37th and Jessup: Classmates Divided by Bars, United for Justice

Above are some highlights from our April 25th event “37th and Jessup: Classmates Divided by Bars, United for Justice”. Read a description of the event and watch it in full below. 

Over the course of the Spring 2016 semester, a group of 15 Georgetown students regularly leave the “37th and O” Georgetown campus to meet at the Jessup Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Jessup, Maryland.  Within the prison, Georgetown and Jessup students work side by side, as classmates.  Three mixed groups of students focus on issues connected to “Before,” “Inside,” and “After” prison.  Together they have developed innovative proposals for criminal justice and prison reform—captured by multimedia formats (including a short documentary, a five-episode podcast, and a Prezi presentation) as well as more scholarly policy reports.

On April 25, the Initiative hosted “37th and Jessup” in the ICC Auditorium, an exceptional public event that highlighted the inspiring life experiences and policy recommendations that emerged from this unique class.  Although only the Georgetown students could participate at the event in person, the voices, stories, poetry, and art of their incarcerated classmates were actively included—and some of the Jessup students’ friends and family members were present as well.