The Research Collaborative on Higher Education in Prison

The Research Collaborative on Higher Education in Prison at the University of Utah works in collaboration with programs across the country to transform the landscape of prison higher education empirical research and collaboration. Connect with our team: researchcollaborativeHEP@utah.edu.

Research Collaborative Team

erin castro

Erin L. Castro, PhD

Erin is an Associate Professor of Higher Education and Associate Dean of College Access. She directs the Research Collaborative on Higher Education in Prison and serves as Co-Founding Executive Editor of the Journal of Higher Education in Prison.

Headshot of Pamela

Pamela Cappas-Toro, PhD

Pamela works in Higher Education in Prison, concurrently serving as a faculty member in the World Languages and Cultures Department. She has worked in higher education across the U.S. promoting institutional practices, policies, and programming to best serve incarcerated and first-generation learners.

Kehaulani Folau

Sylia Olive is a graduate student studying Educational Leadership and Policy with an emphasis in Student Affairs at the U and a former student of UPEP. In her prior role, she supported UPEP alumni and other justice-impacted individuals in securing life-affirming services and pursuing post-secondary education. She is a dedicated mother, a passionate advocate for individuals with criminal histories, and a committed community-builder.

Emily Kersten-Warneke

Emily is a PhD student at the University of Utah in the Educational Leadership and Policy department. She currently works as a graduate research assistant for the Research Collaborative.

Cassie Knaff

Cassie Knaff, PhD, is a Senior Research Associate at the Research Collaborative on Higher Education in Prison (RCHEP), where she has managed and supported the longitudinal study’s design, co-published research, and co-reviewed scholarly publications. She has five years of experience conducting research in nonprofit and higher education settings.

Research and Policy Briefs

Proposed ‘Best Interest of Students’ Metrics for Prison Higher Education: Guidance from Public Comments

BEYOND PELL RESTORATION: ADDRESSING PERSISTENT FUNDING CHALLENGES IN PRISON HIGHER EDUCATION TOWARD RACIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN PRISON SURVEY: 2018-2019. ALLIANCE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN PRISON.

LEVERAGING THE POWER OF PELL IN PRISON: EQUITY CHALLENGES IN SCALING THE SECOND CHANCE PELL EXPERIMENTAL SITES INITIATIVE

The Journal of Higher Education in Prison is an open-access practitioner-oriented journal. It is a partnership between RCHEP and the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison.

Improving prison education programs: Experts discuss the expansion of Pell Grants for incarcerated students. Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/improving-prison-education-programs-experts-discuss-the-expansion-of-pell-grants-for-incarcerated-students/
How prison education overlooks women. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-prison-education-overlooks-women
College in prison. Future U Podcast. https://link.chtbl.com/ZGvcOdlm?sid=tw.1