This session will offer the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative (BEJI) as a case study for new models for higher ed in prison programs that emphasize diversion and re-entry. Over the past five years, BEJI has developed a flexible, innovative approach to providing educational and vocational pathways to those impacted by the criminal justice system in the Boston area. How can higher ed better respond to shifting carceral practices and increased public awareness of the collateral damage of mass incarceration? What strategies can new carceral and educational justice programs use to establish themselves in complex institutional landscapes?