Higher education in prison (HEP) in the United States has a long and varied history, largely tied to changing legislation regarding Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals. Recent legislation has fully restored Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals which has caused a subsequent rise in the number of HEP programs nationally. Previous HEP literature focuses almost exclusively on the outcomes of HEP, and with the number of HEP programs increasing, scholars and practitioners would benefit from scholarship analyzing HEP programs themselves with an organizational lens. To that end, this dissertation utilizes a qualitative case study approach to analyze the development and launch of an undergraduate HEP program, ultimately answering the question: how do HEP programs develop? The Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) was selected as a common case and data was collected through interviews with 12 participants involved in the program’s creation. Data were analyzed through a critical realist frame by implementing a two-cycle coding process, borrowing components of new venture creation theory and process theory to analyze and organize themes. Themes were constructed under four broad dimensions: (a) process, the steps taken to develop the CPI; (b) individuals, the people involved in the CPI’s creation; (c) organization, the characteristics and structures of the CPI at its launch; and (d) environment, the external influences on the program’s development. The study’s findings and their implications will benefit practitioners by providing critical information about program development and scholars by providing a foundational study to begin analyzing HEP programs as organizations.
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