The Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (JPER) welcomes submissions that advance knowledge, practice, and informed discussion concerning prison education, correctional learning, rehabilitation, and the reentry process. The journal encourages contributions from researchers, practitioners, educators, policymakers, and professionals whose work contributes to understanding educational experiences during incarceration and the transition from prison to the wider community.
JPER embraces interdisciplinary scholarship and recognizes that prison education and reentry are complex fields that benefit from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Relevant areas include, but are not limited to, education, criminology, psychology, arts and humanities, linguistics, law, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, cultural studies, public policy, spirituality and religion, and mental and behavioral health.
Authors should ensure that submissions are original, clearly written, relevant to the journal’s scope, and prepared to an appropriate scholarly or professional standard. Manuscripts should make a meaningful contribution to the field and should demonstrate a clear purpose, coherent organization, and appropriate engagement with existing knowledge.
Research Papers
The Research section of JPER publishes original empirical studies and theoretical papers related to prison education and the reentry process. The journal welcomes a wide range of research methodologies, including qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, theoretical, comparative, historical, and interdisciplinary approaches where these are appropriate to the research question.
Research manuscripts should address significant issues in prison education, incarceration, rehabilitation, reentry, or closely related areas. To be considered for publication, a manuscript should demonstrate a strong theoretical or conceptual framework, employ appropriate and rigorous research methods, present a clear and well-supported analysis, and offer new and relevant insights to the field.
Research involving human participants must conform to internationally recognized ethical standards. Authors are responsible for ensuring that participation is voluntary and based on informed consent. Appropriate procedures should be used to protect participants’ privacy, confidentiality, dignity, and welfare. Where institutional ethics or research review approval is required, authors should indicate that such approval was obtained and provide relevant information in the manuscript where appropriate.
Particular care should be taken when research involves incarcerated or formerly incarcerated individuals because these populations may be considered vulnerable in research settings. Authors should clearly explain the measures taken to protect participants from coercion, undue influence, privacy violations, or other potential harms.
Research manuscripts undergo blind peer review. Submissions are reviewed by three peers with relevant expertise. Reviewers assess the quality, originality, methodological rigor, theoretical contribution, clarity, relevance, and overall significance of the manuscript.
Research papers should:
- follow the conventions of formal scholarly research;
- meet the requirements necessary for peer review;
- not exceed 12,000 words;
- present a coherent and well-developed argument;
- use an appropriate theoretical or conceptual framework;
- apply sound and clearly described methods;
- present evidence and conclusions that are appropriately connected;
- contribute meaningful and relevant knowledge to the field.
Research papers are judged primarily on the quality of writing, coherence of ideas, significance and relevance to the field, and rigor of the research design.
Authors should provide sufficient methodological detail to allow readers to understand how the study was conducted and how the findings were generated. Depending on the research design, this may include information about participants, sampling, research setting, data collection, instruments, analytical methods, ethical approval, consent procedures, and limitations.
The discussion should interpret the findings in relation to the research questions, existing literature, and the broader field of prison education and reentry. Conclusions should follow from the evidence presented and should avoid unsupported generalizations.
Practitioner Papers
The Practitioner section provides a forum for those directly engaged in prison education and related reentry work. Practitioner papers are intended to capture the realities, insights, challenges, innovations, and experiences of those working in correctional education and associated settings.
The journal welcomes practitioner contributions addressing all aspects of prison education practice. Appropriate subjects may include the day-to-day experiences of educators, the effects of institutional or governmental policies on teaching and learning, ethical challenges, reflections on educational practice, innovative teaching methods, examples of successful or difficult interventions, instructional design, arts-based practice, and experiences connected with visual or written arts.
Practitioner papers may be less formal than traditional research articles. They should nevertheless be clearly written, thoughtfully organized, and relevant to the field. Authors are encouraged to explain the context of the experience or practice being discussed and to identify lessons that may be useful to other practitioners, educators, institutions, or policymakers.
Where appropriate, practitioner submissions should follow recognized academic citation and presentation conventions. JPER has historically referred authors to APA guidelines where relevant; however, some practitioner contributions may not require the same formal structure as research papers. Authors should therefore use appropriate scholarly referencing whenever external sources, research findings, or published materials are discussed.
Practitioner papers are:
- brief and generally less formal than research papers;
- intended as a forum for people working directly in prison education;
- reviewed by one reviewer;
- limited to no more than 2,500 words;
- evaluated according to quality of writing, coherence of ideas, significance, and relevance to the field.
Practitioners are strongly encouraged to work closely with the editor responsible for practitioner-paper selection. Editorial collaboration can help authors develop their contribution, clarify its relevance, and ensure that the final version is suitable for publication.
Features
JPER also publishes recurring features that contribute to the journal’s broader academic and professional community. These may include messages from editors, communications from the president of the EPEA, historical vignettes, book reviews, and other invited contributions.
Feature articles are selected or commissioned by the journal’s lead editor. Authors should therefore not submit directly to the Features section unless they have discussed the proposed contribution with the lead editor in advance.
Because features are generally commissioned, their format, length, and content may vary depending on the nature of the contribution. Authors invited to prepare a feature should follow the instructions provided by the editorial team.
Manuscript Preparation
Authors should prepare manuscripts in clear, professional English and should carefully proofread their work before submission. The manuscript should have a logical structure appropriate to the type of article being submitted.
Research manuscripts will typically include a title, abstract, keywords, introduction, literature or theoretical background where appropriate, methodology, results or findings, discussion, conclusion, and references. The precise organization may vary depending on disciplinary conventions and research design.
Practitioner papers may use a more flexible structure, but the purpose of the paper, relevant context, central discussion, and practical implications should be clear.
Authors should ensure that terminology is used consistently and that abbreviations are defined when first introduced. Tables, figures, photographs, and other visual materials should be directly relevant to the manuscript and should be clearly identified and referenced in the text.
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce any copyrighted material that is not covered by an appropriate open license or fair-use provision.
Ethical Requirements
All research submissions must comply with internationally recognized ethical standards.
Authors should confirm, where applicable, that:
- participation was voluntary;
- informed consent was obtained;
- participants were adequately informed about the research;
- privacy and confidentiality were protected;
- identifiable information was appropriately managed;
- vulnerable participants were afforded appropriate protections;
- institutional ethical approval was obtained where required.
Authors should not include information that could unnecessarily identify incarcerated individuals, formerly incarcerated participants, staff members, institutions, or other participants unless there is an appropriate ethical and legal basis for doing so.
Any conflicts of interest that could reasonably be perceived to influence the research or its interpretation should be disclosed.
Peer Review and Editorial Decision
Research papers undergo blind peer review by three reviewers. Reviewers are selected according to their expertise in relation to the manuscript’s subject matter.
The review process is intended to assess whether the manuscript makes a meaningful contribution to knowledge and whether its methods, reasoning, evidence, and presentation are sufficiently strong for publication.
Following review, authors may receive a decision to accept, revise, or reject the manuscript. Where revisions are requested, authors should carefully address the reviewers’ and editor’s comments and provide a clear response explaining how the manuscript has been revised.
Practitioner papers undergo a different editorial process and are generally reviewed by one reviewer. The emphasis is on clarity, relevance, practical value, and quality of presentation.
Non-English Language Contributions
JPER may occasionally invite an author to submit a version of an article in the author’s native language as a complementary document to the English-language publication.
The journal does not provide translation services. Authors are responsible for ensuring that both the English and non-English versions meet a publishable standard.
Any translated or parallel-language version should accurately represent the content of the accepted article and should be prepared carefully to avoid differences in meaning between versions.
Word Limits
Research papers should not exceed 12,000 words.
Practitioner papers should not exceed 2,500 words.
Authors should write concisely and avoid unnecessary repetition while still providing enough detail for readers to understand the argument, evidence, methods, and implications of the work.
Evaluation Criteria
Research papers are evaluated according to:
- quality of writing;
- coherence and organization of ideas;
- significance of the topic;
- relevance to prison education and reentry;
- originality and contribution to knowledge;
- strength of the theoretical or conceptual framework;
- rigor and appropriateness of the research design and methods;
- quality of analysis and interpretation;
- relationship between evidence and conclusions.
Practitioner papers are evaluated according to:
- quality of writing;
- coherence of ideas;
- practical relevance;
- significance to the field;
- usefulness to educators, practitioners, or related professionals.
Final Responsibility of Authors
Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their submissions. Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that all factual statements, quotations, references, data, tables, figures, and acknowledgements are accurate and complete.
Submission to JPER implies that the manuscript is an original work and that the authors have the authority to submit it for consideration. Authors should also ensure that all individuals who qualify for authorship are appropriately credited and that contributors who do not meet authorship criteria are acknowledged where appropriate.
By following these guidelines, authors can help ensure an efficient editorial process and contribute to JPER’s mission of advancing rigorous research, informed practice, and meaningful dialogue in the fields of prison education and reentry.