The Inside Out program at Warren Wilson College (WWC) will return for the spring of 2026. The only program of its kind in North Carolina, Inside Out brings WWC students into the nearby Western Correctional Center for Women to be taught subjects including psychology, sociology and philosophy alongside incarcerated women.
Inside Out classes were paused in 2024 following Hurricane Helene and have faced challenges resuming due to the expiration of the grant that served as the program’s main source of funding. Lucy Lawrence, chair of the social work department and director of Inside Out, put forth a new program proposal to the president’s cabinet in May. She was able to secure a verbal funding agreement for the next two semesters with the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections (NCDAC), which would allow the program to continue at WWC.
“The state values our program because of how it complements the experience at Western Correctional…” Lawrence said. “They also value that we are offering undergraduate liberal arts, because that kind of thinking and the kind of learning community that we develop through Inside Out really helps build social capital, as well as helping [the women] with or supporting their critical thinking development [and] soft skills that work and facilitate successful reentry.”…