Lipscomb University, a comprehensive liberal arts university offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs, has established an Associate of Arts degree program to be offered exclusively for inmates at the Tennessee Prison for Women (TPFW) in Nashville who participate in Lipscomb’s LIFE Program.

Lipscomb's Associate of Arts degree will follow the Tennessee Board of Regents general education requirement of 63 credit hours. Unlike most of the college programs offered in prisons nationwide, Lipscomb's coursework is not offered by correspondence. Lipscomb faculty travel to the prison once a week to teach the courses. In addition, Lipscomb's traditional students travel to TPFW to attend classes with the inmates and also receive credit.

"One of the things that tends to happen in our criminal justice system is that the inmates become dehumanized," said Richard Goode, coordinator of the LIFE Program and a history professor at Lipscomb. "We never see the inmates, so we develop certain perceptions about them, most of which are false. When we all get in a room together, it humanizes the situation."

Established in 2007, Lipscomb’s LIFE Program strives to enhance the lives of the TPFW inmates – both in prison and when they are released – by helping them develop better self-confidence, expanded life experience and good study habits. LIFE students have compiled three literary journals, held a theatrical production in the prison and are by far among the faculty’s favorite, most dedicated students.

The program began by offering an 18-credit hour slate of courses in the liberal arts arena. TPFW students have studied judicial process, art history, Christian ethics and negotiation and conflict management. But when the first cohort of 15 students completed the 18-hour program, they were so eager to keep learning that LIFE Program coordinator Richard Goode, a history professor at Lipscomb, continued to offer programming for them, including the literary journal and theater production offerings.

Now those formerly extracurricular activities can be counted toward the Associate of Arts degree, earning the first cohort 42 hours so far towards the degree. Two additional 15-student cohorts were established in 2009 and 2011 and are also working toward the degree.

"For those inmates who will be released from prison, this degree will certainly make them more marketable. It shows employers that they can work toward a goal and complete. Practically, it also allows them to pursue a bachelor’s degree at any Tennessee public college or university if they wish," Goode said. "We already have a couple of parolees who have pursued higher education upon release."

Studies have shown that the percentage of prison inmates who return to prison with a new charge drops dramatically when the inmate has some college education, and drops to almost none if the inmate has a complete bachelor’s or master's degree, Goode said.

"For those inmates who will not be released, this program provides a sense of purpose and a boost of self-confidence. Many guards and fellow inmates have noticed the positive influence the women in our program have become in the prison. The LIFE Program has become a program that many of the non-participating inmates ask about and want to be a part of," he said.

The Lipscomb program was sparked by a previously successful program at Vanderbilt, where a group of adjunct professors, including Goode, came up with the idea and implemented it through the divinity school. But the graduate courses offered at Riverbend Prison did not count for college credit for the inmates, and Goode left believing that what the corrections system really needed was an undergraduate course that actually counted for credit.

Other education courses at TPFW provide vocational training such as cosmetology and culinary arts, high school level courses for GED prep or adult basic education, but the Lipscomb program is the only one currently offering college credit and a degree to corrections inmates.

For more information on the LIFE Program and how to sponsor an inmate or support the program, contact Goode at 615.966.5748. Or log on to life.lipscomb.edu.

Lipscomb University

Lipscomb University

Lipscomb University is a Christian community of scholars, dedicated to excellence in learning, leading and serving, where students prepare for success today, tomorrow and forever. This principle is carried out in the classroom and in the broader community through our service-learning program and numerous humanitarian trips in the U.S. and abroad. Lipscomb offers 98 fields of undergraduate studies, including majors in the liberal arts, business, biology/pre-med, computer science, education, engineering and nursing. Master's degrees are offered in 33 areas of study including accounting, business, Christian ministry, conflict management, counseling, education, exercise and nutrition science, psychology, sustainability, and theological studies. Doctoral degrees are offered in pharmacy, education and, beginning in Fall 2011, in ministry. Located in Nashville, Lipscomb draws on the city as its campus and the world as its classroom. Study abroad opportunities are offered in Vienna, London, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Buenos Aires as well as other international destinations. Lipscomb's intercollegiate athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division I level.

Within our faculty and staff are a number of experts in a variety of areas including sustainability, business ethics, veterans education/Post 9-11 GI Bill, political commentary, societal issues, civic leadership, community engagement, Latino education, and pharmacy and health sciences among others.

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