Odyssey Beyond Bars

OBB student Carlos OBB student Abigail proudly carries a pile of books.

Odyssey Beyond Bars offers college jumpstart programs to students incarcerated in Wisconsin state prisons. We are part of the UW Odyssey Project, which for 22 years has empowered students living in poverty to overcome obstacles, find their voices and reframe their futures.

“This class has already opened my eyes to a better life for myself.”

Our jumpstart programs combine noncredit and for-credit courses with wraparound supports that help our students succeed long-term, including tutoring, academic and financial aid advising, and an alumni support network.

Many program alumni use their Odyssey Beyond Bars experience as a first step toward a college degree and as a foundation for success when they leave prison and return to their communities.

Featured News

Odyssey Beyond Bars expands to its first women's correctional facility in Fall 2024

OBB’s first course for incarcerated women welcomed 12 students at Taycheedah Correctional Institution as new Badgers. The students, who ranged in age from 25 to 55, quickly identified something they all had in common: a passion for lifelong learning. Many shared they had spent years on waitlists for educational programming before being accepted to OBB. “I’m proud to be a student once again,” Holly shared in her commencement speech for the program–a sentiment that had only grown since new student orientation. “I came to this class as a seed, a potential waiting to be planted. Now, at the end of the semester, I am leaving with a piece of me that I have brought to life, something that I have awakened inside of me that will continue to grow.“

Odyssey Beyond Bars receives state award for prison education

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Odyssey Beyond Bars (OBB) program received the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Eisenberg Award for its work in giving people who are incarcerated the ability to take college courses and improve their lives.

“The Odyssey Beyond Bars program is giving those incarcerated a chance to expand their minds and explore their opportunities once they return to their communities,” said Public Defender Board Chair James M. Brennan. “That’s critical to their success going forward, and we applaud these efforts.”

Supporting Odyssey Beyond Bars

Support Odyssey Beyond Bars by clicking the button below. All donations are tax deductible. For questions, please contact Jenny Pressman, Director of Development and Community Partnerships, at jenny.pressman@wisc.edu.

SUPPORT THE ODYSSEY BEYOND BARS FUND >>

Get Involved

Become a Student

Students at Oakhill share their writing with the class

“Odyssey Beyond Bars has given me an opportunity to examine my experiences; it provokes you to look at things in a different way and gives you the confidence to express yourself.”–Carl Lewis, OBB student

Odyssey Beyond Bars enrolls students in Wisconsin state prisons who are interested in college but not yet enrolled in a degree program. Occasionally, we enroll students who already have some college experience.

Odyssey Beyond Bars students are admitted to UW-Madison as special students, not degree-seeking students. We often help our students pursue admission to degree programs at UW-Madison and elsewhere.

We are currently offering English 100at Oakhill Correctional Institution, Taycheedah Correctional Institution, Racine Correctional Institution, Columbia Correctional Institution.

We do not operate in any county jails or federal prisons.

Milwaukee Area Technical College, Madison College, and Moraine Park Technical College offer associate degree and certificate programs in certain Wisconsin state prisons. Interested students should ask the Education Director in their institution to learn which programs are available to them.

Become a Volunteer

Thanks for your interest in volunteering for Odyssey Beyond Bars. Although we are not recruiting volunteers at this time, we will update this webpage when volunteer opportunities become available.

If you are interested in volunteering for the UW Odyssey Project’s community-based programs (including the Odyssey Course, Odyssey Junior, and Onward Odyssey), please fill out this form instead.

To help support currently or formerly incarcerated men and women, please consider the following opportunities:

LGBT Books to Prisoners

LGBT Books to Prisoners actively seeks Madison-based volunteers to respond to book requests from across the country.

Just Dane

Just Dane offers supportive services for people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Volunteers help with meal preparation, mentoring, event coordination, and more.

Literacy Network

Although the Literacy Network isn’t directly connected to prison work, volunteers here support the accessibility of adult education throughout Dane County.

OBB Alumni

If you have successfully completed at least one Odyssey Beyond Bars course, you are one of our program “alumni” and we encourage you to connect with us.

Contact us at uwsupport@dcs.wisc.edu via email, CorrLinks, or Getting Out. Paper letters can be sent to the following address:

Attn: Odyssey Beyond Bars
21 N. Park Street #7101
Madison, WI 53715

If you are looking for educational opportunities in the Milwaukee area, Marquette University offers free courses for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. Browse available courses and apply on their website. If you have questions about Marquette’s programming, contact urbancenter@marquette.edu.

Teaching for OBB

A teacher applauding student in front of a classroom

Thanks for your interest in teaching for Odyssey Beyond Bars. OBB is not actively recruiting new instructors at this time. If you would like to add your name to our prospective instructor pool, please fill out this form. When opportunities arise, our team will contact you.

To teach for OBB, you must be affiliated with a UW university and have approval from your department to teach the course(s) you propose.