Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) is the largest degree-granting, college-in-prison program in the country. It brings higher education to five prison campuses in New York State. Close to 200 incarcerated students have received A.A. or B.A. degrees. Undergraduates join Bard faculty as volunteers in the prison programs; Bard also offers classes related to students’ experiences with BPI. Recent courses include Foundations of the Law and Anthropology of Mass Incarceration. The initiative was the brainchild of Max Kenner ’01, vice president for institutional initiatives and BPI’s executive director. The program has gained national attention, including a two-part PBS series and a profile on CBS’s 60 Minutes.
