Helping to end mass incarceration by empowering incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people with education and occupational skills

Marc M. Howard founded Georgetown's Prisons and Justice Initiative in 2016. PJI seeks to create pathways for incarcerated people and returning citizens to reshape their futures.  In all of its work and programs, PJI aims to bring attention to the causes and consequences of mass incarceration while recognizing the humanity in everyone. Within a very short period of time, PJI has established itself as one of the leading university-based criminal legal reform organizations in the country.

Educational programs for incarcerated individuals

Prison Scholars Program at the d.c. jail

  • Launched in 2018, the Scholars Program is a year-round prison education program that provides three credit-bearing courses per semester

  • Students take a variety of liberal arts classes while they await trial, serve short sentences, or prepare to return to their communities after a longer period of incarceration in the federal prison system

  • As the only mixed-gender program in the country, both female and male Scholars have the opportunity to pursue higher education together

Bachelor of Liberal Arts Program at the Patuxent Institution in Maryland

  • The Bachelor of Liberal Arts (BLA) Program launched in 2022 as Georgetown’s first degree-granting program for incarcerated students

  • Over the next five years, 125 students will work towards the 120 credits required for earning a Bachelor’s degree

  • The BLA Program is a model for how universities can bring transformative educational opportunities into prison, and thereby to support second chances and successful reentry to society

Reentry Programs for Returning Citizens

The Pivot Program

Providing professional development through business and entrepreneurship

  • In partnership with Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, the Pivot Program offers a robust and specialized ten-month reentry program that combines higher education and professional development

  • Pivot’s curriculum emphasizes business and entrepreneurial skills, while supporting human transformation and enabling second chance hiring

  • Since its inception, over 50 students have successfully graduated from the Pivot Program

The MORCA-Georgetown Paralegal Program

Granting paralegal certificates and providing job opportunities with law firms and legal organizations

  • In partnership with the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizen Affairs (MORCA), the Paralegal Program offers a rigorous and intensive 20-week legal training program

  • PJI prepares returning citizens for careers as professional paralegals, while creating employment opportunities in the field

  • The Paralegal program has helped to break down barriers in a field that had historically excluded people with criminal records