Course Details

Learn about prison while studying inside prison! This course is centered around a series of classes to be held at the Twin Rivers Unit of the Monroe Correctional Complex (about 45 minutes outside of Seattle); this is a medium-security prison unit for men. We will meet with a group of student-inmates there, sharing reading and writing assignments and developing a series of group projects focusing on education and other social justice issues related to incarceration. We will be at the prison every Wednesday during B term, departing from the UW around 11:00 am and arriving back at about 5:00 pm. We will also tour the entire facility and meet with the prison’s administrative staff and correctional officers. NO MAKE-UP sessions are possible, so please check your schedules.

Students will be required to submit information for clearance in order to enter the prison facility and they will be required to sign the UW’s Acknowledgement of Risk form; all students must be over 18. There are no exceptions to these requirements; some accommodations may not be possible. Class size will be limited to 12 students; transportation to and from the prison will be provided. Please contact the instructor, Claudia Jensen (cjensen@uw.edu), for more information.