Jamie De Jesus Sr. is a student at Marquette University, which hosts the McNeely Prison Education Consortium. (Photo provided by Jamie De Jesus Sr.)
By Devin Blake
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
After spending more than 20 years under the supervision of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections – including 11 years incarcerated – Jamie De Jesus Sr. didn’t expect to be where he is now.
“I swear to God, I would have never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d be a student at Marquette,” he said.
Marquette University is part of the McNeely Prison Education Consortium, a growing network of colleges and universities offering educational opportunities for people who are or were incarcerated.
De Jesus, who grew up on the South Side, is finishing his seventh semester and is on track to earn a bachelor’s degree.
The vision
The consortium is named in honor of R.L. McNeely, a Milwaukee attorney, professor and advocate who was dedicated to expanding educational opportunities for historically marginalized individuals.
McNeely envisioned what the consortium would ultimately become but died before it began operating. The people and institutions involved aim to carry out his commitment to individuals impacted by the criminal justice system.
Marquette hosts the consortium, and the consortium is the “connective tissue” between the schools, said Darren Wheelock, associate professor of criminology and law studies at Marquette and director of the consortium.
Other participating institutions include Alverno College, Mount Mary University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee Area Technical College and Carroll University.
Non-degree, tuition-free courses are available to students, said Theresa Tobin, associate professor of philosophy at Marquette and the director of the education preparedness program – Marquette’s specific offering to McNeely students.
A major focus of the consortium also is credential and degree pathways, Wheelock said.
Students in good standing can access various other resources, such as books, laptops and academic advising.
Taking it ‘slow and low’
Not everyone has stuck it out like De Jesus.
“I don’t think that everybody was ready to be in the program at the time they enrolled,” he said. “They come home with a lot of institutional thoughts and ideas.”
“I took it slow and low, you know – one class a semester.”
De Jesus’ favorite courses so far have been in the humanities, especially philosophy.
“They helped me to open up a bit more and help me to relate and meet people where they’re at,” he said.
These courses allowed him to build skills important for the bachelor’s degree he’s pursuing in community engagement and education – a program that prepares students for careers in fields such as K-12 schools, child care, higher education and nonprofits.
Serving incarcerated students
Wheelock and his colleagues also collaborate with other community partners, including the Department of Corrections.
Wheelock expects Marquette to offer a degree pathway in peace studies to students inside Racine Correctional Institution by fall 2026. However, the program still needs to go through an approval process with its accrediting body as well as the U.S. Department of Education.
“Our degree is contingent on us successfully navigating that process,” Wheelock said.
“Each step we successfully navigate,” he added, “we can help other schools navigate.”
UWM is working toward its own degree pathway at Racine, with a potential launch in fall 2027.
There are professors at McNeely institutions currently teaching one-off courses to incarcerated students.
Michael Carriere is a professor in the humanities, social science and communication department at Milwaukee School of Engineering, but the course he taught this spring inside Racine Correctional Institution – on the history of urban ecology – was his favorite.
Carriere said that being a historian at an engineering school often means some students take his classes just to “check a box” – but that’s not the case with students at Racine.
“The amount of effort these students put into it has been phenomenal,” he said.
“They came to class with notes. They did all the readings. They turned their assignments in on time.”
Another difference, Carriere explained, is how the students’ backgrounds inform their understanding of the subject matter.
“When someone who has been incarcerated – in some cases, for decades – reads something like Frederick Douglass, it’s a different experience.”
Dr. De Jesus?
De Jesus brings the same focus and seriousness to his education and career goals.
In addition to being a student, he is a manufacturing instructor and chief operating officer at a nonprofit that primarily serves people who have been involved in the criminal justice system.
“The education, knowledge and credentials that I gain from completing this degree program will help me to excel in the nonprofit sector and in the community as we open up more centers,” he said.
“I plan to be Dr. De Jesus one day.”
For more information
Those interested in the consortium can email mpec@marquette.edu