Lipscomb University is ramping up its four-year-old involvement with the Tennessee Prison for Women and growing an 18-credit hour slate of liberal arts courses into a full associate of arts degree. Since the launch of the LIFE program, TPW inmates have compiled three literary journals and staged a theatrical production.

Lipscomb's Associate of Arts degree will follow the Tennessee Board of Regents general education requirement of 63 credit hours. Unlike most of the college programs offered in prisons nationwide, Lipscomb's coursework is not offered by correspondence. Lipscomb faculty travel to the prison once a week to teach the courses. In addition, Lipscomb's traditional students travel to TPFW to attend classes with the inmates and also receive credit.