Program Goals

Hope College and Western Theological Seminary faculty and staff not only visit those in prison, but also bring a Christian liberal arts education, a meaningful learning community, and hope to those who often feel forgotten and dehumanized. Through education and restorative justice, some of the wounds surrounding crime begin to heal. In return, we learn from and are blessed in equal measure by our engagement with students.

“The chance to be a college student is another reminder that God is not finished with me.” —Student, 2019

The Hope-Western Prison Education Program seeks to: 

• Extend the Hope College and Western Theological Seminary missions to those living in incarcerated environments
• Foster the transformation of the hearts and minds of incarcerated people and all involved in the program, thereby enlarging their imaginations for purposeful living as flourishing, beloved children of God made in His image and likeness
• Ease the burden to the community by reducing recidivism, lowering tax burdens associated with the corrections system, and improving the safety of and culture for prisoners and prison staff
• Bring together persons of good will from a variety of political, ideological and theological perspectives

Program Outcomes

Hope College students completing a Faith, Leadership and Service degree will have:

• A biblical, historical, and theological framework for understanding Christian faith, thought and action
• The skills needed for lives of leadership and service
• The ability to integrate their faith with their understandings of both leadership and service
• The disciplines of mind, heart and spirit that will foster their growth as leaders and servants
• A deep understanding of the multi-cultural and religious contexts in which they will be leading and serving