20 July 2022, NOTE: Due to COVID restrictions, Inside Out continues to be on hold. When conditions permit, the program will resume.
Inside Out brings college students together with incarcerated men and women to study as peers behind prison walls. It is an opportunity for students to reconsider what they have come to know about crime and justice, and an opportunity for those inside prison to place their life experiences in a larger framework.
Inside Out creates a paradigm shift for participants, and deepens the conversation. It transforms our collective approaches to understanding crime, justice, freedom, and inequality. By fostering individual transformation, the program serves as an engine for social change.
“I was afraid going into this class that we wouldn’t have much in common, but steel bars are clearly permeable because we have more to discuss than I could have ever imagined. ”
— Peter, CHC Student
Try Something Different
Inside Out is a national program, with courses offered at more than one hundred institutions across the country. The University of Oregon has the largest program, with eight trained instructors and courses available in sociology, geography, and literature.
The core of Inside Out is an academic course, meeting once a week, through which 13 “outside” (undergraduate) students and the same number of “inside” (incarcerated) students attend class together at either the Oregon State Penitentiary or the Oregon State Correctional Institution. Three courses each year are offered exclusively to Clark Honors College students. Both course sites are located in the Salem area, and transportation is provided by the University.
“The true learning that took place in this class was in the conversations we had about life. How I could see myself in the Outside students' shoes and how they could see themselves in mine.”
— Sam, "Inside" Student
Connect with Social Justice Initiatives at UO
Carnegie Global Oregon
CGO partners with the New York-based Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, bringing leaders from many walks of life to work with students in a mutual exploration of the ethical issues that challenge us in our lives and our careers. CGO students have the opportunity to engage with noted figures through small group conversations, weekly shared meals, internship opportunities, and employment. To join the group students sign up for the Carnegie Global Oregon Freshman Interest Group in the spring or summer prior to their freshman year, or seek out CGO students and staff to discuss the possibility of joining at a later time.
Genocide Prevention Initiative
The GPI examines personal and political responses to mass atrocities from the perspective of numerous disciplines. The goal of the project is to formulate strategies that will motivate students, citizens, and governments to become more responsive to issues related to the prevention of genocide and politicide. It aims to bridge scholarship and advocacy, while raising awareness, engaging the campus community, and encouraging action.