Indianapolis, IN – [May 6, 2025] – The Indiana Peer Education Program (INPEP) ECHO has marked an exceptional year of growth, impact, and recognition in 2024. From expanding into new facilities to receiving an award, INPEP ECHO continues to empower people who are incarcerated with health education and leadership opportunities, enabling them to improve their community within their correctional facility.
Key 2024 Achievements
- Program Expansion – INPEP ECHO successfully expanded into its 10th Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC) facility, Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. On November 22, 2024, we celebrated the graduation of 17 peer educators from this facility.
- Award Recognition – INPEP ECHO was honored as the 2024 Program of the Year by the Indiana Criminal Justice Association during its annual conference held on October 9-11, 2024.
- New Staff – The program welcomed two new Peer Education Program (PEP) Specialists from Step-Up, Inc.: Kevin Henry and Veronica Holloway. These new specialists have previously served as peer educators themselves, bringing valuable lived experience and firsthand knowledge to their roles, further strengthening the program’s impact.
- Three Trainings – INPEP ECHO conducted three 40-hour peer educator trainings in 2024, with 58 Peer Educators trained:
- 24 graduates from Madison Correctional Facility (February)
- 17 graduates from Putnamville Correctional Facility (August)
- 17 graduates from Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (November)
- National Engagement – The CDC’s Viral Hepatitis Program visited the Correctional Industrial Facility to observe a hepatitis C presentation, highlighting the program’s role in advancing public health education within correctional settings.
- Public Research – INPEP ECHO contributed to the growing body of knowledge on peer education with the publication of an article: Peer Education as a Tool to Improve Health Knowledge for People Who Are Incarcerated: A Secondary Analysis of Data From the Indiana Peer Education Program ECHO. Read the full article here.
- Health Advocacy – The Putnamville Correctional Facility submitted a proposal to acquire new soap dispensers in their facility. This initiative led to 55 IDOC facilities receiving recognition from Lindsey Weaver, Indiana State Health Commissioner, for their commitment to health and safety improvements.
“The INPEP ECHO program is by far one of the most influential and impactful programs that I have seen in my time with the Indiana Department of Corrections. This program is making a real difference in the lives of the people in our care, and in the lives of the people in our community.”
– Sarah Capps, Community Engagement Coordinator, INPEP liaison, Putnamville Correctional Facility.
Looking Ahead
As INPEP ECHO continues to expand and evolve, the program remains committed to empowering peer educators, enhancing health knowledge within correctional facilities, and making a meaningful impact in public health.
For more information about INPEP ECHO, visit: https://fairbanks.indianapolis.iu.edu/research-centers/echo/echo-programs/inpep-echo.html.
Or contact Andrea Janota, Director of the IU Indianapolis ECHO Center: ajanota@iu.edu.
About INPEP ECHO
The Indiana Peer Education Program (INPEP) ECHO promotes health education within correctional facilities through peer-to-peer training and the Project ECHO model. The INPEP ECHO team equips people who are incarcerated as peer health educators, who then use their lived experience to teach health education workshops about unique health conditions affecting people who are incarcerated.