(Posted March 27, 2017)

Lori Pompa, founder of Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, talks to gathered students
Photo by Anisah Pasquale '18
Lori Pompa, founder of Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, talks to gathered students
Photo by Anisah Pasquale '18

            In the United States, about 2.2 million incarcerated people are behind bars, more than any other country in the world. A shocking number like that forces us to ask: why are so many members of our communities behind bars, how do we think of them, and what can we do to change that? Lori Pompa, founder of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program at Temple University asked those very same questions.  

            Now, Inside-Out operates in five countries, with teachers trained in 10. Its success can be credited to the hard work of Pompa and Tyrone Werts, co-founder and CEO of the End Crime Project and public relations consultant to the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Werts recognized the value of the program through first-hand experience, seeing its necessity because when most people think about solving social issues, they look to those in power for solutions. Werts said, “I was concerned about the vast underbelly of the other men in prison.”

            It is easy to dismiss incarcerated people as dangerous and unworthy because of how they are portrayed in the media and treated by law enforcement. To counter this absolutist view, Pompa advises that, “when we say, ‘no,’ we should wait and take another look.” In reality, incarcerated people transcend the stereotypes associated with them and prove to be just as human as those on the outside. When the Inside-Out program began, Werts said, “nobody had ever experienced any learning like that, and nobody wanted to stop.”

            A class with Inside-Out is best seen in person, but for those unable to do so, it can be described as enlightening and barrier-breaking. Pompa and Werts gave a class of Juniata College students a taste of the Inside-Out experience by sharing some of the icebreakers they use in the program, like asking students whether they were more like a pen or a pencil, the sun or the moon, and a cat or a dog, and then told to explain why. This fun and interactive game allows students to open up their truest selves to the group, which creates a sense of community and greater human connection.

            After the ice-breakers, students discussed their thoughts on the United States’ prison system. One of the goals of the Inside-Out Program is to encourage students outside to recognize and challenge their biases. Juniata College fosters an environment where students feel open to new ideas and people, and this is reflected in their views of incarcerated people. One student said, “civil rights don’t apply to you when you’re a member of a total institution like prison.” Another student empathized, saying “when you belong to the prison system, you are no longer a human being.”

            Juniata College is an enthusiastic supporter of the Inside-Out Program, and its students are eager to improve the lives of their incarcerated community members. However, there is a larger social perception that current prison conditions are necessary for the safety of those outside. One student suggested, “if we can build a community where incarcerated people can see who they want and learn what they want, then you are still keeping society safe.”

Laura Snyder, Juniata Online Journalist

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.