Professor Ellen Taylor, joined via Zoom by two of her first-year incarcerated students, presented at the 14th National Conference on Higher Education in Prison in New Orleans. Their April 10 panel, “Words, Sentences, and Lives: The Emancipatory Power of Prison Education,” explored how incarcerated students engage with academic writing and how their experiences can inform stronger, more inclusive prison education programs.
The presentation emphasized the importance of elevating student voices—especially those serving long-term or life sentences—as vital contributors to program design and to improving prison climate. Taylor and her students shared their experiences to highlight how language, literacy, and agency in storytelling empower them as scholars and potential leaders, underscoring the need to include student perspectives in policy and curriculum development. Student-led insight can enhance agency and foster meaningful academic growth behind bars.