Classroom Contraband — What They Don’t Teach You in Prison

For years, prisons were called “crime schools” because people learned more about how to survive in the underground economy than how to build a stable life. But over the past two decades, peer educators, survivor-led programs, and small but mighty prison college initiatives have begun to shift that narrative. Inside, women are not just learning—they’re teaching. They’re guiding each other through case law, GED exams, and grief recovery. They’re mentoring each other, mapping out legal strategies, and explaining reproductive health when medical staff won’t.