You want to talk about a world of lies?' Teaching philosophy in prison | Jay Miller

"At 8.30am sharp, a white van pulls up to the North Carolina college campus where the Outsiders are huddled in their black shirts, sleepy-faced but in good spirits. They pile in quickly, knowing there is a tight schedule to stick to. A 10-minute drive from campus, then the van pulls up under the arch of a large metal gate crowned with razor wire."

"They're checking: are all cellphones securely locked in the van? Has the driver checked in their keys at the front desk? The Outsiders know the drill. They know that their clothing should be neutral and moderate. They know that IDs and visitor cards should be out and ready, bags open for inspection. Every beep of the metal detector makes everyone go tense, and slows things down."

"With him is a group of women in uniforms of various shades of blue. We know them as the Insiders. In here, they are known as the offenders. Insiders and Outsiders intermingle and take their seats. Class begins. We are several weeks into the semester-long course, innocuously titled Introduction to Philosophy. The class, held each Friday morning for three hours at a women's correctional facility near the college, is part of the US national Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program."

A semester-long Introduction to Philosophy course pairs college students with incarcerated women through the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Students arrive early and pass strict security: possessions placed in plastic bins, pat-downs, metal detectors, locked cellphones, and visitor cards inspected. The group of twenty blends mostly 19- to 20-year-old residential college students with incarcerated women of broader ages and backgrounds. Classes meet each Friday morning for three hours inside a women's correctional facility. Attendance fluctuates: one student was released early and another missed class because her cell was being searched.

Read at www.theguardian.com