The Texas Prison Education Initiative (TPEI) is a volunteer-run organization at The University of Texas at Austin. Our mission is to provide free credit-bearing college courses to incarcerated youth and adults across Texas. We strive to create educational opportunities, reduce inequalities in higher education, and change the lives of incarcerated Texans and their families.

Since 2018, we have enrolled over 1,000 incarcerated students in our pre-college, college, and enrichment courses. Currently, TPEI classes are offered at a women’s prison in Lockhart, Texas. Our classes are taught in-person by dedicated TPEI volunteers, including more than 100 faculty members, postdocs, and graduate students from UT Austin. We also work with local organizations including The Center for Students in Recovery, and the Travis County Re-Entry Roundtable to help  students continue their education after release.

What our Students Are Saying

“Taking this course gave me some much needed confidence in myself. After I get out of prison I want to go back to college and this course validated that I can do it!”

“I got to dust off and sharpen my critical thinking and writing skills and I found that valuable because I proved to myself that I can still do it”

“Taking these courses have motivated me to further my education more than I thought possible.”

“I gained patience and understanding that what I thought I couldn’t do, I was able to.”

“I’m so inspired to learn more! To stay enthusiastic about theory! I only wished the class was longer!”

“The most valuable experience to me was the tremendous love I felt from my teachers. They are here to support us 100%!”

 

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