MIT Prison Initiative

The MIT Prison Initiative provides an academic framework for undergraduates and local inmates to explore the human condition.

The MIT Prison Initiative was founded in 2016 with the support of the Experimental Study Group (ESG). Through the initiative, Professor Perlman teaches classes to a cohort of both MIT students and prisoners at two medium- to maximum-security Massachusetts Correctional Institutions in Norfolk and Framingham.

Over the past academic year, Perlman has taught two philosophy courses at the prisons: Self and Soul and The Philosophy of Love). Each week, Perlman and 10 MIT students traveled by van to Norfolk or Framingham to engage in discussion and study with 10 imprisoned fellow students, many of whom are incarcerated for life.

Teaching philosophy in a prison setting broadens the perspective and learning of both student cohorts, by exposing them to people and life experiences vastly different from their own. Prisoners appreciate the opportunity to interact with MIT students.

To date, MIT students have been able to take classes in prison with Perlman and Justin Steil, an assistant professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Through the MIT Prison Initiative, Perlman plans to broaden the outreach and opportunity by organizing course offerings into a cohesive program. Funded through an Alumni Class Grant, the initiative will ensure that courses are offered every semester; raise awareness of this opportunity for MIT staff to teach, thereby increasing the number of classes taught; and institutionalize the courses by giving them a place and number in the MIT course catalog.