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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern


McKinley at his graduation. The Northwestern Prison Education Program’s inaugural commencement was held at Stateville Correctional Center on November 15, 2023.

‘My prison cell became my university’: Benard McKinley’s journey to civil rights law

April 2, 2024

In 2004, a judge told then 19-year-old Benard McKinley he would spend his next 97 birthdays behind bars. Last month, however, McKinley turned 39 as a free man and opened a hard-won birthday gift: an acceptance...

After four years studying the social sciences in prison, McKinley graduated from NU in November, and was released from prison Monday. He marched through The Arch the same day he gained his freedom.

Recent NPEP graduate Benard McKinley marches through The Arch after being freed from prison

January 23, 2024

Dozens of people lined up alongside The Arch Monday, waving pom poms and clapping enthusiastically as Benard McKinley (NPEP ’23) marched through it. Every year at Northwestern, thousands of incoming...

NPEP graduate James Soto celebrates after receiving his degree. Wednesday’s graduating cohort marked the first time incarcerated students have received bachelor’s degrees from a top 10 university.

Northwestern Prison Education Program celebrates inaugural commencement

November 16, 2023

William Peeples spent 13 years on death row before having his sentence commuted in 2003 to life without parole. Since joining the Northwestern Prison Education Program, Peeples has had the chance to study...

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881
Benard McKinley