JoyBelle Phelan

JoyBelle Phelan
C-CHEP Research Assistant
Prison Education Program
joybelle.phelan@ucdenver.edu

UC Denver Prison Education Program Research Assistant Joins National Advisory Collaborative Advancing Justice-Impacted Education and Workforce Access
 

The University of Colorado Denver’s Prison Education Program is proud to share the news that JoyBelle Phelan, a Research Assistant working with the Colorado Coalition of Higher Education in Prison (C-CHEP), and a dedicated advocate for postsecondary education in prison, has been selected to join the State Education and Workforce Advisory Collaborative, a national initiative convened by Unlock Higher Education.

The collaborative brings together directly impacted leaders, educators, and advocates from across the country to inform policy and build more inclusive pathways to higher education and employment for people affected by the criminal legal system.

Phelan was selected for her lived experience, leadership potential, and commitment to systemic change. In her role with UC Denver’s Prison Education Program, she supports the development of the C-CHEP — a statewide initiative focused on building alignment and access across Colorado’s postsecondary prison education landscape. She also serves as Co-Founder of Unbound Authors, a nonprofit offering in-prison writing labs that nurture voice, self-expression, and authorship among incarcerated writers.

“This collaborative offers a chance to bring community-grounded ideas into national conversations,” said Phelan. “I’m honored to learn alongside others and help shape solutions that reflect the realities and strengths of justice-impacted learners.”

Through this appointment, Phelan will participate in roundtable discussions, policy strategy sessions, and research-informed initiatives to support education and workforce pathways from incarceration through reentry.

JoyBelle Phelan is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Unbound Authors, a Colorado-based nonprofit that supports incarcerated writers through mentorship, creative writing labs, and publishing opportunities. A system-impacted leader, JoyBelle discovered the transformative power of storytelling during her own incarceration, sparking a lifelong commitment to education and advocacy.

JoyBelle’s scholarly contributions include co-authoring “Swapping Policing for Possibility: Reframing Community Corrections” in Beyond Autoethnography: Lived Experience Criminology (Routledge Press, forthcoming 2025). She has been recognized with the 2023 Solutions Journalism Award, the 2023 Dream Justice Cohort graduation, and the 2024 Realness Project Exemplar Award for her work uplifting system-impacted voices.

JoyBelle has presented at national conferences, including TEDx San Quentin, the Conference on College Composition and Communication, and the ALA Convening on Prison Librarianship. She also serves on the Arapahoe County Community Corrections Board and is an Associate Producer for Colorado Radio for Justice, reflecting her dedication to bridging academic, community, and media spaces.

In her role with CU Denver’s Prison Education Program, JoyBelle is committed to fostering inclusive and creative learning environments that honor the experiences and knowledge of incarcerated students. She believes that education and storytelling are essential tools for healing, agency, and change.