Astrobiology for the Incarcerated: Facilitating Transformations

Incarcerated adults are one of the most scientifically underserved and ethnically diverse groups in the US. Over 2.3 million individuals are in prisons, where they have almost no access to academic education. Correctional education tends to be vocational, even though many inmates have the capability, desire, and time to learn about academic subjects such as science. A recent meta-analysis by the Bureau of Justice Administration shows that correctional education can reduce the probability of recidivism by 13%.

The NASA Astrobiology Program is partnered with the Sustainability in Prisons Project and the Initiative to Bring Science Programs to the Incarcerated, which have been providing scientific programming to incarcerated populations since 2003. Building on their seminal work, we have piloted a new astrobiology lecture series program for incarcerated adults and hands-on programming for incarcerated youth.

From the results of over 1000 inmates across four states, we have found significant meaningful changes in inmates core concept understandings, their actions in the future around learning and sharing science, their value of science, and their science identity. The trends we observed in these impact categories held true regardless of inmates' gender, ethnicity, race, or religious views. Here we present our results and potential next steps.