Our Work

The Educational Justice Institute (TEJI) is an MIT-based non-profit dedicated to providing transformative learning experiences for system-involved students and university students. TEJI grew out of the MIT prison initiative, founded in the late 1980’s by Lee Perlman. In January of 2018, Carole Cafferty came to MIT, and together they launched TEJI in the Spring of 2018. Since then, TEJI has grown rapidly by developing co-learning opportunities for students both inside and outside prison walls. TEJI uses higher education and technology to empower incarcerated individuals to redefine their identities and reach their potential as they prepare for reentry. The social-emotional benefits of education, such as an increased sense of self-worth and self-motivation, coupled with job-readiness preparation, are immeasurable.

Through TEJI, MIT students gain firsthand knowledge of the collateral consequences of mass incarceration in America. Students also learn the importance of sustained community commitment through the lens of empathy and compassion. Engagement between both incarcerated and non-incarcerated students yields a deeper level of learning for all. As future leaders and change agents, the MIT students benefit greatly from this experience. Incarcerated students gain increased self-confidence and begin to believe that they are much more than just the crime they’ve committed and that they possess agency to contribute to society.

TEJI’s goal is to improve the quality of life and future prospects of the incarcerated through education, while simultaneously raising the social consciousness of MIT students.

Learn more about our initiatives…

TEJI offers an expansive selection of courses that cover a wide range of topics, from emotional intelligence to urban sociology to computer programming using Python. This diversity in subjects is driven by TEJI’s belief that all learners deserve the opportunity to study subjects that inspire them. For this same reason, TEJI also works on special projects and enrichment opportunities, including the Augmented Reality Mural Project and the PKG Criminal Justice Immersion Spring Break program.

In addition to these courses and projects, TEJI helped launch the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison (in partnership with the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE)). This commission will focus on strategies to help incarcerated students who are transferring between prisons and jails finish courses and earn credentials.

TEJI also manages the Massachusetts Prison Education Consortium (MPEC), a partnership of Massachusetts-based higher education organizations, government agencies, and businesses collectively responsible for establishing and sustaining an education pipeline that begins during incarceration and continues into the community. MPEC provides an innovative vehicle for streamlining the delivery of instruction, creating connections for sharing best practices, and expanding awareness of issues in prison-based education.

See our work in action…

One of TEJI’s courses, Nonviolence as a Way of Life, is captured in Redemption: MIT’s Prison Education Program, a New England Emmy Award-winning mini-documentary produced by WGBH. In this course, MIT students and incarcerated students come together to discuss important topics like honesty and forgiveness. Watch it below!