Statements

Mission

The Tennessee Higher Education Initiative (THEI) is a non-profit organization working to disrupt systems of harm and create opportunities for autonomy and success by providing college access to people inside Tennessee prisons, preparing students for skillful re-entry, and reducing barriers to continued education and achievement.

Background

Since its founding in 2012, THEI has brought high-quality degree-granting college programs to prisons in Tennessee. THEI provides holistic support to incarcerated scholars as they pursue college programs in Tennessee prisons leading to associate and bachelor degrees, and as they prepare for release and re-entry. THEI currently coordinates programs with five partner colleges at three Tennessee prisons, including Belmont University, Lane College, Nashville State Community College, Dyersburg State Community College, and Roane State Community College. THEI's Re-entry Team meets with incarcerated students for at least a year prior to each student's release to plan for re-entry, and continues to support students during and after their transition out of prison and back to their communities, by providing wraparound services, resources and referrals, and professional development opportunities.

Our Guiding Principles
THEI is a grassroots, community organization committed to principles of harm reduction, healing, and centering the lived experiences of the people we serve. We fulfill this commitment by recognizing and addressing systemic injustices that have marginalized and stigmatized communities and continue to leave people behind. We engage in reimagining and building towards the world we want to see through systems work, direct service, and through the language and context through which we operate.

Impact

THEI has enrolled over 300 students in degree-granting college programs to date, with 83 graduates having earned associate degrees while incarcerated. We have more than 100 students currently enrolled in Bachelor's and Associate programs through our five partner colleges, with 100 new students set to embark on their college journey in Spring 2022.

Our alumni's stories attest to the transformative nature of education in prison. These life-changing experiences continue thanks to the shared mission and determination of THEI students, their families, our prison partners and statewide coalition members, a dedicated staff and board of directors, and generous donors who support this work.

The Recidivism Rate for people who enroll in more than one semester of college with THEI is less than 15%, and Zero THEI Graduates have returned to prison. The average overall GPA of THEI students is a 3.5, which is often a full point higher than that of the traditional campuses of our partner colleges. This success speaks to the dedication of our students, their thirst for the opportunity to purse post-secondary education, and their persistence in the face of challenging circumstances.

Needs

THEI accepts financial donations to assist in supporting and sustaining all aspects of programming. Additionally, we accept in-kind donations for school supplies, and is always in need of support to cover the ever-increasing costs of text books, and classroom materials. In 2022, THEI is positioned to expand our support services to college programs in nine prisons across Tennessee. THEI is securing support to ensure this expansion is done with fidelity to the excellence that has become the THEI standard.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Education  - Higher Education
Secondary Category:	Crime & Legal - Related  - Correctional Facilities
Tertiary Category:	Public & Societal Benefit  - Alliances & Advocacy

Areas Served

THEI currently serves five prisons, located in the three regions of the state. More specifically, we serve Davidson and Hickman counties in Middle Tennessee, Lake County in West Tennessee, and Morgan County in East Tennessee. The incarcerated students we serve are from and plan to return to counties across the entire state, making our work state-wide.

TN

TN - Davidson

TN - Hickman