Rhodes College Expands Prison Program to Full Degree

The liberal arts curriculum of Rhodes College is moving beyond its main campus in Memphis, Tennessee, and into the corridors of a state penitentiary. Starting this summer, the college will offer a full four-year Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies to women incarcerated at the Women’s Therapeutic Residential Center in Henning.

The expansion is funded by a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation. The money will also support the growth of educational programming at the men’s facility located at the West Tennessee State Penitentiary. This marks the first time the college will award a complete undergraduate degree to inmates within the prison walls.

The initiative began in the fall of 2016 as a casual Great Books discussion group. Approximately 25 women initially participated. Dr. Stephen Haynes, a 30-year professor of religious studies and humanities at Rhodes, directed the effort. He noted that the group quickly realized the participants desired formal academic credit rather than informal readings.

That demand led to the creation of a certificate program in liberal arts. By May of this year, approximately 45 women had graduated with those certificates. As of the spring 2025 semester, 92 women at the center had accumulated a total of 765 college credits. Thirty-two of them had earned certificates. The new BA program will build on this foundation.

Each week, Rhodes professors and student volunteers meet at the statue of former president Charles Diehl on campus. They then travel to the low-security facility in Henning to teach. The program currently involves more than 70 student volunteers who help lead discussions and organize activities. Two seniors, Sophie Stevenson and Laurel Phillips, have participated for two to three years. They report forming close personal bonds with the inmates, discussing family details and parole hearings.

Jameshia Davis is one of the inmates who completed the certificate track. She is serving a 24-year sentence for drug and firearm possession. Davis stated that the program changed her outlook on education. She has since become a tutor for other women. She plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree after her release. Her parole hearing is scheduled for May.

Dr. Haynes cites statistics to justify the program's existence. He said that people involved in higher education within the prison system are 43% less likely to return to incarceration. He described the women as human beings with a future rather than just their worst actions. He said most of them will be released and have significant potential.

English professor Dr. Lori Garner has taught in the program for about five years. She said the experience makes her a better teacher at Rhodes. She noted that the inmates bring diverse life experiences to the texts she has taught for decades. She believes these perspectives help all students on the main campus.

The college is now seeking additional donors to help sustain the program into the future. The goal is to ensure the financial stability of the new degree track. The expansion represents a shift from short-term certificates to long-term academic achievement for the incarcerated population in West Tennessee.