Berry College has launched an expanded initiative at Walker State Prison, offering incarcerated men the opportunity to earn college credit.
The foundational courses taught on site by Berry faculty began this past Spring, represents the next step in Berry’s two-decade commitment to providing high-quality educational experiences in correctional settings.
The initiative builds on Berry’s long history with Inside-Out–style teaching and community-engaged learning, while establishing a new model focused on sustained, credit-bearing coursework. Unlike the traditional Inside-Out format, these courses bring Berry faculty—and a student intern—directly into the prison to teach Berry courses for academic credit.
“This initiative is more than an opportunity for second chances,” said project coordinator and Associate Professor of Sociology Sarah Allred. “It is an opportunity to experience academic excellence, often for the first time, and to discover what it means to flourish in a learning environment.” She added that one student told her, ‘Thank you for giving us an opportunity to do something we never thought we could do.’
Two introductory sociology courses were offered in the Spring, enrolling 20 students selected from more than 100 applicants. Courses follow Berry’s academic standards, including identical expectations, assignments and grading structures used on campus. All students passed, with many exceeding their own expectations.
The courses offered operate entirely through philanthropic support. Gifts cover tuition, faculty stipends, books and transportation.
Students are admitted as non-degree-seeking Berry students, enabling them to earn official Berry credit and request transcripts upon release.
“When they go home, they carry with them far more than a piece of paper,” Allred said. “They carry the knowledge that they completed something hard in a place that tells them every day that they can’t.”
Walker State Prison, a faith- and character-based facility, has embraced the partnership. Administrators report strong student engagement and positive cultural impact within the prison community. According to Allred, higher-education programs in prison “change places, change people and change communities,” noting that most incarcerated individuals eventually return home.
The program also aligns deeply with Berry’s mission.
“Berry’s commitment to educating the head, heart, and hands is fully alive here,” Allred said. “We teach, we learn and we walk alongside people who are working hard to build a different future.”
Berry College leadership is working with Allred to shape the long-term vision for the establishment into a sustainable program. Plans include expanding course offerings, building a larger pool of faculty participants, and strengthening the gift fund that sustains the work.
The Berry College Higher Education in Prison Fund supports all costs.
