Over the past four decades, Lee Perlman, PhD ’89, has pioneered educational programs within prison walls, serving as a lecturer at MIT’s Experimental Study Group and cofounding the Educational Justice Institute (TEJI). Perlman´s journey began in the 1970s, interviewing incarcerated individuals for a Federal Bureau of Prisons project, which sparked his lifelong commitment to prison education. Since the early 2000s, he has regularly led MIT students into correctional institutions, evolving his approach to blend college-level courses for incarcerated ´inside´ students and university ´outside´ students, fostering direct dialogue and empathy between both groups.
In 2018, TEJI was formalized at MIT by Perlman and Carole Cafferty, a seasoned corrections professional, with the mission to provide liberal arts, computer science, and business education to incarcerated learners. TEJI’s unique ´inside-out´ model brings MIT and partner university students into shared classrooms inside prisons, creating opportunities for mutual learning about nonviolence, emotional literacy, digital literacy, and financial literacy. Perlman´s courses have had profound personal and philosophical impacts on both incarcerated and university students, as class discussions tackle forgiveness, restorative justice, and personal transformation in ways that deeply resonate due to the diverse lived experiences present. The program is supported by data, such as a 2018 RAND study showing prison education reduces recidivism rates by 28%, and by firsthand accounts of hope and change from students preparing for reentry.
TEJI´s influence extends beyond classrooms, fostering institutional partnerships with organizations like MIT Sloan, the Massachusetts Prison Education Consortium, and the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison. Initiatives such as the School of Reentry at the Boston Pre-Release Center and Brave Behind Bars offer programming on-site and remotely, especially in light of pandemic-driven constraints. Alumni and formerly incarcerated students attribute their successful reentry and career advancements to participation in these programs. TEJI’s student-centered approach, prioritizing not only academic achievement but also human recognition and agency, stands out as a national model, inspiring reforms as federal policy shifts enable more incarcerated people to access higher education. As shared by students and facilitators alike, this educational bridge provides not just knowledge, but renewed purpose and self-view beyond prison walls.
