People's Education Initiative

Our mission is to provide detained women with rigorous and engaging educational experiences. We aim to encourage our students to recognize their own personal and academic potential.

People's Education Initiative (PEI) was founded in 2004 by friends and colleagues with shared concern for the declining educational resources in prisons and jails. The group identified a lack of volunteer opportunities in academic settings in New York City's jails. PEI facilitates continuous 8-week units of evening classes through the Rose M. Singer Center on Rikers Island in Queens, NY. Past course offerings include: Creative Writing, Architecture, Fashion Theory, Human Rights, GED Math, Literary Magazine, Documentary Film.

*Fomerly known as Prison Education Initiative