The Florida Prison Education Project provides educational opportunities to incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated people in Florida, researches the societal benefits of prison education and integrates the study of justice into the University of Central Florida curriculum by:
- Offering college-level courses to those who are incarcerated and providing those who have been released from prison the opportunity to continue their education.
- Developing curricular support and engaging UCF faculty and students in prison education and related areas of civic engagement.
- Supporting research on prison education, recidivism, and mass incarceration.
- Making public policy recommendations based on research.
An estimated 65% of all jobs require postsecondary education, but many people in Florida have limited access to higher education, despite the fact that statistical evidence overwhelmingly confirms that a college education increases employment opportunities and strengthens communities.
Since its founding in 2017, the Florida Prison Education Project has offered 50 classes to 750 incarcerated students at 6 different facilities and donated over 75,000 books to libraries in Florida prisons. FPEP also offers an annual $1,000 scholarship to a non-incarcerated UCF student who is formerly incarcerated or system-impacted.
Funding
Support for the Florida Prison Education Project comes from the Laughing Gull Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Florida Humanities Council, and donors like you.
