Writing in Jail: A Community-Engaged, Social Work Course Model

ABSTRACT

This article introduces an innovative model of social work course development, teaching, and implementation. Using the principles of antioppressive education and community-engaged learning, the authors (a former student and faculty member) codeveloped and subsequently taught a course that explored writing, voice, social justice, and the intersecting issues contributing to mass incarceration in the United States. Research has demonstrated that community engagement increases student learning. This course was designed to provide social work students with the opportunity to learn from and interact with individuals who were incarcerated. University students first explored multiple intersecting systemic oppressions as they related to incarceration. They then explored trauma-informed practice, writing pedagogy, and power dynamics in group facilitation. The authors cotaught the course, using tools from popular education, modeling collaborative and transparent facilitation that is responsive to participant feedback. This article includes an overview of the process of creating and teaching the course, feedback from social work students and incarcerated participants, and a reflection on lessons learned. We conclude with a call for social work faculty to contribute to the development of similar course designs that engage community members and that model antioppressive education in course development and pedagogy.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Notes

¹ University students were encouraged to complete their writing curriculum plan for that canceled jail workshop with a different group of participants, from their field placement if possible, or with their fellow students if not.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lori G. Power

Dr. Lori G. Power has been teaching at the University of New England for over 20 years. She is a faculty member and the Founding Coordinator (2014) of the University of New England School of Social Work’s Applied Arts and Social Justice Certificate program. Lori is most interested in educational innovations and the therapeutic effects of arts and creativity to promote healing and social change.

Heidi Sistare

Heidi Sistare is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with experience in trauma-informed practice, cross-cultural work, and substance use treatment. She works with adults and teens at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Portland, Maine. Heidi is committed to using mindfulness, creative practices, and group facilitation to promote health and healing.