Students graduate from Ireland’s 'Inside Out' prison-university programme

10 Apr 2025

• Students from Ireland’s prison-university education programme ‘Inside Out’ graduated at a ceremony.
• The pioneering programme saw students work together to debate university academic texts, draw on their own life experiences, and explore social inequalities and structural harms.
• This programme is the first of its kind in Ireland and is a collaboration between University College Cork, the Cork ETB Prison Education Unit and Cork Prison.

Students from Ireland’s prison-university education programme ‘Inside Out’ graduated at a special ceremony hosted by University College Cork, the Cork ETB Prison Education Unit and Cork Prison.

The ‘Inside Out’ initiative brings together university students and imprisoned persons to learn side by side as academic equals within the prison classroom. This pioneering collaboration, which launched in Cork in 2020, is the first of its kind in Ireland.

The graduation ceremony, which took place within Cork Prison on 8 April, celebrated the achievements of students from both the UCC BA Criminology programme (‘outside students’) and Cork Prison (‘inside students’) who have completed the course. The ‘Inside Out’ programme aims to foster learning, dialogue, and understanding between individuals from different social contexts, helping to break down barriers and dismantle stereotypes.

Over 12 weeks in Cork Prison, inside and outside students have worked together, debated university-level academic texts, drawing on their own life experiences, and exploring social inequalities and intersecting structural harms – including poverty, racism, ablism and gender inequalities.

Educators and students alike have reported transformative learning experiences, deepened empathy, and a recognition of the value and dignity each participant brings to the classroom.

Dr Katharina Swirak, Inside-Out Lead, Department of Sociology and Criminology at UCC, said: "What we witness week after week in the Inside Out classroom is a thirst for learning that is both humbling and inspiring. Many of our inside students have been excluded from formal education for most of their lives, yet their intellectual curiosity and ability to challenge established knowledge is second to none. For all of us in that room, the classroom debates are a reminder that learning is at its most powerful when it is grounded in lived experience and shared dialogue."

Dr James Windle, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at UCC and co-facilitator of Inside-Out, said: "The Inside Out classroom has taught us that real education happens when we dismantle barriers - social, physical and intellectual. The complexity of discussions, the dismantling of assumptions, and the sheer hard work and laughter we share each week create a unique community of learning. The experience shapes not just our inside and outside students, but all of us as educators, and leaves a lasting impact far beyond the prison walls."

Edel Cunningham, head teacher at the education unit at Cork Prison, said: “Cork ETB's motto, ‘A Pathway for Every Learner’. aligns with Cork's commitment as a UNESCO Learning City, where the guiding principle is ‘Leaving No One Behind’. It is wonderful that students in the CETB Education Unit at Cork Prison have the opportunity to showcase their potential to succeed in a university environment while incarcerated. The long-term benefits of this initiative should not be underestimated, particularly in terms of the students' continued involvement with universities after their release, as well as the potential influence it may have on their children to pursue higher education, following in their parents' footsteps. We are delighted to collaborate with UCC to deliver this module and are thrilled to be celebrating our students’ success upon its completion.”

The Cork ‘Inside Out’ programme has demonstrated clear benefits: improving critical thinking, fostering social understanding, and giving all students a valuable opportunity to engage in higher education.

For UCC Bachelor of Criminology students, participation in the Inside-Out programme has been transformative, offering an opportunity to engage with real-world perspectives that challenge assumptions. The programme encourages BA Criminology students to explore new approaches that promote dialogue across social divides and fostering a deeper, more empathetic understanding of criminal justice.

The Inside-Out programme culminated in a final presentation of work created collaboratively by inside and outside students, showcasing the diverse range of topics explored throughout the course, including social justice, masculinity, labelling and stigma, desistance and change, and transformative justice. The programme concluded with a graduation ceremony, jointly led by both cohorts of students, and presided over by UCC’s Vice-President for Teaching and Learning, Professor Paul McSweeney, alongside Cork Prison Governor, Brian McCarthy.