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In the quiet hum of the prison classroom, amidst worn textbooks and scratched desks, futures are quietly rewritten.

For students like Edward Jones, a devoted father striving to be an example for his children, or Josh Stoltz, a self-proclaimed nerd with a love for model airplanes and knack for computers, the Tennessee Higher Education Initiative (THEI) is more than a program; it’s a lifeline.

“There’s power in education, but also power in community,” says Dr. Laura Mimms, Executive Director of THEI. “We’re not just getting degrees into the hands of justice-impacted people. We’re creating a ripple effect of healing, leadership, and transformation, both inside and beyond the walls.”

Since 2012, THEI has disrupted the narrative of incarceration in Tennessee by building bridges to higher education, advocacy, and re-entry services. What started as a small initiative within state prisons has grown into a statewide movement, connecting students behind bars to accredited college degrees and comprehensive support as they transition home. Through strong partnerships, the organization’s devoted staff have reduced bureaucratic barriers, expanded higher education in prisons, and built re-entry support services for people impacted by the justice system. Their relationships with community colleges, government officials, and correctional facilities are intentional, focused, and rooted in a shared goal for second chances.

More Than a Classroom

Edward remembers how it started for him. “I didn’t grow up learning how to talk to people, listen, or how to be part of a team,” he says. “I learned that in a THEI classroom.”

For Edward, THEI was the first time he saw himself not as an outcast or a person who was justice-involved, but as a student. The quiet victories — acing exams, learning financial literacy, or speaking in front of an audience for the first time — built a new kind of muscle memory. “Little accomplishments,” he calls them. “Once you get hooked on them, you never want to stop. I’m always looking for the next accomplishment to check off.”

Edward’s determination carried over into life outside the classroom. Within a year of release, he earned four promotions, rising from an entry-level position to an administrative role, and became a mentor for others navigating the same hurdles he once faced. He’s helped alumni find jobs, guided friends toward housing, and connected people to resources ranging from addiction treatment to financial literacy programs. “THEI gave me a sense of being an adult,” he says. “It taught me how to show up, how to be someone people can rely on.”

THEI helps students like Edward navigate the steep hurdles that can pile up in their lives. Financial stress, difficult relationships, unstable employment or housing; all of these challenges add weight and can force people into tunnel vision. For those with records, systemic prejudice often remains an ever-present barrier, making each step forward harder to take. THEI can’t erase those obstacles entirely, but it equips students with the tools, community, and confidence to manage them and keep moving forward.

When the deck is perpetually stacked against you, it’s easy to feel deflated and make mistakes. Through THEI, Edward learned that his past was not a reason for defeat. By pursuing education, embracing support, and learning how to be a part of a community, he began building a healthier, more fulfilling life; a path forward he once thought was closed to him.

Dr. Mimms sees stories like Edward’s as proof of what happens when incarcerated students are given access not just to education, but to dignity. The confinement of a prison cell is designed to dehumanize people, strip them of their dreams, and make them feel powerless. But THEI shines a light on possibility and reaffirms student’s humanity. The organization designs its programs to make students feel valued, seen, heard, and respected. To be reminded that they are more than their worst mistake.

“We are centered on student voice,” Dr. Mimms says. “Our students don’t just survive, they thrive. They are mentors, leaders, parents, employees, and friends. They carry their success from the classroom into their families and communities.”

A Family Beyond the Wall

As a young boy, Josh idolized his grandfather in the military and knew he would someday follow his footsteps to serve his country. He had a knack for computers and tinkering and would create model airplanes. He would look up in the sky with a clear and persistent dream of pursuing aerospace engineering one day.

By the time he was a teenager, he was fed up and felt lost. His father was absent from his life and his mother was addicted to drugs and battling her own struggles and he felt his dream slipping without supportive people shepherding him in the direction of his ambition. He dropped out of high school and just two weeks shy of his 20^th birthday, found himself locked up in the county jail.

Josh found THEI while navigating the isolating realities of incarceration. “I used to think my life was over,” he admits. “Then someone told me I could go to college for $25 a semester. I couldn’t believe it.” A glimmer of hope was all he needed to disrupt the pattern of harm and start his process of healing, community building, and gaining responsibility for his life.

As Josh became a student leader and mentor to others inside, his confidence soared. He felt a sense of belonging and purpose as an adult. Before long, he was using his education to rethink his potential and place in the world. He was a part of a community that listened to each other, cared for each other, and evolved alongside one another. Upon release, he quickly stepped into a leadership role as an operations manager for THEI and became a touchstone for others reentering society.

“The thing about THEI is they don’t leave you,” Josh says. “They were there when I got out. They helped me with my first car, my first job, and even helped my family when we needed it most. It’s more than education; it’s a community.”

Diruprting Cycles, Rebuilding Lives

THEI’s model is threefold: expanding higher education inside correctional facilities, supporting successful re-entry, and advocating for policy changes rooted in justice and healing.

“Our students are creating the blueprint for the change we want to see,” Dr. Mimms says. “They’re pushing systems to think differently about justice, education, and who belongs.”

As Executive Director, Dr. Mimms brings both lived experience as a first-generation college graduate and deep professional expertise in education, equity, and nonprofit leadership. Her leadership of THEI, since 2021, has helped THEI grow while remaining deeply student-centered, with a vision of education being more than academic achievement. THEI is about restoring humanity, building agency, and igniting long-term change.

In 2021, THEI formalized its first partnership with an HBCU and has since expanded partnerships with institutions like Nashville State Community College and Roane State. THEI students receive not only rigorous academic programming but holistic support, including peer tutoring, mental health resources, and leadership development.

Laughing Gull Foundation funds higher education in prisons programs, including THEI, across the South that are increasing access to high-quality, accredited college courses inside of state correctional facilities while nurturing a generous and collaborative network of partnerships. With flexible, general operating funds from LGF, THEI has grown and expanded their footprint in Tennessee and strengthened coalition work including spearheading the development of a statewide HEP program collaborative.

“THEI embodies the transformative power of higher education in prison,” says Dr. LaTonya Penny of LGF. “Their work shows that when you invest in people — truly see them, support them, and believe in their potential — you’re not just changing individual lives, you’re changing entire communities for generations.”

Dr. Mimms is candid about the challenges, especially in a country where the criminal justice system often prioritizes punishment over rehabilitation. “People behind bars are often invisible to policymakers,” she says. “But our students are proving that education inside prisons is a pathway out; not just out of incarceration, but out of cycles of poverty, trauma, and marginalization.”

A Movement in the Making

THEI’s impact is undeniable. Since its founding, less than 2% of THEI graduates have returned to prison, and those who’ve completed even a single semester of academic programming have a recidivism rate under 15%. The program’s alumni are business owners, nonprofit leaders, public speakers, and advocates for justice. They are reshaping what’s possible for those who have been incarcerated.

Edward and Josh are part of a growing network of THEI alumni who are now giving back. They’re mentoring new students, sharing their stories with policymakers, and challenging public perceptions of what it means to return home after incarceration. Edward now serves as the Alumni Success Coordinator at THEI and Josh serves as their Operations Manager.

“There’s something powerful about walking into a space and knowing you belong,” Edward reflects. “THEI gave me that.”

For Dr. Mimms and the team, the work isn’t just about providing college courses; it’s about creating a framework of healing, purpose, and potential. “Prison makes you believe you are disposable,” Dr. Mimms says. “THEI is here to remind our students they are valuable, capable, and deeply needed in this world.”

As higher education in prison programs face mounting uncertainty, THEI stands as a shining example of what’s possible. Programs, especially in the South, are navigating significant challenges including shifting federal funding landscapes, uncertainty around Pell funding, and bureaucratic roadblocks that stall meaningful expansion. Against this complicated backdrop, THEI is a model for lasting change. In the heart of Tennessee, THEI is proving that education can do more than change individual lives. It can spark movements.