Elena Quintana, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice, was recently interviewed by Peter Medlin on the “Teachers’ Lounge” podcast from WNIJ. Dr. Quintana discussed the development of a new bachelors-level program in Applied Psychology that is being offered virtually by Adler University’s Online Campus at Big Muddy River Correctional Center in Ina, Illinois.  

“Adler has always been a graduate-level educational institution, and this is the first time that we have done a bachelor’s completion program, and so to launch it within prison for me, is really exciting and especially in Big Muddy, where the educational offerings are pretty slim,” Dr. Quintana said. “This gives people a chance to be able to take college-level courses for credit and to be able to build their critical thinking skills.” 

The Institute of Public Safety and Social Justice promotes modern, effective solutions that transform and improve current public safety methodology, including addressing trauma, decriminalizing communities, and building community capacity. 

“The narrative that helps public safety is when people have hope for themselves and they actually have the tools and the access to transform themselves,” Dr. Quintana said.

Listen to the “Teachers’ Lounge” episode, “Teaching Psychology and Childhood Trauma in Prison.”