Partners & Supporters
Undergraduate Prison Education Partnership
The Undergraduate Prison Education Partnership (UPEP) is a student group comprised of undergraduates on the Evanston campus. In particular, UPEP works closely with our students in the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ). UPEP’s mission is to bring awareness about mass incarceration and education in the correctional system to the broader Northwestern community.
Northwestern School of Professional Studies
In December 2021, NPEP’s first cohort of students at Stateville was accepted as degree-seeking students at Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies (SPS). On November 15, 2023, SPS conferred bachelor’s degrees to that same cohort — the first time in U.S. history that a top 10 university conferred bachelor’s degrees to incarcerated students.
Northwestern Library
The NPEP Library, part of Northwestern University Libraries, is crucial to the academic experience of NPEP students. With support from over 20 librarians, students receive research and information literacy assistance in person and remotely. The library is working to expand its social justice collections, publish open-access materials, serve incarcerated students, and advocate for alternatives to policing, surveillance, and incarceration. To learn more, visit the NPEP Library.
The Writing Place
The Writing Place, located in the University Library on the Evanston campus, is Northwestern University’s peer writing center. Our 20 undergraduate peer tutors are integral members of the tutoring team that supports the writing of NPEP students from both Stateville and Logan. Writing Place tutors provide feedback on writing assignments and independent writing projects both by correspondence and during NPEP study halls. The Writing Place also provides writing workshops and handouts in response to NPEP student requests. To learn more, visit The Writing Place’s website.
