Workshop on Facilitating Meaningful Reentry I

The Workshop on Facilitating Meaningful Reentry involves collaborative project-based work designing and supporting the Paralegal Pathways Initiative (PPI). PPI has created a spring semester paralegal course for formerly incarcerated people with prison research experience, with the goal of helping participants transition into jobs as legal professionals, fellowships with partner organizations, and/or higher education (including law school).

Through the fall seminar, all students involved in PPI collaborate on planning and directing the program. Students are divided into the following committees based on interest and experience: Curriculum, Recruitment and Professional Support, Communications and Operations, and Community Engagement. 2L students work closely with the 3L leaders of these committees to (i) develop the short and long-term goals of individual committees, and (ii) ensure that PPI as a whole is achieving its programmatic goals. Finally, through readings and guest speakers, students will gain a greater understanding of meaningful reentry following incarceration.

In the spring, students take the lead in planning and running weekly classroom sessions with the entire PPI faculty and a cohort of participants. Students will attend classes with participants as well as reflective meetings with the PPI leadership team.