Hi everyone! My name is Kennedy Baker, and I am a third-year Political science student with a minor in Law, Jurisprudence, and the State and a minor in Law, Ethics, and Philosophy on the Pre-law track. If you are a pre-law undergraduate student like me, you are probably attempting to find unique experiences during your undergrad. If that is the case, Inside Out might be a great opportunity for you!
This semester, I participated in a program called Inside Out. “What are prisons for?” served as the core question for the program. Inside Out is an innovative educational program that allows UGA students to enter the Clark County jail for five hours a week and speak with incarcerated men and women to gain a new perspective regarding incarceration policies and practices and their impacts on incarcerated people and the local community. Participating in Inside Out gave me a great opportunity to learn about the incarceration system from a new perspective and understand the value of representation within the legal field.
Inside out encourages both UGA and incarcerated students to see each other as equals, therefore UGA students were called “Outside students” while incarcerated students were called “Inside students”. By emphasizing equality among students, this established a welcoming and engaging learning environment. Inside Out also encouraged group projects and discussions. By participating in the group projects, each group engaged in personal testimonies and in-depth conversations about the incarceration system, which encouraged a more personal experience and dynamic. Additionally, participating in this program taught me the value of speaking with people directly impacted by criminal justice legislation.
If you want to take a unique class that focuses on community engagement, criminal justice policies, and ideas, Inside Out might be an excellent class for you!
