Creating sustainable solutions to mass incarceration, social injustice, and barriers to reentry through education and emerging technologies

 
 
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About Us

The Educational Justice Institute (TEJI) is a 501(c)(3) that provides transformative learning experiences for students. TEJI’s primary goal is to improve the quality of life for incarcerated women and men through education, while simultaneously raising the social consciousness of MIT students. Philosophical life skills courses, computer science courses, and social science courses prepare incarcerated students for successful reentry.  The combination of higher education and technology to improve digital literacy skills empowers individuals to redefine their identities and reach their potential as they prepare for reentry. Courses offered teach essential social-emotional skills to help students manage emotions, feel empathy, and build healthy relationships.

As visionary leaders and change agents, MIT students also benefit greatly from this experience. Through TEJI, MIT students gain firsthand knowledge of the collateral consequences of mass incarceration in America. Students also learn the importance of community engagement through the lens of empathy and compassion. Combined learning opportunities through TEJI provide a deeper level of learning for all. 

The Educational Justice Institute (TEJI) originated from the Experimental Student Group (ESG) MIT prison initiative that Lee Perlman established in the late 1980s. In 2018, Carole Cafferty joined Lee at MIT, and together, they launched TEJI.  Since then, TEJI has grown and evolved to meet the needs of students and increase learning opportunities for all students. TEJI leadership has gone on to create  and manage the Massachusetts Prison Education Consortium (MPEC) for continued momentum and collaboration.

 

OUR WORK

WHY IT MATTERS

OUR TEAM

 

Massachusetts Prison

Education Consortium (MPEC)

TEJI manages the Massachusetts Prison Education Consortium (MPEC), a partnership of Massachusetts-based higher education organizations, government agencies, and businesses collectively responsible for establishing and sustaining an education pipeline that begins during incarceration and continues into the community. MPEC provides an innovative vehicle for streamlining the delivery of instruction, creating connections for sharing best practices, and expanding awareness of issues in prison-based education.

 
Two students in class.

1,700

Incarcerated students served by the Massachusetts Prison Education Consortium

860

Member organizations included in the Massachusetts Prison Education Consortium

79

Courses taught in the 2019-2022 academic year by MPEC member institutions

 

But we need your help to do more…