Restorative Justice Initiative

Welcome to the Restorative Justice Initiative, a group of Penn State students, faculty, staff, and community members committed to empowering and supporting system-impacted, currently and formerly incarcerated individuals.

Getting a Penn State Degree in Prison

Mission

We at RJI believe in the power of trauma-informed practice, liberatory pedagogy, and transformative education. Our team is dedicated to leveraging Penn State’s size, scope, reach, and resources to help make education accessible to all sectors of society. Through education, collaboration, and community engagement, RJI works to remove structural barriers to education and reentry while preserving the human dignity of those impacted by the carceral state.

RJI is a project of Penn State's College of Education and College of Liberal Arts.

History and Impact

Penn State’s RJI program was founded in 2015. Since its creation, RJI’s interdisciplinary team has worked to create quality curricula and instruction in correctional facilities....

Learn more about RJI's history and impact

Prison Education Program

Check out the Facilities and Classes through the Restorative Justice Initiative...

View the Facilities and Classes

Rising Scholars

Rising Scholars is our college pathway program for formerly incarcerated Pennsylvanians.

Learn more about Rising Scholars

Justice Education Month

Justice Education Month is an event that runs throughout the month of April.

Learn more about Justice Education Month

RJI Advisory Board

A group of faculty and staff who use expertise in their respective fields to advise and support the Restorative Justice Initiative.