In spring 2024, a Dwight Hall member group deepened its commitment to community engagement and tackling systemic issues through critical discussion. Embodying the Engage pillar of Dwight Hall’s Engage, Grow, and Advance program delivery model through service-based partnerships with New Haven organizations and individuals, the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project (YUPP) exemplified this mission.
By fostering meaningful connections and addressing critical issues within the justice system, YUPP has made a significant impact on both the Yale community and the broader New Haven area. Co-Presidents Fikir Mekonnen ’25 and Bahar Bouzarjomehri ’25 discussed the many programs that YUPP pursued this past spring, including work with the New Haven Pardon Program, tutoring formerly incarcerated people at the New Haven Public Library, a “Women on the Frontiers of Indigenous Law” panel, and a discussion with Adam Vine, founder of the Cage-Free Cannabis Cooperative. The co-presidents noted that the group’s endeavors all stem from a specific belief system that YUPP has held since its inception.
“YUPP is a social justice-oriented student group that began in 2010, originally as an abolitionist reading group, but then it grew to incorporate several programs and partnerships that allowed people–undergrads mostly–to go to prisons in Connecticut and provide tutoring and other services to people who are incarcerated,” said Fikir.
One of those services revolves around YUPP’s partnership with the New Haven Pardon Program, a group that pairs volunteers with formerly incarcerated people in need of assistance through the pardon application process. YUPP volunteers provide aid as workshop leaders, conducting overviews of the application process and one-on-one sessions that promote connection with those in need of assistance.
“We have projects in the works that are focused on the reentry process, from working with community partners that have facilities that help guide formerly incarcerated individuals to finding any sort of resources that they need post-incarceration,” Bahar added.
Promoting access to educational resources is a vital component of YUPP’s initiatives. The organization strives to help formerly incarcerated individuals develop leadership skills and gain empowerment through academic resources. YUPP achieves this through tutoring sessions at the New Haven Public Library, focusing on GED preparation, resume workshops, and seminar discussions. As Bahar stated, YUPP is “working towards a future in which the carceral system does not exist in the way that it does today.”
Bahar and Fikir took a moment to recognize John Vance, a formerly incarcerated person released in 2022, now pursuing a degree in higher education inspired by his own experiences. John plans to attend the Indiana University McKinney School of Law in the fall. YUPP is working to help him achieve his GoFundMe goal so that he may pursue a career as a criminal justice lawyer.
The co-presidents also reflected on the meaningful experience of their public-facing events. In March, YUPP organized a panel with five Native women specializing in various aspects of public interest legal advocacy. The event was organized in conjunction with a few other student groups – the Yale Chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the Native and Indigenous Student Association at Yale, and Students of the Indigenous Peoples of Oceania – a demonstration of YUPP’s commitment to intersectionality and partnerships across the university.
Additionally, YUPP has fostered connections with various social justice organizations, including the Yale Prison Education Initiative at Dwight Hall; Full Citizens Coalition, led by James Jeter, Director of the New Haven Civic Allyship Initiative at Dwight Hall; Woman Against Mass Incarceration; The Peer Defense Project; The Remedy Project; Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice; the Justice Impact Alliance; and Cage-Free Cannabis Cooperative.
YUPP was also excited to host the co-founder of Cage-Free Cannabis Cooperative, Adam Vine, this spring. During the meeting, the YUPP members listened to a presentation on the penal system’s relationship with drug use, gaining insight into the interrelation of drug policy and mass incarceration.
Across their many efforts, it is evident that YUPP envisions a transformed carceral system. By engaging undergraduates in this work, YUPP encourages both immediate support for those affected by the justice system and long-term advocacy for systemic reform.
Please see YUPP’s Instagram for future updates.
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