Amy Hockett had been through it before. A college program would arrive at Indiana Women’s Prison with big promises — degrees, a path forward, a chance to transform her life.
She’d enroll, start classes, get through a semester. Then the program would disappear.
It happened again. And again. By the time Marian University showed up in 2019 with its liberal arts program, Hockett wasn’t buying it. She’d already earned her GED during her lengthy sentence and worked through self-help programs to “become a better person.” She’d heard the college pitch before.
“We had so many college programs here that started and failed,” she said. “A lot of us are like, ‘yeah, I’m not going to waste my time for a semester.’”
But Marian stuck around. And now, in her fourth year, Hockett is graduating with her bachelor’s degree this fall — one of around 50 women who’ve earned associate or bachelor’s degrees from the program since it launched.
The Women’s College Partnership, run by Marian in collaboration with the Bard Prison Initiative, represents a rare opportunity in Indiana. It’s a chance for incarcerated women to earn a liberal arts degree, the kind of education that asks students to read deeply, think critically, and engage with big ideas.
Research consistently shows that college in prison reduces recidivism and improves employment outcomes after release. But many of the women in Marian’s program will remain incarcerated for years or even decades. For them, higher education provides meaningful work, intellectual community and the chance to become mentors for those coming behind them.
For many, it’s also their first real chance at higher education. Nationally, more than half of women entering state prisons haven’t earned a high school diploma, according to a government analysis. Jenny Harris never considered herself much of a student.
But when she went to prison, she got her diploma in just over a month and discovered a love of learning. In May, Harris graduated with her associate degree and is working toward her bachelor’s degree.
“It’s only wasted time if you let it be,” she said.
College in Indiana prisons
IWP has a turbulent history with college programs.
Over the past two decades, multiple universities have launched degree programs at the prison only to shut them down within a few years — sometimes abruptly. When Holy Cross College withdrew in 2017, it left nearly all of its enrolled students just semesters from graduation. Marian’s program represents the prison’s latest, and so far most stable, attempt to sustain higher education.
That instability reflects broader national trends in prison education. In 1994, Congress eliminated incarcerated students’ access to Pell Grants, the federal financial aid for low-income students, effectively gutting college programs across the country.
For nearly three decades, prison education relied on piecemeal funding from philanthropy, state governments and universities willing to absorb costs, making programs vulnerable to budget cuts and institutional priorities.
The restoration of Pell eligibility in July 2023 sparked renewed expansion of college programs in prisons nationwide. But challenges remain with program approval and processing of student financial aid applications as President Donald Trump makes cuts to the federal Education Department.
Indiana offers a number of different educational and training programs across its prison system. IWP — established in 1873 as the first public women’s prison in the country — is the state’s only prison where women can earn a bachelor’s degree. (The prison’s own history was documented by incarcerated scholars in a decade-long research project that emerged from a college class.)
The second women’s prison, Rockville Correctional Facility, is located in rural Parke County and doesn’t offer bachelor’s degree programs. Women interested in college can apply for a transfer to Indiana Women’s Prison, where Indianapolis’ concentration of colleges and universities makes it easier to sustain programs.
Tianna Holmes made that transfer from Rockville. Prison can be dehumanizing, she said, but attending college has helped her feel more like herself and take some control back.
“How am I gonna have control over my environment or over myself?” Holmes said. “Signing up for college helped me to adapt and to adjust to this change [of coming to prison].”
Marian isn’t the only Indiana college to offer prison education. Ivy Tech Community College offers basic education and vocational training at every state prison, including Indiana Women’s Prison. Offerings are different at each location, but in Indy, women can earn certifications in cosmetology, culinary arts or business tech, for example.
Indiana Women’s Prison also offers courses through The Last Mile, a nonprofit that teaches web development and software engineering skills to incarcerated people. Women at the prison also participate in “Inside-Out” classes, where students from Marian’s main campus join incarcerated students in the prison classroom.
Men also have access to educational opportunities. At Westville Correctional Facility, men can earn bachelor’s degrees through Holy Cross College’s Moreau College Initiative. Through Ivy Tech, men’s prisons across the state also offer programs such as automotive tech, carpentry and barbering.
These programs have support at the state level as well. In April, Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican, announced an effort to improve housing and employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals upon reentry, though there haven’t been any updates since the initiative was announced.
“Gainful employment is the key foundation for building a new life,” Braun told students in a speech at a Sept. 18 Ivy Tech graduation ceremony. “And the state of Indiana is fully behind you as you take those next steps.”
College behind bars
College, for incarcerated women, is a crucial stepping stone to a better life on the outside.
But while they’re inside, they’re not exactly getting the traditional college experience. The women don’t have internet access for researching and writing papers — they go back and forth with librarians for printouts.
There’s a lack of quiet places to study. But in many ways, college is also a respite from prison. When they’re gathered in class talking about literature or psychology, the women are able to just be students. And sometimes, it provides unexpected connections to family.
Korie Miller joined the program for her son. He was in college on the outside but didn’t want to finish. “Why should I finish if you didn’t?” he asked her.
So they did college together — him on a campus, her in a prison classroom.
When she got in trouble early on and nearly lost her spot in the program, “that really upset my son, and it really upset me,” she said.
She had to fight to stay in the program. “That kind of lit a fire,” she said.
Now, she’s starting her second semester at Marian and is on track to graduate in 2027.
A correction was made Jan. 5, 2026: This article has been updated to reflect that Notre Dame is not currently involved with the Women’s College Partnership at Indiana Women’s Prison.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, on most social media @clairerafford or on Signal 317-759-0429.
Charlotte West covers education during and after incarceration for Open Campus. Contact Charlotte by email at charlotte@opencampus.org and sign up for her newsletter, College Inside.
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