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On Wednesday, May 7, NationSwell community members gathered at Mount Tamalpais College in San Quentin Prison for a guided site visit to explore how education and growth programs can foster growth, resilience, and possibility for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals.
Led by Dr. Jody Lewen — founder and president of Mount Tamalpais College, the independent, tuition-free, accredited college that operates inside the prison — the experience offered a powerful look at how expanded access to quality higher education is about more than learning — it’s a bridge to community, purpose, and hope.
We’ve recapped some of the key insights from the day below.
Key Takeaways:
- Education can be a counterculture
In carceral systems designed to disconnect, education becomes radical. It’s not just about learning, it’s about reclaiming voice, building community, and engaging with the world in new, life-affirming ways. - The light of learning disrupts the system
Mount Tamalpais College offers more than classes, it challenge the very logic of incarceration. Education is a “disturbance in the force.” - Healing requires space to reflect
Access to education in prison opens the door to deeper psychological insight. It creates space to confront trauma, build resilience, and help others do the same. - The system is not rational
The carceral state is not the product of coherent logic, but a patchwork of arbitrary decisions and policies. We must resist the illusion of inevitability and instead ask who benefits, who’s harmed, and what a more humane system could look like. - Human worth is inherent
Regardless of our worst decisions, our pasts, or our circumstances, every person holds equal value and is worthy of dignity, respect, opportunity, and growth. Full stop. Systems can be designed to forget this. We can’t afford to. - Reentry is a collective responsibility
The transition out of prison is complex. Career support and alumni services are critical and a space where deeper community partnerships can make a lasting difference. This is an area where Mount Tamalpais College could use our help! - Proximity is powerful—but depth is essential
Connection starts with showing up, but it doesn’t end there. The question is: how do we move beyond observation into curiosity, action, and shared storytelling? - Let people tell their own stories
Authentic storytelling fosters understanding, not just attention. How do we create space for people to speak in their own words? - Resist both romanticizing and othering
Incarcerated people are often cast as either heroes or villains. The truth is more human, more complicated, and more deserving of our full attention. How do we shift society from sensationalizing the experience of incarceration to humanizing it? - Fair chance hiring is everyone’s work
Every organization can audit, improve, and advocate. Whether it’s changing internal practices or supporting national reform, inclusive hiring must become standard. - Bridge-building means welcoming discomfort
Can we broaden the aperture of experiences like this one? Can we invite in people with different ideologies and use shared reflection to build understanding across differences? What’s the first step? How do we take it?