Inside Voices

Inside Voices is a group that formed out of the Inside Out Prison Exchange program from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in Winter 2022.

College students from the Criminal Justice and Honors Programs at UM-Dearborn were set to go into Macomb Correctional Facility and learn with the Theory Group of incarcerated people there. Ideally, this collaborative effort would result in a greater understanding between those incarcerated and those on the “outside”. Unfortunately, COVID-19 prevented the Macomb Theory Group and the UM-Dearborn students from interacting directly.

Although the class framework was disrupted, the spirit of the program continued as students worked with formerly incarcerated individuals to put on several events surrounding prison and prison life. 

In the end, these projects culminated in a long-lasting podcast and documentary centering on Lynn McNeal, as well as three other events centering on incarcerated experiences: the Inside Voices Art show and artbook, the Better Together Barbecue, and the musical performance “The Fallen Petals of Nameless Flowers” at Chamber Music Detroit.