CCS Insight Garden Program
Training Naturalists Behind Prison Walls
Article by Kate Washington, UC Davis Magazine
A kestrel swoops to grab a smaller bird on the wing and eats it, right in front of a group of men in the garden at California Health Care Facility, or CHCF, a prison in Stockton, where the garden has become both a thriving ecosystem and a science classroom for people incarcerated there. As the feathers fly, UC Davis researcher Laci Gerhart pulls out a bird guide and shows the incarcerated men how to identify the bird by its size and coloration, noting that kestrels are North America’s smallest raptor and one of the few that are sexually dimorphic.
Bird Watching Takes Flight Behind Prison Walls
UC Davis and Land Together’s Citizen Science Collaborative Culminates in Field Guide by and for Incarcerated People
When incarcerated people engage in scientific research, they do more than learn about the natural world: they contribute knowledge to real-world inquiries and learn how to support their communities.
Job Opening October 2025: Postdoctoral Scholar
Collaborative research on science identity and self-efficacy in a prison-based master naturalist course
UPDATE: although we have begun reviewing applications as of November 7, this position is still open, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply! Your application will receive full consideration.
Position Overview
The UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science (CCCS) seeks an accomplished science education researcher to join a research-practice partnership developing and implementing a prison-based master naturalist certification course.
Project Update: Piloting Citizen Science in Prison Gardens
People in prison are taking part in real science in collaboration with UC Davis researchers.
This post was originally cross-posted from the UC Davis Public Scholarship and Engagement blog.
