Tufts University has taken the significant step of pausing its year-long prison reentry program and launching a comprehensive audit of all prison education offerings. The decision comes in the wake of a serious criminal charge against a former participant, who was implicated in a May shooting in Cambridge, Massachusetts, located roughly 20 minutes from the university’s campus.
University leaders initiated the review process to ensure that both current and formerly incarcerated participants are fully supported in their academic pursuits. According to an email distributed by a university spokesperson, the administration aims to verify that the program strictly adheres to institutional standards designed to "safeguard the well-being of all students, faculty and staff."
The program in question, known as the Tufts University Prison Initiative of Tisch College (TUPIT), was originally established in 2016. It belongs to a growing network of similar initiatives across the United States that provide incarcerated individuals with the opportunity to pursue higher education while serving time, frequently learning alongside traditional, nonincarcerated students. While this educational model traces its roots back over a century, it has experienced notable expansion since 2023. That year marked the lifting of a nearly 30-year federal ban on Pell Grants for incarcerated students, opening up vital streams of financial aid and making college courses far more accessible behind bars.
The Proven Impact of Higher Education in Corrections
Proponents of prison education programs consistently point to a robust body of longstanding research demonstrating that academic engagement significantly reduces recidivism rates. By fostering positive self-image and equipping individuals with the credentials and skills necessary to secure stable employment upon release, education acts as a powerful catalyst for successful rehabilitation.
"It changes mindsets," said Lee Perlman, co-founder of The Educational Justice Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "I’ve experienced my students in prison as falling in love with thinking and understanding and analyzing. They get to see themselves in a very different light."
The individual accused in the Cambridge shooting had previously participated in Tufts’ Education and Reentry Network, widely referred to as MyTERN. This specific initiative is structured to assist formerly incarcerated students as they navigate the notoriously complex and demanding process of reintegrating into society on the outside.
Reentry, however, remains an uphill battle for many returning citizens, regardless of institutional preparation. Perlman noted the profound systemic hurdles that formerly incarcerated individuals face daily. "Reentry is just really, really, really hard," Perlman said. "I know guys who get out of prison with a college degree and get a good job, but I know others who are loading UPS trucks. You get out of prison with nothing and all the systems for reentry are inadequate. People are just struggling for the basics."
Before Tufts paused operations, the MyTERN program sought to mitigate these systemic barriers by providing comprehensive assistance. According to the university’s official website, participants were equipped with laptops, academic support, technology and financial literacy training, and monthly stipends. Furthermore, the program offered crucial transitional support with housing and employment.
Perlman emphasized that the Tufts reentry program was widely viewed as a national model because it broke new ground by offering credit-bearing classes post-release, actively helped formerly incarcerated students meet basic human needs, and cultivated a supportive community among peers with shared backgrounds. Perlman speaks from extensive experience; he co-founded the Massachusetts Prison Education Consortium in 2017 and has been teaching in correctional facilities since the 1980s. His extensive track record includes teaching a class on the "philosophy of love" within the Tufts program during the previous spring semester.
From Perlman’s perspective, the actions of a single program participant should not overshadow the overall success and transformative value of the initiative.
Administrative Review and Uncertain Future
Despite the praise from external educators, Tufts’ reentry program remains closed for the current academic year. Patrick Collins, the university’s executive director of media relations, addressed the administration’s current focus in an email statement.
"Our shared goal is to ensure TUPIT receives the administrative support and resources it needs so that current and future participants can continue to benefit from its academic opportunities and coursework, as well as the non-academic supports that contribute to their success, while ensuring that the program operates in alignment with university-wide policies and protocols," Collins stated.
In an update published earlier this month on the university’s official channels, Joe Auner, Tufts’ provost and senior vice president ad interim, informed the community that findings from the internal review were forthcoming. He noted that a dedicated faculty and staff workgroup, which had convened over the summer months, would carefully evaluate the recommendations. When pressed by Inside Higher Ed, Collins declined to clarify whether the MyTERN program—which was integrated into TUPIT six years ago—would resume operations once the academic year concludes.
In the interim, university officials recognize the immediate disruption caused to participants who relied on the program’s infrastructure. "We understand the need to provide ongoing assistance to program participants reentering school or the workforce," Collins said, "and so we are working to connect them with partners and other sources of support."
Reactions from the Academic Community
The decision to pause the program has sparked friction and debate within the university community. Perlman argued that halting the reentry program and conducting a sweeping audit based on the alleged actions of one individual "makes zero sense."
"Prisons are risk-averse and so are universities. I’m sure they’re thinking about their reputation and questions like, ‘What if he’d done this on campus?’ But he didn’t shoot people because he got an education," Perlman remarked. "The fact that the program couldn’t stop somebody with underlying mental health issues is not an indictment of the program."
As the academic semester got underway, students and faculty members staged demonstrations to protest the suspension of MyTERN and other operational changes affecting TUPIT, according to coverage by The Tufts Daily, the university’s student-run newspaper.
The broader implications of balancing institutional risk with the rehabilitative mission of corrections education are complex. Sergio Grossi, a professor of criminology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, acknowledged the intricate realities of working within the penal system.
"Education in prison is very complicated," Grossi said. "There are people inside that have committed harm and also that we know that many of these people also get harmed by the system, then they still continue to do harm."
