Q&A: AHEP's Ved Price on the State of Postsecondary Education in Prison Programs

Alliance for Higher Education in Prison (AHEP) Executive Director Ved Price knows the difference postsecondary education and workforce training can make in the lives of incarcerated learners. A formerly incarcerated person himself, Ved worked for years supporting residents navigating incarceration, homelessness and other challenges in Denver, Colorado, before joining AHEP in 2022. Since then, he’s worked to ensure all people, regardless of whether they are currently or formerly incarcerated, have access to high-quality and free postsecondary education.

Ascendium recently made a grant to AHEP that will support Ved in building organizational capacity and bolstering partnerships across the field of postsecondary education in prison. With Pell Grant eligibility being expanded to incarcerated learners in July, AHEP will serve a crucial role in ensuring the field's readiness to deliver high-quality educational opportunities for them. As executive director, we know Ved's leadership is critical now and for the future of postsecondary education in prisons.

Ascendium Senior Program Officer Molly Lasagna met with Ved to get his reflections on the current and future state of postsecondary education in prison.

Q: What inspired you to pursue this work?

Q: How can the field mitigate the challenges that folks coming out of postsecondary education in prison programs face around access to meaningful employment?

Q: What factors motivate someone to enroll in a postsecondary education in prison program?

Q: What gives you hope about the postsecondary education in prison field?