Rhodes expands prison degree program

Rhodes College will offer a full four-year Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies to inmates at the Women’s Therapeutic Residential Center beginning this summer. The expansion is funded by a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation. The initiative aims to extend educational programming beyond certificate courses and support the men’s facility at West Tennessee State Penitentiary.

The Liberal Arts in Prison program began in the fall of 2016. It started as a Great Books Discussion Group with approximately 25 participants. Dr. Stephen Haynes, a professor of religious studies and humanities at Rhodes, directed the early efforts. Haynes noted that participants quickly expressed a desire for coursework that carried college credit rather than casual discussion.

The program evolved into a structured certificate track. By May of each year, a group of women completes the curriculum. In the most recent cycle, about 45 women graduated with certificates of liberal arts. As of the spring of 2025, 92 incarcerated women at the center had accumulated 765 Rhodes credits. Of that group, 32 had already earned their certificates.

Instruction takes place weekly. Rhodes professors and students travel from the campus to the low-security facility in Henning, Tennessee. The group departs from the statue of former college president Charles Diehl on the Rhodes campus. They teach the core components of the Rhodes curriculum to the inmates.

Dr. Lori Garner, an English professor at Rhodes, has participated in the program for five years. She stated that learning the perspectives of the inmates improves her teaching in regular classes. Garner said the women bring diverse life experiences to the same literary texts she has taught for decades.

Students from the university also volunteer in the program. More than 70 students have served as helpers. Seniors Sophie Stevenson and Laurel Phillips lead discussion groups and manage organizational activities. Phillips said the volunteers view the women as friends, sharing details about their families, pets, and parole hearings.

Stevenson described the program as defining her college career. She said she plans to continue working in prisons after graduation. She noted that the opportunity was not something she considered when choosing to attend Rhodes.

Inmate Jameshia Davis is serving a 24-year sentence for drug and firearm possession. She completed the certificate program and became a tutor for other women. Davis said the education encouraged her high school son to pursue his own goals. She plans to continue her studies toward a bachelor’s degree after her release.

Haynes cited statistics suggesting that people involved in higher education and prison are 43% less likely to return to incarceration. He said the program demonstrates that inmates are human beings with potential. He added that most participants will be released and have futures beyond their time in custody.

Program sponsors are currently seeking donors to ensure the initiative’s long-term sustainability. The goal is to maintain the new degree program and expand educational access within the West Tennessee State Penitentiary complex.