Making Space to Learn: Prison-less Places

NICOLE PATRIE 1
1MacEwan University, Canada
Published: 31/03/2026
Cite this article as: NICOLE PATRIE . Making Space to Learn: Prison-less Places. Journal of Prison Education and Reentry, 2026. Page: 4-.

Abstract

Diversifying modalities or modes of program delivery inside prisons is necessary and important to increase access to programs; however, this also demands that learning is intended to occur in most places of a prison. In this paper I present the concept prison-less places: relational, temporary places where the prison is less noticeable and where learning becomes possible. Exploring three dimensions of learning, I argue that the existence of prison-less places brings balance to these dimensions and is crucial for learning to occur inside prisons. As the boundaries between program and prison space become more fluid and permeable with modalities such as e-learning, self-study, and immersive programs, investigating how we can both cultivate and protect prison-less places becomes incredibly important.

Keywords: prison education, learning dimensions, learning spaces, liminality, relationality

Abstract

Diversifying modalities or modes of program delivery inside prisons is necessary and important to increase access to programs; however, this also demands that learning is intended to occur in most places of a prison. In this paper I present the concept prison-less places: relational, temporary places where the prison is less noticeable and where learning becomes possible. Exploring three dimensions of learning, I argue that the existence of prison-less places brings balance to these dimensions and is crucial for learning to occur inside prisons. As the boundaries between program and prison space become more fluid and permeable with modalities such as e-learning, self-study, and immersive programs, investigating how we can both cultivate and protect prison-less places becomes incredibly important.

Keywords: prison education, learning dimensions, learning spaces, liminality, relationality
NICOLE PATRIE
MacEwan University, Canada

DOI

Cite this article as:

NICOLE PATRIE . Making Space to Learn: Prison-less Places. Journal of Prison Education and Reentry, 2026. Page: 4-.

Publication history

Copyright © 2026 NICOLE PATRIE. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Browse Advance Search