Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Prison -- March, 2009 (PDF)

Partnerships Between

Community Colleges and Prisons

Providing Workforce Education and Training to

Reduce Recidivism

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Archived Information

Partnerships Between Community

Colleges and Prisons

Providing Workforce Education and Training to Reduce

Recidivism

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Vocational and Adult Education

Office of Correctional Education

This report was produced under U.S. Department of Education Contract No. ED-04-CO-0072/0001 with

the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and its subcontractor, MPR Associates, Inc. Rita Foy Moss

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U.S. Department of Education

Arne Duncan

Secretary

Office of Vocational and Adult Education

Dennis Berry

Acting Assistant Secretary

Division of Adult Education and Literacy

Cheryl Keenan

Director

March 2009

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While per-

mission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of Education,

Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Prisons: Providing

Workforce Education and Training to Reduce Recidivism, Washington, D.C., 2009.

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iii

CONTENTS

PAGE

List of Tables............................................................................................................ iv

List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................. v

Acknowledgments .................................................................................................... vi

Introduction ..............................................................................................................1

A Leading Role for Community Colleges ..................................................................3

The Education and Employment Gap .......................................................................5

Components of Partnerships between Community Colleges and Prisons ..................7

Incentives for Partnerships ..................................................................................7

Cost-effectiveness ......................................................................................7

Location ....................................................................................................8

Postsecondary accreditation .......................................................................8

Willingness to partner ...............................................................................9

Partnership Management ..................................................................................10

Centalized model ....................................................................................10

Decentralized model................................................................................12

Intermediary model .................................................................................14

Funding ............................................................................................................14

Federal funding .......................................................................................16

State funding ...........................................................................................17

Inmate funding .......................................................................................19

Instruction ........................................................................................................19

Curriculum .............................................................................................20

Instructional format ................................................................................21

Instructor training ...................................................................................22

Program Completion ........................................................................................23

Administrative approaches .......................................................................23

Programmatic approaches .......................................................................25

Building Public Support ...................................................................................26

Conclusion ..............................................................................................................29

Resources ................................................................................................................31

References ...............................................................................................................33

TABLES

PAGE

Table 1. Funding Sources for Correctional Education Services, by Level .................15

Table 2. Windham School District, Texas: Available College Credit

Vocational Programs, 2008 .......................................................................21

Table 3. Virginia Inmate Recidivism Rate and Decrease: Fiscal Years 2001

and 2002 ...................................................................................................27

ABBREVIATIONS

AEFLA Adult Education and Family Literacy Act of 1998

CCCCO California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office

CDCR California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

CEA Correctional Education Association

CVSP Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (California)

DOC Department of Correction

DRC Department of Rehabilitation and Correction

FSEOG Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

FTE full-time equivalent

IHEP Institute for Higher Education Policy

ISP Ironwood State Prison (California)

IYO Incarcerated Youth Offender—Used in conjunction with the U.S.

Department of Education’s Grants to States for Workplace and

Community Transition Training for Incarcerated Youth Offenders

MATC Milwaukee Area Technical Institute (Wisconsin)

OPEC Ohio Penal Education Consortium

PVC Palo Verde College

PY program year

RPC Reentry Policy Council

SBCTC Washington’s State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

TLN Transforming Lives Network

WIA Workforce Investment Act of 1998

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Department would like to thank the following state agency and college personnel

who contributed to this publication:

Alabama

J. Douglas Chambers ................................ J.F. Ingram State Technical College

James Merk ............................................... J.F. Ingram State Technical College

California

Dawn Davison ................................................. California Institute for Women

Christine Flores ........................................................................ Chaffey College

Cheryl Fong ...................... California Community College Chancellor’s Office

Sherrie Guerrero....................................................................... Chaffey College

Laura Hope .............................................................................. Chaffey College

Vincent Rodriguez ............................................ Coastline Community College

Indiana

Susan Lockwood ......................................... Indiana Department of Correction

John Nally ................................................... Indiana Department of Correction

Iowa

Nancy Kucera ........................ formerly of the Iowa Department of Corrections

New Mexico

Jeff Wilson ............................................. New Mexico Corrections Department

North Carolina

Arthur Clark ................................ North Carolina Department of Corrections

Kenneth Phillips ............................ North Carolina Department of Corrections

Ohio

Richard Ebin ..................... Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction

vii

Texas

Bob Evans .................................................................Windham School District

Samuel Hurley ........................................... Trinity Valley Community College

Virginia

Gwynne Cunningham ............. Virginia Department of Correctional Education

Washington

Steve Aos ...................................... Washington State Institute for Public Policy

Kathy Goebel .................................... Washington State Board for Community

& Technical Colleges

Michael Paris.............................. Washington State Department of Corrections

Wisconsin

Cindy Borden ................................ Northstar Correctional Education Services

Rich Busalacchi ........................................... Milwaukee Area Technical College

Penny Richardson ........................... Northstar Correctional Education Services

INTRODUCTION

“The greatest error would be to do nothing.”

—An Inmate

Most of the nearly 700,000 state prisoners released each year are ill equipped to meet

the challenges of reentering society. More than two-thirds of released prisoners are

arrested within three years of leaving prison, and almost half are reincarcerated be-

cause they are lacking marketable skills, are burdened by a criminal record that makes

them ineligible to be hired in many occupations, and have few supports to make

transitions to society. To make matters worse, these statistics do not account for fed-

eral inmates and those currently incarcerated in jails who also are caught in this cycle

of catch-and-release.

These alarmingly high recidivism rates, and the associated rising budgetary and safety

costs, have caught the attention of policymakers. National public policy organiza-

tions, such as the Council of State Governments and the National Governors Associ-

ation, have launched initiatives to help states develop, coordinate, and promote state

and local strategies for addressing the challenges of reentry to society. The federal

government, as part of the president’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative, has provided more

than $100 million to communities to develop programming and training strategies to

improve employment and other post-release outcomes of ex-offenders. The presi-

dent’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative was reauthorized and its programs expanded by the

Second Chance Act of 2007. Inmate access to postsecondary education opportunities

also was recently increased by the Higher Edu-

cation Opportunity Act of 2008. Through these

and other initiatives, a growing number of

states are working diligently to identify effective

methods, including correctional education, to

better prepare inmates for rejoining society.

Correctional education programs are intended

to break the cycle of catch-and-release by providing inmates with more opportunities

to develop the skills required to succeed in their workplaces and communities. These

programs range from adult basic education and secondary instruction that enable

high school dropouts to earn: (1) high school credentials; (2) career and technical

education credentials to equip inmates with the occupational skills needed to find

and maintain employment; and (3) postsecondary education credentials to provide

inmates with the necessary skills to keep pace with today’s changing labor market.

Other programs are designed to provide special instruction for inmates with disabili-

ties and limited English proficiency.

“You’re taking people who are using tax

dollars, and you’re converting them to

people who are paying tax dollars. Crimi-

nal justice policy is economic policy.”

—John Nally, Director of Education,

Indiana Department of Correction

Elimination of Federal Correctional

Education Funding

Several federal grant programs supporting com-

ponents of correctional education were elimi-

nated during the get-tough-on-crime movement

in the 1990s, including the Pell grant program,

a need-based grant program available to low-

income postsecondary students. State and feder-

al prisoners, who accounted for less than one-

tenth of 1 percent of total grant awards, were

made ineligible for these grants when the U.S.

Congress passed the Violent Crime Control and

Law Enforcement Act in 1994. Eligibility was

not eliminated for inmates incarcerated in local

institutions (e.g., jails and treatment facilities),

but their length of stay may not be long enough

for them to benefit from the grant. Subsequent

changes to the law also have prohibited anyone

with a prior conviction for certain drug offenses

from receiving Pell grants. Changes to the Carl

D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education

Act of 1998 and the Adult Education and Family

Literacy Act of 1998 also restricted state spend-

ing on correctional education (LoBuglio 2001).

A LEADING ROLE FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Since community colleges are committed to

open access admission, they are natural part-

ners for prisons needing support in providing

correctional education. In some states, com-

munity colleges are contracted to provide the

full range of correctional education pro-

grams. In other states, they provide only

postsecondary vocational and academic pro-

grams, including noncredit certificate-

bearing courses. In fact, a 50-state analysis of

postsecondary correctional education policy

conducted by the Institute for Higher Edu-

cation Policy (IHEP) in 2005 found that 68

percent of all postsecondary correctional

education is provided by community colleg-

es. The study also found that while less than

5 percent of prisoners are enrolled in postse-

condary education, the number of enrollees

has returned to the levels reported before the

1994 elimination of Pell grant eligibility for

state and federal prisoners (see sidebar, “Eli-

mination of Federal Correctional Education

Funding”). Moreover, given today’s larger

prison population, the actual number of inmates enrolled during program year (PY) 2003–04

was significantly higher than in the years leading up to 1994 (Erisman and Contardo 2005).

The IHEP findings were the basis for this review of partnerships between community col-

leges and prisons. The review seeks to: increase the visibility of partnerships between

community colleges and prisons, encourage their replication in other communities, and il-

lustrate how these partnerships can be a win-win for all involved—community colleges,

prisons, inmates, and the public. Providing correctional education to inmates gives com-

munity colleges the opportunity to increase their student enrollment and revenue and ful-

fill their mission to make education available to all local residents. By collaborating with

community colleges, prisons can strengthen and expand their educational services to pre-

pare inmates more effectively for their transitions to life beyond prison. Inmates prepared

to reenter society are less likely to recidivate, which, in turn, improves public safety and

saves taxpayer dollars (Chappell 2004).

Interviews were conducted to learn more about partnerships between prisons and

community colleges.

Representatives for the interviews were selected in 11 states—

Alabama, California, Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas,

Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin—based on recommendations from researchers

and practitioners in the field. This review highlights these states’ experiences and at-

tempts to answer the below questions.

• What education and employment needs of inmates can be addressed by

these partnerships?

• How are these partnerships formed, coordinated, and funded?

• How do these partnerships benefit inmates, prisons, community colleges,

and the public?

• What challenges do these partnerships face and how are those challenges

being addressed?

• What resources and tools are available to community colleges and prisons

that want to form or strengthen a partnership?

Unless otherwise noted, information included in this review comes from interviews with state agency

and college personnel whose names and affiliations are provided under acknowledgments on pages vi

and vii of this document.

THE EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT GAP

Much attention has been focused on the achievement gap in U.S. schools and its ef-

fects on employment and income. Little attention, however, has been focused on the

even larger education gap between inmates and the general population. Approximate-

ly 40 percent of inmates in state and federal prisons and jails do not have a high

school credential, compared to 18 percent of the general population. Even fewer in-

mates have completed college course work. While more than one-half of the general

population has some college education, less than one-fourth of all state and federal

inmates have any postsecondary education (Harlow 2003). Not surprisingly, many of

these inmates were unemployed or underemployed before being incarcerated.

This lack of education credentials and workforce skills among inmates are significant

factors to consider because 95 percent of the more than 2.3 million inmates incarce-

rated in the United States will eventually be released (Hughes and Wilson n.d.).

These low-skilled ex-offenders will face a labor market that increasingly requires post-

secondary education degrees or certificates. Moreover, research demonstrates that in-

carceration can undermine a person’s ability

to find and maintain a living-wage job

(Bushway 1998). Lacking the skills neces-

sary to function successfully in society and

on the job, many ex-offenders return to

their criminal behavior.

Inmates, upon release from prison, want to

obtain employment and, if they do, they are

less likely to recidivate. In fact, according to

one study, 26 percent of ex-offenders said

they wished they had received job training

while incarcerated (Visher, LaVigne, and Travis 2004). Another study found that

inmates were more likely to participate in programs if they believed their participa-

tion could help secure employment after release. That same study found that inmates

enrolled in programs while incarcerated had a better chance of maintaining employ-

ment and earning slightly higher wages than nonparticipants (Stana 1993).

Utmost attention should be given to increas-

ing employability after release. It’s the closest

thing to a magic bullet against recidivism,

not just because of providing a legal income.

It changes a prisoner’s entire psyche and out-

look. It’s the linchpin to offering perceived

control of one’s life and restored respect from

one’s loved ones.

—An Inmate

COMPONENTS OF PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN COMMUNITY

COLLEGES AND PRISONS

Partnerships between prisons and community colleges are attempting to narrow the

education and employment gap and thereby reduce recidivism by developing innova-

tive ways to leverage federal, state, and local funding, provide instruction and support

services, encourage course completion, and address negative public perceptions of

correctional education. How these partnerships design, implement, and support their

collaboration and services, however, varies from state to state. These variations, de-

scribed below, are significant because they can affect the strength and success of the

partnerships and may help or hinder inmates in using or continuing their education

upon release.

Incentives for Partnerships

Prisons report collaborating with commu-

nity colleges for education services because

of their low cost, convenient locations

throughout the state, status as an accre-

dited postsecondary institution, and wil-

lingness to partner.

Cost-effectiveness

Community college fees are more afforda-

ble for prisons because: (1) tuition costs

and fees at community colleges average

$2,272 annually, which is less than half of

the annual cost at public four-year institu-

tions ($5,836) (American Association of

Community Colleges n.d.)

and (2) federal

funding for correctional education has not

kept pace with the growing prison population (see sidebar, “Government Expendi-

tures for Correctional Education”). Differences in costs among community colleges

also can be significant enough to make prisons choose one college over another. For

example, the Windham School District (Windham), an education system providing

academic and vocational education to inmates incarcerated within the Texas De-

partment of Criminal Justice, decided not to renew a contract with a particular

community college because its courses, while of sufficient quality, were more expen-

sive than a neighboring community college in another service area. Windham was

able to work with both community colleges to receive permission to contract with

Government Expenditures for

Correctional Education

Government expenditures for correctional facili-

ties have skyrocketed over the last two decades.

Since 1982, combined federal, state, and local

government expenditures for corrections have

nearly doubled, climbing from $27.7 billion in

1990 to $53.9 billion in 1999 (Gifford 2002).

The most recent data on state investment in

inmate programs come from a U.S. Department

of Justice study of state prison expenditures,

which found that national spending for inmate

programs amounted to $1.2 billion in 1996.

This sum, which includes spending for educa-

tional and noneducational programs, equaled

roughly 6 percent of total annual statewide op-

erating expenditures (Stephan 1999).

the least expensive college, even though the prison receiving services was not techni-

cally in that community college’s service area.

Tuition cost is also a factor for inmates paying for part or all of their education ex-

penses. Inmates today have little or no access to student aid programs to help pay tui-

tion since the removal of Pell grant eligibility and subsequent elimination of many

state financial aid resources for inmates. They also generally do not have the personal

funds or earn sufficient wages (typically less than $1 per hour) through prison work

to pay for their education. Moreover, these wages often must first pay for other such

expenses as room and board, medical services, phone service, food, and supplies.

Location

Prisons also select community colleges as partners because of their convenient loca-

tions. Since most prisons require education services to be offered on-site, the location

of the education provider is an important consideration. However, location is not a

factor for states that use distance education, such as New Mexico, or use colleges like

Coastline Community College in California and Milwaukee Area Technical College

in Wisconsin.

In Ohio, for example, the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction connects

prisons with the community college or university in the same education region, as

designated by the state higher education board. Only when a college or university is

unable to participate, because they lack sufficient instructors or do not wish to part-

ner for other reasons, does the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction pair

prisons with postsecondary institutions in another region.

The same approach is used in Virginia, where community colleges are responsible for

serving students that reside in their service regions as established by the state. In only

one case has the Department of Correctional Education contracted with a communi-

ty college outside of a prison’s service region because another community college was

actually physically closer to that prison. The closer college was better able to recruit

faculty to provide instruction to inmates on-site at the prison. Proximity also enables

college advisors to meet with students throughout the year, administer academic

placement assessments, conduct registration and orientation, and provide other sup-

port services. In addition, some college partners have helped the Department of Cor-

rectional Education stretch grant dollars by driving textbooks from one prison to

another to be reused rather than forcing the prisons to purchase new books.

Postsecondary accreditation

State correctional education agencies wanting to qualify for the approximately $22

million in federal funds allocated to the U.S. Department of Education’s Grants to

States for Workplace and Community Transition Training for Incarcerated Youth

Offenders (commonly called the Incarcerated Youth Offender (IYO) grants or Spec-

ter grants) must ensure that postsecondary education services funded by the grant are

provided by an accredited public or private education institution.* Authorized by the

Higher Education Act of 1994, this formula grant to state correctional education

agencies supports functional literacy, life skills, and job skills instruction through

postsecondary academic and vocational education services for incarcerated youths

aged 25 or younger (see federal funding on p. 16).

Willingness to partner

Regardless of cost, location, or the need to partner with an accredited postsecondary

institution, the community college must be willing to collaborate with the prison or

prison system. Colleges often cite their mission—providing open access to postse-

condary education—as the reason they are interested in providing services to inmates.

In at least one case, a college’s sole mission is to provide education services to in-

mates. J.F. Ingram State Technical College, an accredited, state-supported technical

college, was created by the Alabama legislature in 1965 to offer “accessible, respon-

sive, and quality postsecondary career and technical education to incarcerated adults

and eligible parolees under the charge of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles,

helping inmates to successfully return to their families and communities,” according

to the school’s Web site. The school initially opened as a technical institute on the

grounds of a correctional facility. It later became a technical college and briefly was

accredited as a community college. Today, Ingram has three campuses closely linked

to adjacent or nearby prisons and offers various programs inside other correctional

facilities. Although several postsecondary institutions in the state work with neigh-

boring correctional facilities, Ingram is the only technical college in the state dedicat-

ed to serving inmates.

Colleges serving the general population also see enrolling inmates as part of their mis-

sion. Trinity Valley Community College in Texas, for example, began working with

Windham School District to educate inmates housed in nearby prisons, because its

mission is to serve all potential students in the district, including the incarcerated.

While the original and core incentive to partner remains unchanged, the college’s re-

lationship with Windham also has been beneficial because its program has grown

from approximately 20 inmates in 1969 to nearly 900 inmates annually today.

* State correctional education agencies refer to the administrative agencies in states that are responsible

for overseeing education in state prisons.

The institutional benefits to collaborating with prisons are a driving force for many

community colleges, particularly rural and small community colleges that need the

student population and the accompanying funding based on student enrollment

numbers. According to Richard Ebin, the postsecondary education coordinator at the

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, “The reason for most state col-

leges and universities to partner in the beginning was, and to some extent still is, fi-

nancial. They needed the student population, particularly a student population that

didn’t require new buildings or the hiring of full-time professors. Ohio still has some

colleges like this, but we also have some colleges and private universities as partners

who see providing college education to inmates as a part of their mission and a form

of community service.”

Partnership Management

The management structure of the partnerships between prisons and community colleg-

es varies among states. Some are governed by a state body composed of representatives

from the community college and correction systems. Others are more decentralized,

with the prison or state correction system coordinating with the colleges individually.

The management approach in each state primarily depends on the structure of the

community college system. If the community college system is decentralized, then

management of the partnership will most likely be decentralized. Other factors that de-

termine partnership management include: (1) the emphasis the department of correc-

tion (DOC) and state policymakers place on correctional education and (2) the

assignment of responsibilities in the memorandum of agreement between the prisons

and colleges. Moreover, in states where the DOC is not the agency responsible for cor-

rectional education, an additional layer of oversight is created that requires navigation

for the partnership to succeed.

Centralized model

In North Carolina, a partnership between the DOC and the community college sys-

tem was first formalized in 1987, when a legislative act mandated the formation of an

interagency agreement between the two entities to provide special education, adult

basic education, career and technical education, and postsecondary vocational and

academic education to inmates. This agreement dictates partnership management,

course offerings, inmate eligibility, and participation restrictions, and other require-

ments. Any changes to the interagency agreement must be approved by the State

Board of Community Colleges (State Board), which was assigned oversight of the

agreement in 1993 by the state legislature. The State Board also is required to verify

that courses and programs offered to inmates are equal in quality and content to

those available to the non-incarcerated population. Before courses and programs are

submitted to the State Board for approval, though, the DOC and the community

college system work collaboratively to ensure they:

• Will lead to realistic job opportunities for inmates by taking into account

occupational licensing requirements, safety issues, and statewide labor mar-

ket demands;

• Can be offered, given available funds, instructors, and space;

• Can be successfully completed during the average length of stay of inmates

at a facility; and

• Are recognized by state colleges and universities to facilitate the transfer of

credits, certificates, and degrees.

In addition to collaborating on course and program offerings, representatives from

the DOC and the community college system are members of an interagency commit-

tee that meets twice a year to review progress reports and initiatives, discuss issues af-

fecting the two agencies, and develop action plans. Sharing leadership

responsibilities, the community college system’s vice president for academic and stu-

dent services and the deputy secretary of the DOC alternatively chair these meetings.

Ohio also formed an interagency group in 1979 that oversees the partnership be-

tween the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) and the community

college and university systems. The Ohio Penal Education Consortium (OPEC),

composed of senior DOC officials and participating college and university postse-

condary correctional education coordinators, meets monthly to discuss any changes

in policies, procedures, and legislation that may affect the partnership and the educa-

tion services offered to inmates. The meetings also allow the college coordinators to

share revisions in course offerings and describe issues related to prisons or inmates,

which DRC then attempts to resolve. According to DRC’s postsecondary education

program coordinator, a prompt response to the community colleges’ issues helps

strengthen the partnership by building trust and buy-in among its members.

As a unified group, OPEC members and the superintendent of the Ohio Central

School System were able to stave off several attempts by the legislature to reduce or

eliminate college programming in Ohio’s prisons. While the legislature recognized

the importance of rehabilitation, it required assurance from DRC that the college

programs offered to inmates were preparing them for employment after release. The

DRC, therefore, changed the name of its program to “advanced job training” and,

with the support of OPEC, changed the focus from a traditional liberal arts program

to one that emphasized jobs and job placement.

In Washington, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC)

and the DOC have been working diligently in recent years to strengthen their part-

nership. Before the partnership was formalized in the early 2000s, the DOC con-

tracted separately with each college providing education services to its prisons, which

created articulation, data collection, and management issues. The partnership re-

sulted in positive changes including: (1) assigning the correctional education admin-

istrator at SBCTC to work with the DOC to oversee the partnership; (2)

streamlining management oversight; (3) strengthening communication between the

agencies; (4) addressing articulation and data collection issues; and (5) providing col-

leges with information, resources, and direction.

Decentralized model

In such states as California, Indiana, Texas, and Virginia, prisons collaborate with

community colleges, and in some cases with state universities and private liberal arts

colleges, on an institution-by-institution basis. For example, Windham School Dis-

trict in Texas has separate contracts with 14 community colleges and three universi-

ties to provide postsecondary education services to its inmates. These contracts are

renewed annually, and each contract designates a liaison at the postsecondary institu-

tion. The authority given to a liaison, however, varies greatly from institution to in-

stitution. This can simplify or complicate management for Windham, depending on

the administrative rank of the liaisons and their authority to make important deci-

sions and address issues that arise. The Texas Board of Criminal Justice, however, has

oversight responsibilities for the policies and activities of Windham and the Texas

Department of Criminal Justice, which ensure central coordination of operations be-

tween the education and corrections components of the state criminal justice system.

In California, postsecondary correctional education services are established and coor-

dinated at the local level, although, at the state level, both the California Community

Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

expressed support (e.g., through press releases and other public communications) for

the partnerships formed between individual prisons and community colleges. In fact,

the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation contracted with Coastline Com-

munity College—which provides distance education to more than 3,000 inmates in

approximately 57 California correctional institutions—to pilot-test an orientation

and training for the correctional education and administrative staff to improve the

coordination of college services for inmates and determine the adjustments needed by

both institutions (see instructor training on p. 22).

Besides making inmates eligible for its fee waiver, the California Community Colleges

System Board of Governors held a study session in May 2007 to learn more about the

correctional education programs offered by the colleges. Impressed with what they

learned, board members requested the development of more policies to encourage and

strengthen these partnerships. Since then, the Board of Governors also has supported

state legislation to increase funding to community colleges providing services to inmates

(see funding on p. 14). Also, the college chancellor’s office and staff who are collaborat-

ing with prisons already have been working with other state community colleges inter-

ested in forming partnerships with neighboring correctional facilities. At least three

additional colleges are expected to begin providing instructional programs to inmates in

the next year. The chancellor’s office also promotes the successes achieved by its com-

munity colleges working with prisons. For example, a June 2007 press release reported:

The largest number of inmates in the United States ever to earn high-

er education degrees at one time graduated [from Palo Verde College]

today at Ironwood State Prison and Chuckawalla Valley State Prison.

This historic achievement is the result of a unique partnership be-

tween Palo Verde College (PVC) in Blythe, the California Depart-

ment of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), and the California

Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) (California

Community Colleges System Office 2007).

In general, however, the more decentralized the partnership is between prisons and

community colleges, the more likely that course work may not articulate from one col-

lege to the next or be recognized by business and industry. Several states, for example, re-

ported for the purposes of this study that the vocational programs offered by community

colleges to inmates currently do not articulate with the same programs offered to non-

incarcerated students. Moreover, since most correctional education services must be of-

fered on-site rather than through distance education, the absence of a statewide articula-

tion agreement can create transfer issues for inmates. Inmates often are transferred from

one facility to another for security and prerelease reasons and therefore may be unable to

continue the course or program in which they were previously enrolled. A similar transfer

issue can develop when inmates are released from prison because their hometown is gen-

erally not the same town where they were incarcerated and enrolled in college courses.

Milwaukee Area Technical College’s

(MATC) College of the Air

Developed by MATC, College of the Air pro-

vides postsecondary education services to inmates

by broadcasting instructional courses to subscrib-

ing prisons through the satellite feed of the Cor-

rectional Education Association’s Transforming

Lives Network. Inmates enrolled at MATC

watch these broadcasts each week and work with

assigned textbooks, workbooks, and CD-ROMs.

Inmates correspond with instructors through site

coordinators, who phone, e-mail, mail, or fax

students’ assignments and tests. The coordinator

also monitors inmates’ attendance and proctors

their tests. Inmates who complete their course

work receive a transcript that MATC keeps and

can transfer their credits to colleges and universi-

ties throughout the nation. All courses are at the

200-level and above to facilitate transferability to

other postsecondary institutions. College of the

Air is also available to corrections staff and is

economically competitive with other college pro-

grams. This, in turn, helps build buy-in for the

postsecondary education program among the

corrections staff.

Intermediary model

In at least one state, an intermediary is in-

volved with the partnership between the pris-

ons and community college. Prisons in Wis-

consin obtain postsecondary education ser-

vices for their incarcerated youth offender

population through the DOC’s partnership

with the Correctional Education Association

(CEA) and the Milwaukee Area Technical

College (MATC). MATC provides tele-

courses through the satellite services of CEA’s

Transforming Lives Network (TLN), a dis-

tance-learning project offering corrections-

specific offender education and staff devel-

opment to correctional facilities across the

country. MATC was approached first in

2006 to provide services to five pilot sites in

Wisconsin, and it now offers courses, called

College of the Air (see sidebar, “Milwaukee

Area Technical College’s (MATC) College of

the Air”), in prisons throughout Wisconsin,

Virginia, Tennessee, Minnesota, Maine, Lou-

isiana, Hawaii, and Alaska.

Funding

Depending on the type of correctional education services—adult basic and secondary

education, career and technical, and postsecondary education—provided, costs to the

community college are generally covered by a combination of the funding sources

specified in table 1 on p. 15.

Table 1. Funding Sources for Correctional Education Services, by Level

Federal Funding State Funding Inmate Funding

• Adult Education and Family Literacy Act of

1998

• Carl D. Perkins Career and

Technical Education Act of 2006

• U.S. Department of Education Grants to States

for Workplace and Community Transition

Training for Incarcerated Youth Offenders

Program

• State corrections

appropriations

• College head-count

dollars

• State financial aid

• Inmate self-pay

• Student loan

reimbursement

• Inmate welfare funds

• Private scholarships

College head-count dollars refer to the amount of funding allocated per student enrolled in and attending

classes at a public college or university. Many states also refer to this as full-time equivalent (FTE), which

means the number of students attending full-time per full academic year. FTE also generally correlates with

the amount of instructional effort required per student.

Inmate self-pay refers to when an inmate is responsible, either personally or through a guarantor (usually a

family member), for a portion or the full cost of the correctional education services received.

The availability of these funds affects the stability of the correctional education pro-

grams (particularly postsecondary education), the resources offered to inmates, and

the willingness of community colleges to provide services. According to the IHEP

study, state financial support is vital to ensuring widespread inmate access to postse-

condary education. The IHEP 2005 survey reported that 92 percent of inmates earn-

ing a degree or certificate in the 2003–04 program year were incarcerated in prison

systems with large inmate populations, a greater emphasis on short-term vocational

degree and certificate programs, and a large and dependable state funding source.

Moreover, depending on the types of funds states used to support their postsecon-

dary education services when most prisoners became ineligible for Pell grants and

other economic measures were passed at the federal and state government levels,

the number of inmates enrolled in these programs either drastically dropped off or

remained relatively the same. In New York, for example, the number of postsecon-

dary programs plummeted from nearly 70 to 4 (Erisman and Contardo 2005). The

same decline was true in California, Iowa, Virginia, and Washington. Enrollments in

such states as Indiana, North Carolina, and Texas, however, were virtually unaffected

by the elimination of Pell grant opportunities for prison populations, since their

postsecondary programs were supported by diversified state funding bases.

An overview of the various federal (other than Pell grants), state, and local funding

sources that support correctional education is provided in the following sections.

Federal funding

The federal government has provided financial support to state correctional educa-

tion programs since the mid-1960s. For states like Washington and Iowa that con-

tract with community colleges to provide adult basic and secondary education and

English literacy services to incarcerated adults age 16 or older, the Adult Education

and Family Literacy Act of 1998 (AEFLA), Title II of the Workforce Investment Act of

1998 (WIA), is a source of some funding for their correctional education programs.

Before the 1998 legislation, states were required to spend no less than 10 percent of

their state grant funds on educational programming in state institutions, including

mental health institutions, jails, and prisons. Today, however, the law requires that

they spend no more than 10 percent of their grant funds. As a result, while some

states may allocate 10 percent of state grant funds to correctional education in pris-

ons, others may allocate a much lower percentage. In the case of Washington, how-

ever, most of the funding before 1998 was allocated to jails and mental health

institutions. Today, the correctional education program in its prisons only receives

approximately 0.4 percent of the state AEFLA dollars.

The same funding restriction occurred with the reauthorization of the Carl D. Per-

kins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006, Title III of WIA,

which provides funding to states for vocational training programs offered by second-

ary and postsecondary institutions. Before 1998, states were required to spend at least

1 percent of their federal funds on vocational and technical education programs in

state institutions, including correctional institutions. The 1998 legislation, however,

specifies that no more than 1 percent of the federal allocation can be spent on such

programs. The result has been that some states distribute much less than 1 percent of

their federal vocational and technical funding to prison programs.

The only dedicated federal funding source for postsecondary correctional education

is the federal Incarcerated Youth Offender (IYO) grant. The IYO grant covers the

costs of postsecondary academic and vocational education for youth offenders and

employment counseling and related services. IYO grant recently was modified by the

Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 to increase the age limit for services from

25 to 35 and the annual spending cap from $1,500 to $3,000 per inmate. These

changes are designed to help provide students with the time and money needed to

complete their certificate or degree before “aging out” of the program and open the

program to a larger portion of the inmate population.

Other potential, but limited, financial support for postsecondary correctional educa-

tion includes the Pell grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity

Grant (FSEOG), the Federal Work-Study Program, and federal veterans benefits.

The Pell grant is only available to inmates incarcerated in such local institutions as

jails or treatment centers (not federal or state prisons), but their length of stay is gen-

erally not long enough to make use of the grant provisions. The FSEOG provides

student loans ranging from $100 to $4,000 per year for low-income undergraduate

students. While inmates are eligible for these loans, priority is given to Pell grant re-

cipients, and most inmates are ineligible for Pell grants. The Federal Work-Study

Program grants to postsecondary institutions are for the purpose of providing part-

time employment to low-income undergraduate and graduate students. For inmates

to be eligible for this program, they must be enrolled in a participating postsecondary

institution and have the opportunity and ability to be hired by a qualifying employer.

Incarcerated veterans who have been honorably discharged also may be eligible for

the Montgomery GI Bill or the Veterans Educational Assistance Program, either of

which cover the costs of tuition, fees, and books.

State funding

When correctional education is provided by community colleges, it is typically sup-

ported through a line item under the state corrections budget, or student head-count

funds provided to participating community colleges, or state financial aid, or a com-

bination of these variables. At least one college, Ingram State Technical College in

Alabama, receives funding through a line item under the state’s Department of Post-

secondary Education (in addition to other federal and state funding sources) to pro-

vide correctional education services to inmates.

The largest correctional education programs supported by prisons are found in states

that have successfully combined various funding sources. The correctional education

director in one state, however, reported being accused by policymakers of “double-

dipping” because the DOC was providing money to the college for the postsecondary

education program, while the college also was reimbursed by the state for the head

counts of enrolled inmates. Most states recognize, though, that the two funding

streams cover different costs associated with the education services. Colleges are more

reluctant to provide the services in states where they are unable to collect money for

contact hours since they will not be fully reimbursed for their expenses.

North Carolina has been able to provide colleges with head-count funds for enrolled

inmates. It also has secured start-up funding for programs provided through the

DOC’s appropriations, tuition waivers, and inmate welfare funds (see inmate fund-

ing on p. 19) to cover the costs of its correctional education programs. While North

Carolina does not appropriate funds specifically for prisoner education, colleges that

enroll inmates receive the same student head-count dollars as those allocated for non-

incarcerated students. Because community colleges receive their head-count funds

the year after services are provided, the legislature agreed to give the DOC funding to

pass through to community colleges to cover their start-up costs in the first year of

new programs. As a result of these start-up funds and the head-count funds, the

community college system can afford to waive the tuition for inmates who do not

qualify for IYO grants.

California also offers inmates who meet residency and income requirements the

Board of Governors Fee Waiver, a state financial aid program that waives community

college enrollment fees. Qualifying inmates must still pay for textbooks and supplies.

However, according to Coastline Community College, the primary distance educa-

tion provider in the state, most prisons use a textbook-sharing model developed by

Palo Verde College and Ironwood State Prison, where inmates are encouraged to

share and reuse books voluntarily to reduce the expense incurred by inmates. At least

three California community colleges (Palo Verde College, Chaffey College, and Las-

sen Community College) also use funding from the state’s Extended Opportunity

Program and Services, which targets educationally and financially disadvantaged stu-

dents, to provide eligible inmates with face-to-face college counseling services, an

orientation program, education planning, and academic progress monitoring. This

state program also covers the cost of textbooks.

Proposed legislation (Senate Bill 413, 2007–08 Regular Session) in California would

have permitted community colleges to receive state funding for credit and noncredit

courses offered on-site at correctional facilities, including state prisons. Currently,

colleges only receive the lower noncredit rate for credit and noncredit classes offered

to inmates. Senate Bill 413 also would have permitted community colleges to teach

on-site at state prisons since they currently are only allowed to provide instruction to

inmates at city and county jails, road camps, farms for adults, and federal prisons.

Washington, like many states, reduced postsecondary education programs during the

1990s get-tough-on-crime movement. A downturn in the state’s economy also re-

sulted in less support for these programs. Today, however, state funds for one-year

postsecondary vocational certificate programs have significantly increased. Youth of-

fenders receive additional postsecondary education services through the federal IYO

grant, which is allocated directly to the State Board for Community and Technical

Colleges (SBCTC). State-appropriated funds for postsecondary vocational programs,

however, first go to the DOC, which contracts with the SBCTC for services. The

SBCTC then contracts with each of the nine participating colleges. Funding is dis-

tributed to these colleges using a formula developed collaboratively each year by

SBCTC and the college presidents. The formula takes into account program costs,

program needs of the correctional facility, and faculty contracts.

Inmate funding

State funding in Texas pays for tuition, fees, tests, and textbooks associated with in-

mates’ vocational training and one academic postsecondary education course per

semester. The cost of additional courses must be paid directly to the college by the

inmate at registration. That is, inmates either must (1) repay the costs of tuition, fees,

and tests (referred to as state reimbursable costs) after they are released from prison

by developing a payment plan with their parole officer or (2) pay these costs imme-

diately, using personal funds, scholarships, or grants. Some inmates also are eligible

for at least two financial aid programs in Texas: the Hazelwood Act grants (commonly

called the Hazelwood Exemption), which provide financial assistance to Texas veter-

ans, and the Texas Public Education Grants, a needs-based grant program for under-

graduate students in Texas. In addition, some postsecondary education scholarships

for inmates have been established at some of the state’s colleges and universities. In-

mates qualifying for the federal IYO grant, the two state financial aid programs,

scholarships, or who can pay immediately for tuition using personal finances can

enroll in postsecondary education programs without incurring state reimbursable

costs. According to the director of continuing education with the Windham School

District, of those inmates incurring state reimbursable costs, the 4,488 had paid these

costs in full as of March 2008.

Inmates in Virginia are also responsible for paying their college tuition (currently

$263 for a three-credit class), textbooks, and supplies if they are ineligible for the

IYO grant. Several local foundations, however, have established funds that provide

scholarships to help cover these costs. These foundations include the Kates Founda-

tion, which was created by Elizabeth Kates, Virginia’s first female warden, to pay for

the tuition of approximately 10–15 incarcerated women each year. Inmates also can

access funding through the Charles Coe Scholarship, established by a doctor who was

incarcerated as a youth and strongly believed education was critical to his future suc-

cess. Inmates who are veterans also can receive state veteran education benefits. The

10–15 inmates that qualify each semester for this benefit program must be able to

pay upfront for the courses using their personal funds and then request reimburse-

ment after successfully completing the course work (Contardo and Tolbert 2008).

Instruction

Partnerships between prisons and community colleges also are shaped by the curricu-

lum, instructional format, and instructor-training requirements of the state. Across

all states, adult education and literacy instruction are the largest education programs

offered to inmates. Noncredit vocational programs are also very common. As noted

by the IHEP study, however, more inmates are gaining access to postsecondary edu-

cation vocational and academic programs. These services are typically offered on-site,

although nearly half of the IHEP survey respondents reported using video or satellite

instruction (e.g., College of the Air: sidebar 3) for some of their classes. The on-site

format is also the most common way to deliver adult education and literacy services

and noncredit vocational programs, generally offered by correctional education staff

rather than an outside provider. Whether a prison’s correctional education program

is supported by in-house staff or staff from an outside provider, such as a community

college, or a combination of the two, instructors typically are required to receive cor-

rectional training before they begin working with inmates.

Curriculum

In North Carolina, the community colleges provide more than 90 percent of the cor-

rectional education programming for inmates in the state. The adult education and

literacy program has the largest enrollment. However, according to a program ad-

ministrator, the postsecondary programming, which is predominantly vocational,

awarded in 2006 more than 6,000 vocational noncredit certificates, 1,458 vocational

for-credit certificates, and nearly 100 associate and bachelor’s degrees to inmates in

the state. North Carolina requires that colleges offer an entire for-credit certificate,

diploma, or associate degree program, not just individual courses or groups of courses

that do not allow inmates to complete credentials. The DOC and the community

college system share responsibilities in planning and evaluating the correctional edu-

cation program and ensuring that course work reflects changes in education technol-

ogy, demands of the workplace, and characteristics of the inmate population.

Like North Carolina, the majority of credentials awarded to inmates in Texas in PY

2006–07 were college vocational credit certificates (1,689) and college noncredit cer-

tificates (1,464). Only 455 associate degrees and 31 bachelor’s degrees were awarded.

The vocational credit certificates include 24 different occupations and were available

in 31 facilities in PY 2006–07 (see table 2 on p. 21). The noncredit vocational pro-

grams were available in 13 facilities. Classes leading to the associate degree were

available in 37 facilities, and only four facilities offered programs leading to a bache-

lor’s degree (Windham School District 2007). However, eligible offenders assigned

to a facility without a college program may apply to be transferred to a facility offer-

ing the program of their choice.

Table 2. Windham School District, Texas: Available College Credit Vocational

Programs, 2008

Air Conditioning/

Refrigeration

Computer Repair Drafting

Retail Sales

& Marketing

Auto Body Repair Construction Carpentry Electronics

Substance Abuse

Counseling

Auto Mechanics Culinary Arts Graphic Arts Counselor

Auto Transmissions Data Processing Horticulture Truck Driving

Cabinet Making Desktop Publishing Masonry Web Authoring

Computer Networking Diesel Mechanics Office Administration Welding

Source: Windham School District. (2007). Windham School District annual progress report, 2006–07.

Huntsville, TX: Author.

When selecting educational programs to offer, Texas considers the availability of facili-

ties (e.g., it is advantageous for truck driving to be taught in correctional facilities with

a transportation hub) and occupations in demand within the state. Labor market data

are provided annually by the Texas Workforce Commission and organized by the

state’s 28 workforce investment areas. Analysis of these data pays specific attention to

large cities, since most inmates return to those areas when released.

In contrast to Texas and North Carolina, New Mexico’s postsecondary correctional

education courses are predominantly academic. The most common program offered

through its distance education program is the associate of arts in general studies. Be-

cause it is the core curriculum for a bachelor’s university studies degree, it articulates

with all New Mexico higher education institutions and, therefore, provides inmates

with the credits needed to further their education upon release. New Mexico also has

established internal standards for its programs: Instructors must be nationally certi-

fied or accredited; the program must result in a credential or prepare the inmate for

national certification; and the resulting career must yield a $9 per hour or better en-

try-level wage and be in demand in New Mexico’s job market.

Instructional format

While on-site instruction is the most common format used by state correctional pro-

grams, a growing number of states are exploring distance education formats. States

have been hesitant to use distance education for security reasons, but such states as

New Mexico have created an approach that addresses those concerns. Using a

WebCT engine, which is a closed-circuit Internet connection, New Mexico provides

postsecondary education to all state prisons and one private prison through contracts

with just three state postsecondary institutions—a four-year university, a two-year

university, and a community college. Through distance education, eligible inmates

can enroll in any of these three institutions to earn an associate, bachelor’s, or mas-

ter’s degree. While vocational programs are currently offered on-site by the New

Mexico Department of Correction’s Bureau of Education, the postsecondary educa-

tion coordinator hopes to expand the courses available through distance learning and

its partnerships with the postsecondary institutions.

Such states as Virginia also are exploring creative and flexible ways to offer instruc-

tion to their inmates. Virginia has arranged for colleges to offer intensive programs at

two of its detention centers, similar to mini-semesters offered by universities during

semester breaks. This gives inmates, who otherwise would not have the time to be

enrolled in such programs, the opportunity to complete a course or program before

being released. Another Virginia community college offers “compacted” academic

classes at some of the correctional facilities. Two compacted classes are provided dur-

ing one semester that help to increase completion rates, since there is less chance an

inmate will be transferred during the shorter time frame.

Similarly, Wisconsin’s DOC worked with MATC to break down the postsecondary

education programs offered to inmates into three smaller certificate programs. Al-

though these certificates are not recognized by other postsecondary institutions or

employers (the larger program, however, is recognized), the certificates provide stu-

dents with intermediate credentials throughout the process and encourage course

completion.

Instructor training

Most states require all correctional education instructors, regardless of who hires

them, to participate in the DOC’s preservice and periodic in-service corrections

training programs. The amount of training required by different state prison systems

ranges from a few hours to six weeks. States with an extensive training requirement

find it a barrier to hiring and retaining instructors. Nevertheless, all states interviewed

believe the training prepares instructors for the challenges of teaching inmates. These

challenges include frequent lockdowns, strict routines that often conflict with the

education culture, and little or no notice regarding inmate transfers to other correc-

tional facilities. While instructors initially may be reluctant to teach inmates, they of-

ten report that inmates are easier to work with than non-incarcerated students

because of the inmates’ commitments to education and the controlled education set-

ting. Even in New Mexico, where distance education is used, the postsecondary edu-

cation coordinator has college instructors contacting him, eager to obtain clearance

to meet their students in person and conduct classes on-site at the correctional facility.

Instructor training is also critical to the success of the correctional education pro-

gram. In California, for example, Coastline Community College participated in a

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pilot project to test an orientation

and training for the correctional education and administrative staff to improve coor-

dination of college services to inmates. The training included an overview of the col-

lege enrollment processes, assessments, support services, and academic timelines.

Correctional staff gave an overview of the prison environment and its challenges.

Then staff from both agencies worked together to determine what adjustments

needed to be made by each agency. Issues that were addressed included:

• How to provide textbooks to inmates, since prisons typically remove the

covers of hardback books (the covers can conceal or be used as weapons);

• How to label textbooks to ensure they move through the prison mailrooms

quickly;

• How to provide inmates with the various forms, such as course enrollment

and credit transfer forms, they need; and

• How to address privacy issues when collecting and sharing student data.

Program Completion

Partnerships between prisons and community colleges must address the issue of low

completion rates—one of the biggest challenges in correctional education pro-

grams—in order to succeed in improving post-release outcomes of inmates. These

low completion rates are often the result of such environmental causes as inmate

transfers to other facilities or work assignments that force or allow inmates to drop

out of the program. Inmate motivation also can be a factor. To ensure inmates finish

their course work, some states and partnerships have implemented some practical and

creative administrative and programmatic approaches.

Administrative approaches

Several state correctional education programs, such as those in Virginia and Texas,

have agreements with their DOCs to hold inmates enrolled in education classes until

they complete their course work. Many states also provide good-time credits to in-

mates for successful program completion. Indiana, for example, cuts a half-year from

the sentences of inmates completing a general equivalency diploma (GED), one year

for those completing an associate degree, and two years for those completing a bache-

lor’s degree. For inmates who have earned reduced sentences for good behavior, the

good-time credits are applied to the reduced sentences rather than the original sen-

tence. As a result, good-time credits lead to even shorter sentences in Indiana com-

pared to other states that apply credits to the original sentence.

At least one state, North Carolina, has de-

veloped a course-offering matrix (see side-

bar, “Course-Offering Matrix”) to

determine which programs can be offered

at its prisons, given the average length of

stay of inmates at that facility. For exam-

ple, if the average length of stay at a facility

is 120 days, community colleges can offer

only programs that can be completed

within that time. North Carolina also has

implemented several other management

practices to ensure inmates complete their

course work, including:

• Education, work, and other prison

assignments are given equal priori-

ty. Therefore, inmates must com-

plete their course or program

before they can be reassigned.

• Comparable incentives, excluding

wages, must be provided for all

prison assignments.

• The appropriateness of an education program will be reassessed if the com-

pletion rates fall below 51 percent for two consecutive semesters.

• Multi-entry and multi-exit courses cannot be offered to inmates, except for

basic skills courses.*

The North Carolina legislature also passed legislation in the mid-1990s requiring

that student hours in prison education classes be counted on the basis of contact

hours, not membership hours. This ensures that colleges are reimbursed only for the

hours inmates attend class, rather than based on the enrollment indicated by a course

roster. As a result of this policy, the community colleges are given an extra incentive

to work closely with the DOC to ensure appropriate programs are offered to inmates

and full attendance is maintained.

New Mexico, on the other hand, has created policies that place the burden of fund-

ing on inmates if they fail to complete the program. The state requires inmates to

* North Carolina Community College System defines multi-entry and multi-exit as the ability to

enroll students continuously throughout the semester or contract with the prison.

Course-Offering Matrix

A Guide for North Carolina Community College

System Programming in

Department of Correction Facilities

Category 1 (2-month minimum length of stay)

Basic skills, employment readiness, and drug and

alcohol treatment.

Category 2 (4-month minimum length of stay)

All programs in category 1 plus occupational

extension courses and certificate programs.

Category 3 (12-month minimum length of stay)

All programs in category 2 plus diploma

programs.

Category 4a (24-month minimum length of stay)

All programs in category 3 plus technical asso-

ciate’s degree programs.

Category 4b (24-month minimum length of stay)

All programs in category 4a plus college transfer

and academic associate degree programs.

Source: North Carolina Department of Correction, Education

Services, Division of Prisons (2005)

sign a postsecondary education agreement, classroom rule contract, and a debit

memo before they enroll in a postsecondary education program. If the inmate drops

out before completing the program, these documents allow the Corrections Depart-

ment to garnish the inmate’s future wages for the cost of the program.

Programmatic approaches

Such states as Alabama, California, and Virginia supply inmates with academic advis-

ers to provide education and career counseling, education-level diagnostic screenings,

and information on how they can complete and make use of their program of study

upon release. J.F. Ingram State Technical College in Alabama, for example, offers

inmates the full range of support services found at any other technical or community

college.

In Virginia, the Department of Labor and Industry sponsors an apprenticeship pro-

gram at many of the state’s correctional facilities to give inmates work experience cor-

responding with the vocational program in which they are enrolled. Also, through a

partnership with Virginia Correctional Enterprises, the Department of Correctional

Education has arranged for print school and optical lens technology graduates to be

employed at Correctional Enterprises’ printing and optical lens shops. Although

these programs do not involve community college partners, they are an example of

how inmates can be given the opportunity to put into practice the skills they learn in

correctional education.

Similarly, North Carolina is developing a referral system that would allow inmates who

graduate from certain education programs to be transferred to correctional facilities

where those skills are needed. For example, inmates who graduate from a welding pro-

gram at their prison may be transferred to another site that has a metal fabrication op-

eration or a construction program. “The trick is to give inmates the opportunity to

apply their skills; otherwise there’s a degradation of those skills,” according to Arthur

Clark, an education specialist for the North Carolina Division of Prisons.

Many states also are considering or have implemented reentry policies that further

prepare inmates for their release. One approach developed by Indiana includes a role

for the state’s only community college, Ivy Tech. In 2006, Indiana opened the Plain-

field Re-entry Educational Facility with the sole purpose of addressing individual

reentry barriers by providing inmates with education and vocational skills during

their last 24 months of incarceration. Ivy Tech provides certificate programs in ad-

vanced manufacturing, while the DOC provides instructors for other programs, such

as building trades and culinary arts. The reentry facility also attempts to address other

such reentry barriers as an inmate’s health, housing options, family issues, and sub-

stance abuse.

Building Public Support

For partnerships between prisons and community colleges to be successful, public

support must be built and sustained. Otherwise, program funding and the services

offered could be jeopardized if policymakers and the public do not understand the

budgetary and public safety benefits of correctional education.

The state of Washington has used research effectively to educate policymakers about

the usefulness of inmate intervention programs including correctional education.

When news emerged that Washington would need to build two more prisons by

2020 and possibly a third by 2030, costing the state millions of dollars, the state leg-

islature became concerned. The legislature asked the Washington State Institute for

Public Policy, a research center created by the legislature, to identify evidence-based

options for lowering the inmate population, thereby saving tax dollars and reducing

crime rates. The institute developed a computer model for all inmate intervention

programs to show what would happen to the state budget if (1) no interventions

were employed, (2) interventions were at the same rate as in previous years, or (3) in-

terventions received moderate or aggressive funding increases. The institute found

that correctional education, including postsecondary education, would help to lower

the prison population (Aos, Miller, and Drake 2006). These findings led the legisla-

ture in 2007 to provide the DOC with an additional $2.9 million for vocational pro-

grams, $2.1 million for basic skills, and $117,000 for parenting courses. According

to Kathy Goebel, the correctional education program administrator with the Wash-

ington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the institute’s computer

model was the “Hercules that pushed the rock.”

The Virginia Department of Correctional Education also commissioned a study of

college programs offered as part of the state’s IYO grant program. The study found

that participants taking some college courses had significantly lower recidivism rates

than nonparticipants (see table 3 on p. 27). Participants also had 13 percent greater

average post-release quarterly earnings ($2,639) than all ex-offenders released

($2,329). The wage increase was even higher for inmates who earned an associate de-

gree; their average quarterly earnings were $5,727. Also, 11 percent of inmates

enrolled in academic courses and 14.8 percent of inmates enrolled in vocational

courses were more likely to enroll in Virginia colleges post-release (compared to 3.6

percent of all ex-offenders) (Lichtenberger and Onyewu 2005). These inmates also

had higher grade point averages than non-incarcerated students enrolled in the same

courses on campus.

The Department of Correctional Education presented the study findings to the Vir-

ginia Joint Subcommittee Studying the Commonwealth’s program for Prisoner Reen-

try to Society, established by a Senate joint resolution in 2007. The subcommittee was

directed to evaluate existing state correctional education programs and identify pro-

gram needs and funding options. The work of the joint subcommittee continues, but

it has issued a set of preliminary recommendations for legislative action that include

allowing low-income inmates to apply for and receive state postsecondary education

grants and providing funding for additional job training programs.

While North Carolina routinely collects and shares data on its correctional education

program, the DOC and community college system recently organized an event to

build their case in a more personal way. They held a “Lunch and Learn” at a meeting

of the State Board of Community Colleges. Inmates enrolled in a culinary postse-

condary education program provided lunch, and representatives from the DOC and

the community college system gave a joint presentation on their partnership and the

potential savings resulting from their education services.

Table 3. Virginia Inmate Recidivism Rate and Decrease: Fiscal Years 2001 and

2002

Fiscal

Year

Recidivism Rate Decrease in Recidivism

All

Inmates

Academic

Students

Vocational

Students

Academic

Students

Vocational

Students

2001 29.3% 17.6% 24.2% 39.9% 17.4%

2002 25% 12.6% 11.1% 49.6% 55.6%

Source: Lichtenberger, E.J., & Onyewu, N. (2005). Virginia Department of Correctional Education’s Incarcerated

Youth Offender Program: A historical analysis (No. 9). Richmond, VA: Department of Correctional Education.

CONCLUSION

Partnerships between prisons and community colleges can lead to significant benefits

for all involved—community colleges, prisons, inmates, and the general public.

While the mission of community colleges may be the initial incentive for colleges to

collaborate with prisons, the additional student population and revenue generated

through correctional education further strengthens their commitment to the partner-

ship. Prisons also benefit. They are able to meet the postsecondary education accre-

diting requirements of the federal Incarcerated Youth Offender grant as well as

improve and expand the correctional education services available to other inmates.

This will better prepare inmates to rejoin society and thereby lower recidivism rates,

increase public safety, and save taxpayer dollars.

To provide correctional education services successfully to inmates, a partnership be-

tween prisons and community colleges must have in place an effective management

structure, adequate funding, appropriate instruction, and practical and creative tac-

tics for addressing such challenges as low completion rates and negative public per-

ceptions of partnerships. The state representatives interviewed for this review also

identified the following reasons for their success:

• Willingness to compromise;

• Good communication;

• Trust;

• Buy-in from top to bottom in each partner agency;

• Shared leadership; and

• A flexible framework to guide the partnership and services provided.

Prisons and colleges interested in forming a partnership or strengthening an existing

partnership should consider the approaches developed and lessons learned by the

states interviewed for this review. By doing so, the correctional education services

they provide will help to decrease the number of inmates in the United States caught

in the detrimental cycle of catch-and-release.

RESOURCES

Back to School: A Guide to Continuing Your Education after Prison

Prisoner Reentry Institute, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2007

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on preparing for and enrolling in education

programs upon release from incarceration.

http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/centersInstitutes/pri/BacktoSchool.pdf

Evidence-Based Public Policy Options to Reduce Future Prison Construction, Criminal

Justice Costs, and Crime Rates

Steve Aos, Marna Miller, and Elizabeth Drake, Washington State Institute for Public

Policy, 2006

This publication describes the findings from a computer model developed by the

Washington State Institute for Public Policy to show the effects of evidence-based

approaches to reducing crime on the Washington state budget. Correctional education,

including postsecondary education, was found to help lower the prison population.

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/pub.asp?docid=06-10-1201

Learning to Reduce Recidivism: A 50-State Analysis of Postsecondary Correctional

Education Policy

Wendy Erisman and Jeanne Bayer Contardo, Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2005

Based on a national survey of correctional education administrators, this report describes

the status of postsecondary correctional education in state and federal prisons in the United

States. It includes background information on the prison population and the benefits of

postsecondary correctional education.

http://www.inpathways.net/recidivism.pdf

Prisoner Reentry Policy Academy

National Governors Association

The academy works with governors and state policymakers to develop and implement

statewide prisoner reentry strategies that reduce recidivism rates by improving access to key

services and supports. States include Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts,

Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and

Washington.

http://www.nga.org/center/reentry

Reentry Web Site

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs

This is a Web site dedicated to the President’s Reentry Initiative. The site contains links to

information on state and federal reentry-related activities and resources, a list of agencies

and organizations that offer training and technical assistance to providers, and publications

on such topics as employment services, housing, and program descriptions and evaluations.

Also provides background information on prisoner reentry and a calendar of events and

conferences.

http://www.reentry.gov

Reentry Policy Council (RPC)

Justice Center, The Council of State Governments

Established in 2001, RPC helps states develop, coordinate, and promote state and local

strategies for addressing the challenges of reentry. Projects include developing an online

assessment tool to measure the risks and needs of inmates to inform state supervision,

treatment, and program plans.

http://reentrypolicy.org

Transforming Lives Network (TLN)

Correctional Education Association (CEA)

A distance-learning project offering corrections-specific offender education and staff

development to correctional facilities across the country.

http://tln.ceanational.org/TLN/index.htm

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