College-in-Prison:
Improving Justice, Transforming Lives
Photo credit: WNC Higher Education in Prison Program
Who We Are
The Nevada Prison Education Project is a group of volunteers who since 2019 have been working to advance higher education in Nevada prisons.
We are university faculty and administrators, medical and educational professionals, formerly incarcerated men and women, and Nevadans committed to justice system reform. We work in conjunction with the Nevada Department of Corrections and the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Study after study has shown that higher education is the most reliable way to reduce recidivism. Education provides opportunities, hope and inspiration for people to build new lives both while they are incarcerated and later in the outside world. It uplifts families, children, and entire communities.
Simply put, education saves lives.
Photo credit: WNC Higher Education in Prison Program
“For every dollar invested in prison education programs, you’re saving taxpayers between $4 to $5 in re-incarceration costs, and that’s a conservative estimate. The fact that these programs are so effective and don’t cost that much makes it clear long term where you want to be investing at the community level and at the state level.”
— Lois M. Davis, Senior Researcher, RAND Corporation
Why Our Work Matters
Kesha Westbrooks
It was the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) Prison Education Program that gave me hope and helped turn my pain and frustration into the passion that helped me endure incarceration. I walked out of prison a stronger, very determined woman [and] an advocate for prison education.
—Kesha Westbrooks
-
I could not imagine, sitting in my cell, that my life would become what it has since my release in 2019. I spent almost four years in Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center for a first offense, nonviolent, money crime. I couldn’t dream that success was waiting for me on the other side of those gates. I felt like a failure and disappointment to my family.
I suffered a stroke a few months before going through the criminal justice process and being sent to prison. I was partially paralyzed and wheelchair bound. I rolled into prison physically, mentally, and spiritually broken. I promised myself that I would walk out a better version of myself. I would not let them change me or take my dignity away. They could take my freedom of movement and choice away, but they could not take what they hadn’t given me in the first place. I remained resolute in my promise to myself. I started doing some long overdue soul searching, trying to figure out how I ended up here. I realized that I had been locked in a prison of my own making long before I entered a cell of literal bars.
I took time to dig deep and began to heal old wounds. I started becoming stronger mentally and emotionally. I decided to fight for my recovery and taught myself how to walk again by sheer determination. Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) did absolutely nothing to help with my recovery. NDOC made it much harder by taking away the medication and contracture-preventing equipment that were prescribed to me by a doctor. It took my mother calling and threatening a lawsuit for them to finally give me half the original dosage of my medication. Due to the lack of proper medical care and inhumane treatment, I struggled with constant physical pain for much of the time, and I left prison with a permanent arm contracture.
It was the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) Prison Education Program that gave me hope and helped turn my pain and frustration into the passion that helped me endure the last months of incarceration. I walked out of prison a stronger, very determined woman on a mission. Upon my release I enrolled at CSN’s West Charleston campus. I began volunteering in the community and advocating for prison education by speaking to the Nevada System of Higher Education, KNPR, and Nevada legislators. Due to my advocacy, I began making a name for myself on campus. I was encouraged to submit a speech to the graduation committee. I never thought they would choose me. I was shocked when I got the call. It was an honor to be the one chosen as the student speaker for CSN’s 50th graduation ceremony.
Instead of turning bitter and angry from a lengthy prison sentence, lack of appropriate medical care, and degrading treatment from prison staff, I turned the pain of incarceration into my pride at the podium.
__
Kesha Westbrooks graduated from the College of Southern Nevada in 2022 and received her Bachelors of Social Work (BSW) from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2023. She’s currently completing her Masters of Social Work at UNLV.
Alex Silveira
I stand here [at your graduation] as someone who has walked the challenging path of incarceration, tasted the bitterness of despair, and emerged with a degree in Civil Engineering.
Today, I return not as a symbol of past mistakes, but as living proof that education has the power to break chains, both literal and metaphorical.
— Alex Silveira
-
Ladies, gentlemen, graduates,
My name is Alexander Silveira, and I am you in the future to come.
Today is a testament to the incredible power of resilience, determination, and the unwavering belief that no circumstance can define the trajectory of our lives. As I stand before you, I am reminded that our past does not dictate our future, and every one of us has the potential for transformation.
I stand here not just as a graduate but as someone who has walked the challenging path of incarceration, tasted the bitterness of despair, and emerged on the other side with a degree in Civil Engineering. Today, I return to this prison not as a symbol of the mistakes of the past, but as living proof that education has the power to break chains, both literal and metaphorical.
I remember the first time I set foot in this prison, a place that seemed to thrive on hopelessness. But within these walls, I discovered the incredible resilience that resides in each of us. The journey from confinement to a college degree was not easy—it demanded sacrifice, hard work, and a belief in the possibility of redemption.
Education became the key that unlocked the doors to a brighter future. It wasn’t just about learning equations and theories; it was about discovering the latent potential within us, the capacity to transcend circumstances and carve out a new narrative for our lives.
As I look at this graduating class, I see faces that have weathered storms, minds that have conquered doubt, and spirits that have refused to be broken. Each of you has chosen education as a means to redefine your destiny, and for that, I commend you.
This graduation is not just a personal achievement; it is a collective triumph over adversity. It is a victory for everyone who ever doubted that change was possible. Today, we stand together as a living testament to the transformative power of education, proving that it has the ability to break down barriers, shatter preconceived notions, and create a path where none seemed possible.
Our journey doesn’t end here. Armed with knowledge and the tenacity that brought us to this moment, we now have the responsibility to take what we’ve learned and use it to make a positive impact on the world.
Our past may be a part of our story, but it doesn’t define us. It is the choices we make today and the actions we take tomorrow that will shape the legacy we leave behind.
So, my fellow graduates, as you step out of these prison walls, let us carry with us the lessons learned, the strength gained, and the hope that fueled our journey. Let this graduation be a symbol of the infinite possibilities that await us beyond these confines. Your future you needs you, your past you doesn’t. Today, we not only celebrate academic achievement but the triumph of the human spirit.
Congratulations, class of 2023 may your futures be as limitless as your dreams.
In June 2022 the Nevada Prison Education Project proudly honored formerly incarcerated people who had received college degrees.
Change a life.
Your donations are what bring our vision to life.
You’re not just giving someone an education, you’re giving them a career, financial independence, and a chance to contribute to society in a positive way.
This means generations of positive change.
