In recent years, the Justice Department has made major investments to address reported substandard conditions of confinement, and there has been an influx of federal funding for state digital equity initiatives and the reinstatement of federal Pell Grant funding for incarcerated students. Research, advocacy, education, and correctional organizations are all reexamining how higher education in prison is provided and how its impact and success are measured. This report examines what equitable access to quality instruction looks like in this context and how prison education programs can fulfill their obligation to provide their students with an educational experience that is as close as possible to the one of students on main campuses. The first section of this report discusses how outdated prison infrastructure hinders the educational experiences and outcomes of incarcerated students. This underscores the need for innovative solutions to address environmental challenges and enhance educational equity in state prison systems, especially as the restoration of Pell grants broadens access to higher education. The second section of the report builds on 25 semi-structured interviews with former students, instructors, and department of corrections (DOC) officials, offering a summary of their perspectives on educational spaces in prisons. It highlights how widely educational experiences differ within and across higher education in prison programs, and details both current challenges and potential opportunities to improve the educational experience for incarcerated students.