An "Inside" Look at the Justice System

Inside a tidy trailer adjacent to the Cannery, a women's correctional facility in Northeast Philadelphia, a group of students breaks into small groups to ponder a case study involving a purse-snatching incident that's more complex than it first appears. The group, which is composed of Haverford and Bryn Mawr students and women incarcerated at the Cannery, considers such questions as: Is prison the right place for the offender? How do both victim and offender make their voices heard? Each student's viewpoint is taken into account before each small group crafts what instructor Barbara Toews calls a“restorative justice response” to the case.

This is Inside-Out at work. The program, sponsored by the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship (CPGC), brings Haverford and Bryn Mawr students together with“inside” students at a Philadelphia jail for semester-long seminars.  The class is offered for credit and led by Toews, who is pursuing her Ph.D. in social work at Bryn Mawr and has previously worked for the Pennsylvania Prison Society.

Toews teaches—and practices—restorative justice, which she describes as“a philosophical approach not focused on law and punishment. It looks at the people impacted hardest by the crime, keeping their needs in mind while still dealing with the consequences.” Examples of restorative justice in action include victim/offender mediation programs and prison-generated initiatives centered on accountability. Toews challenges students from both the inside and outside to consider their perspectives on and perceptions of the U.S. criminal justice system, the rights and needs of both incarcerated people and victims, and the environment of a prison itself.

The nationwide Inside-Out program began in the mid-90s with Temple University professor Lori Pompa, whose criminal justice courses included class visits to prisons throughout Pennsylvania. Following a panel discussion with men serving life at the State Prison in Dallas, Penn., one of the panelists suggested to Pompa a semester-long collaboration, bringing college students together with men and women in prison to discuss readings and relevant topics. A fellowship from the Soros Foundation allowed Pompa to develop a national model for such a class, and today, Inside-Out instructors can be found at 100 schools in 35 states.

From the beginning, Pompa has been clear about what kind of program Inside-Out is—and isn't.“This is not about going to study the people inside, finding out why they're there, helping or teaching or mentoring them,” she says.“It's not Scared Straight, and it's not about whistle-blowing. What we do is develop an atmosphere of collaborative learning based on dialogue.”

Four years ago, Haverford House fellow Sarah Morris '05 discovered the program while working for the American Friends Service Committee, and convinced CPGC Domestic Program Coordinator Janice Lion to take the training necessary to teach the course. The first Haverford Inside-Out seminar was offered as a non-credit class in the fall of 2006.

Because the first class took place in a women's facility, only female students were allowed to apply for the program (today, the class is open to all those interested). Nevertheless, says Lion, the response was overwhelming:“We received 50 applications for 10 slots.” The course also drew faculty members from a broad range of departments, including religion, biology, English, and education. Lion thinks the format appeals to many;“It's a model of learning with instead of studying others, an experiential class.”

The goal of Inside-Out extends beyond academics.“It's the idea of breaking down walls, showing people who don't normally talk to each other the issues they have in common,” says Toews.“What happens when you bring together groups of people who are generally kept apart? It plants the seed for social change.”

And change, says Janice Lion, is what many Haverford students may someday be in positions to effect.“Some of them will become lawyers, and make policy decisions and create programs.”

Taylor Ray '11 has learned a lot from the inside women who have been her classmates:“They have allowed me to look at the system from a completely different perspective and I now see these women not only as offenders but victims as well, of the system as well as crimes they have been subjected to.”

Students on the inside, says Toews, are also changed by the experience.

“The class inspired me to learn more about the prison system,” says Shanira, one of the Cannery students.“It showed me how to look at things differently, and it's going to help me out in the long run.”

Rizzo, another incarcerated student, says that she has been both an offender and a crime victim and so can understand both sides.“I wanted to take the class to get deeper into the justice system, and find out different ways of handling situations,” she says.  She was also“shocked” by the friendliness and openness of the Haverford and Bryn Mawr students:“Lots of us had the same interests, and the same questions about justice.”

-Brenna McBride