How the Inside-Out Program Inspires Incarcerated Students
January 8, 2025
Shianne is an "outside" student. She was enrolled in the fall 2024 Inside-Out Prison Exchange program, which is offered by the University of North Texas. She traveled to Bridgeport weekly for a night class at Bridgeport Correctional Center with other "outside" UNT students.
The other half of the class is made up of men incarcerated at the correctional facility. They're known as the "inside" students. “Anytime you tell someone you’re taking a class in a prison they’re like, ‘Are you scared?’” Shianne said with a smile. “The people in this class are some of the most kind and compassionate people I know.”
During a closing ceremony to commemorate a successful semester, Shianne shared she’s been observing the justice system her whole life. Her father has been incarcerated since before she was born. “I’ve felt a lot of pain from my father’s incarceration,” Shianne said. The UNT senior is channeling that pain into motivation as she pursues her bachelor’s degree and, eventually, a law degree.
“The UNT students are getting a firsthand experience in seeing what our criminal system actually looks like,” Inside-Out Instructor Haley Zettler said. Zettler became interested in the Inside-Out program when she was a student after reading an article about it. She later led the program at the University of Memphis before lobbying to bring it to UNT.
David, an inside student, smiles as he receives his completion certificate for finishing the Fall '24 semester of the Inside-Out program at Bridgeport Correctional Center.
