Resources: Educational Resources
PARC corresponds with and mails a directory of these resources to prisoners, their friends and family members. We are often the first point of contact for people to connect with prisoners' rights organizations, community organizations, prison literature and arts projects, family and visiting resources, health care and legal resources, parole and pre-release resources, and the prison abolition movement.
Download a PDF copy of the November 2024 Edition here.
Please note recent updates since our last publication:
Compassion Works For All has closed (see listing in Religious Programs)
Missouri Prison Books: Now sending to Kansas, Illinois, and Indiana. Is banned in Missouri, since Sept 23, 2024
The Pathfinder Network: correct phone is 503-892-5396
Providence Books Through Bars c/o Paper Nautilus 19 S Angell Street Providence RI 02906
Women’s Book Project 3501 Aldrich Ave. S, Minneapolis MN 55408
PDX Books Through Bars: ships up to 3 books for free to anyone incarcerated in all states except Wisconsin. General topics/genres only. PO Box 11222; Portland OR, 97211
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Adams State University Prison Education Program Take courses and earn a degree through print-based correspondence! ASU-PEP offers Associates's, Bachelor's, and Masters's degrees. Courses through ASU-PEP are $264 per credit hour and the MBA degree is $375 per credit hour. Print-based courses offered as part of the Paralegal I & II, and advanced Paralegal certificate programs have a tuition rate of $948 per course and are offered in collaboration with the Center of Legal Studies (CLS). Please note tuition rates do not include the cost of books. Write for course catalog and application information. Serves people nationally. ASU-PEP is approved to offer Pell grant courses only in select Colorado facilitites. |
Educational Resources, College and Higher Education Courses |
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Addictionresource.net This is a web-based service with reliable information on addiction and rehabilitation, substance abuse, mental health, and treatment. Lists top facilities by city with rigorous research. No facility can submit themselves or pay to be on a list. Includes types of treatment may be most helpful and effective. |
Educational Resources, Rehabilitation Programs |
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Aleph Institute The Aleph Institute is a non-profit Jewish organization dedicated to assisting and caring for the wellbeing of members of specific populations that are isolated from the regular community, including prisoners and people institutionalized or at risk of incarceration due to mental illness or addictions. Aleph addresses their religious, educational, and spiritual needs, advocates and lobbies for their civil and religious rights, and provides support to their families at home left to fend for themselves. Jewish prisoners may write to receive free books, regular monthly literature, holiday offerings, and family programs. |
Educational Resources, Religious Programs / Spiritual Resources |
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American Bible Academy ABA provides high-quality, advanced Bible correspondence courses at no cost to the incarcerated through its Inmate Scholarship Program. Inmates and their legally recognized spouses can receive commercial-quality 120-page textbooks, or download free Bible textbooks, commentaries, courses, Gospel tracts and other Christian resources at www.abarc.org. Inmates may also access American Bible Academy courses through the Edovo app. Course materials available in both English and Spanish. |
Educational Resources, Religious Programs / Spiritual Resources |
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Anthroposophical Prison Outreach Project Do you, as a prisoner, feel that there must be some meaning in your prison experience that is still to be discovered? Or that you can give it meaning? If so, you might be interested in Anthroposophy — the path from the spirit in man to the spirit in the universe. Anthroposophy embraces a spiritual view of the human being and cosmos, but its emphasis is on knowing, not just faith. It is a path in which the human heart and hand, and especially our capacity for thinking, are essential. You may write to receive an initial package of literature containing a booklet titled Self-Development In The Penitentiary, as well as other articles and meditation exercises. |
Educational Resources, Religious Programs / Spiritual Resources |
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Ashland University Correctional Education Program Ashland University Correctional Educational Program (AU-CEPT) partners with state Department of Corrections and local jails to offer online education experiences. Students can choose an associate degree or a bachelor's degree. There is also an online degree option for reentry students. Except in cases where the Department of Corrections issues the devices, Ashland University provides all technology, textbooks and instructional supplies at no cost. States where AU-CEP is operating inside facilities: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, West Virginia, as well as Washington DC. |
Educational Resources, College and Higher Education Courses |
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Association For Research and Enlightenment Provides free spiritual and uplifting books to inmates, chaplains, and prison libraries. This program provides opportunities for inmates to create profound, positive change in their body, mind and spirit through the wisdom found in the Edgar Cayce material.Prisoners are limited to one book every two months.
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Educational Resources, Religious Programs / Spiritual Resources |
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Bard Prison Initiative The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) enrolls students at seven men's and women's correctional facilities in New York: Albion, Coxsackie, Eastern, Fishkill, Green Haven, Taconic and Woodbourne. Students enroll full-time and take in-person courses across a range of academic disciplines, earning Bard College associate and bachelor's degrees. To apply, one must be at one of the seven prisons where BPI operates and have a high school diploma or its equivalent. The application process includes a writing session and interview; candidates who are not offered admission may apply again. BPI students and alumni are also eligible for BPI services in reentry and alumni engagement, which begin while students are incarcerated and continue after they return home. |
Educational Resources, College and Higher Education Courses |
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Blackstone Career Institute Blackstone’s accredited Paralegal Certificate Program enables students to learn about the law and the paralegal field by studying at their own pace and at their facility. It can be completed in less than a year and provides information that can be put into practice while incarcerated and once released. No computers, proctors, or facility instructors are required. Soft-covered books and materials are used for ease of entry into most institutions. Their Paralegal certificate program includes the 900 clock hours of coursework needed to sit for the Accredited Legal Professional (ALP) exam and/or the Professional Paralegal (PP) certification, or the Certified Legal Assistant/Certified Paralegal (CLA/CP) exam. The enrollment process is initiated by a sponsor on behalf of the student. Currently serves all states. |
Educational Resources, College and Higher Education Courses |
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Chuang Yen Monastery Our organization sends free Buddhist books to prisoners who request them, answers questions regarding Buddhist beliefs and practice that prisoners may have. Sends nationally. For correspondence course on Buddhism, write to: |
Educational Resources, Religious Programs / Spiritual Resources |