aresti and Dr Sacha Darke were recently awarded the 2023 John Irwin Distinguished Scholar Award for their outstanding professional contributions to the study of Convict Criminology.