Education behind bars is not a new concept, but Oregon inmates are learning something different through a class called Humanities in Perspective (HIP). While typical nationwide education programs offer inmates the chance to earn college credits or gain certification in fields ranging from automotive repair to graphic design, Oregon inmates are reading Plato.

Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution inmates now have an opportunity to enhance their learning with a new humanities class that teaches philosophy and ideas through an array of literature that spans the decades.

Five years ago, HIP began in Portland, OR through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The course was based on the concept that low income individuals rarely have access to the liberal arts. Christopher Zinn, executive director for the Oregon Council for the Humanities thought this concept could be applied to prisons and sought to arrange HIP classes to inmates. After a chance meeting with a prison administrator at a charity luncheon, Zinn had the chance to pitch his idea.

“The Superintendent of the Eastern Oregon facility was interested from the beginning,” says Zinn. “It was encouraging that the administrators understood intellectually that this kind of class would encourage discourse, and they thought their population could benefit from that.”

Officials at Eastern were not available for comment, but Zinn reports that the program has received rave reviews from prison officials and administrators alike.

Hungry to Learn

About 15 inmates spend Tuesday and Thursday evenings in class, learning about philosophical concepts and ethics. They pay $25 per semester for the HIP class and receive a pass or fail grade at the end of each semester, which runs from September to December, and then again from January to March.  They write four papers over the course of each semester in response to what they read both in class and during free time. Literature ranging from Plato and Aristotle to Walt Whitman and Malcolm X, gives inmates the chance to immerse themselves in text that reflects the world.

“Inmates have a chance to question things they might not have thought about before,” says Jennifer Allen, the Oregon Council's education program director. “They deal with basic questions about the role of the individual in the community, concepts of knowledge and virtuous actions. There is a lot of thought about what it takes to be a good person. They are hungry to learn, and they are questioning what they think is right versus what the law thinks is right.”

This past  March, 13 of the 15 HIP classmates graduated. As officials expand the program to provide more classes, inmates are spreading the word about the ideas and philosophies that drive the course.

“The thing we've found really interesting is the way the HIP class has changed culture within the prison,” Zinn says. “There is a buzz on the cellblocks and in the residences that these guys seem different from the rest of the inmate population.

Allen says he hopes to offer an advanced curriculum soon, which will center on a reading and discussion group.

“We're hoping this continues to create a community of thinking, and that these inmates will want to expand upon what they've learned. We don't want this to end when they are released. We want them to take it with them when they leave,” says Zinn.

For more about Humanities in Perspective check out www.oregonhum.org/