The Colorado Coalition for Higher Education in Prison (C-CHEP) serves as a statewide network for collaboration, innovation, and student-centered problem solving. Coalition members include colleges and universities, community organizations, formerly incarcerated leaders, state agencies, educators, researchers, and advocates working together to strengthen educational opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Coloradans.
Through regular meetings, shared projects, and collective learning, coalition members work to identify challenges, share best practices, and develop strategies that improve access to high-quality postsecondary education.
Information Sharing & Collaboration
C-CHEP provides a forum for members to exchange information, discuss emerging challenges, and learn from one another's experiences. Coalition meetings create opportunities for institutions and organizations to coordinate efforts, reduce duplication, and strengthen educational pathways across Colorado.
Examples include:
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Program Updates: Sharing program updates and emerging opportunities.
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Identifying Barriers: Pinpointing obstacles affecting students and institutions.
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Policy & Funding: Discussing policy changes and funding developments.
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Innovative Practices: Highlighting innovative practices from Colorado and other states.
Student-Centered Problem Solving
The coalition is committed to centering the experiences and expertise of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students. Members work collaboratively to identify obstacles that students face while pursuing higher education and explore solutions that support persistence, degree completion, and successful reentry.
Areas of focus include:
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Educational Continuity: Maintaining academic progress during facility transfers.
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Academic Pathways: Streamlining credit transfers and degree pathways.
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Digital Equity: Navigating technology and access challenges inside facilities.
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Student Support: Providing robust academic advising and student support.
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Reentry Planning: Facilitating reentry planning and educational continuation after release.
Professional Learning & Research
C-CHEP supports ongoing learning among educators, practitioners, researchers, and community partners. Coalition members share research, participate in conferences, and engage in conversations about evidence-based practices in higher education in prison.
These efforts help ensure that Colorado's prison education programs remain informed by both rigorous research and vital lived experience.
Building Educational Pathways
Coalition members work together to strengthen connections between correctional facilities, institutions of higher education, community organizations, and reentry supports. By fostering collaboration across sectors, C-CHEP helps create pathways that allow students to continue their education during incarceration and seamlessly after release.
Conferences, Events, and Public Engagement
C-CHEP members regularly participate in local, state, and national conversations about higher education in prison. Through conferences, presentations, community events, and public dialogue, coalition members share lessons learned, elevate student voices, and contribute to broader efforts to expand educational opportunity.
Recent activities have included:
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Hosting coalition convenings and networking events.
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Presenting at national higher education in prison conferences.
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Sharing student and alumni success stories.
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Facilitating ongoing collaboration among educational institutions and community partners.