As beacons of potential for individual growth and social mobility, community colleges often serve as a catalyst for underserved students to pursue a path in higher education. This is perhaps most apparent in the critical role that two-year institutions play in the lives of incarcerated students by offering a wide range of prison education programs.
“Partnerships between prisons and community colleges can lead to significant benefits for all involved.— community colleges, prisons, inmates, and the general public,” a U.S. Department of Education report entitled “Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Prison,” states. “[The partnerships] will better prepare inmates to rejoin society and thereby lower recidivism rates, increase public safety, and save taxpayers’ dollars.”
Coastline College, a community college system in Southern California, is one of many two-year institutions that provides educational opportunities to currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. Through the Hope Scholars Program, students in California correctional institutions have access to in-person and virtual courses, resources, and financial aid opportunities.
As part of its credential offerings for incarcerated students, the Hope Scholars Program facilitates three associate degree for transfer (ADT) programs — communication studies, psychology, and sociology — which are designed for students interested in transferring to a University of California or California State University institution. Along with the ADT programs, Coastline offers a certificate of achievement in business and six associate degree programs in the arts and sciences: American studies, arts and humanities, general business, science and math, social and behavioral sciences, and sociology.
Each year, the program enrolls more than 7,000 incarcerated people. Throughout the 2021-2022 academic year, Coastline awarded 286 associate degrees and 71 certificates. For students like Ryan Stockton, a 2023 Coastline graduate and former Hope Scholar, prison education programs are important in not only earning a degree but developing a sense of self-worth, pride in their achievements, and hope for their futures outside prison. “It was an opportunity for me, for the first time in my life, to actually do something constructive and worthwhile,” says Stockton.
In addition to Hope Scholars, Coastline also operates the Rising Tide Scholars Program, which helps empower those formerly incarcerated through a range of support services. This includes academic and career counseling, tutoring, financial aid and community resource assistance, peer mentorship, meal vouchers, and technology loans. Participating students are required to meet monthly with the Rising Tide project coordinator, develop a postgraduation plan, and attend at least two workshops per semester dedicated to academic, personal, and career development.
With a mission to break the cycle of incarceration through effective correctional education, the Building Academic Skills in Correctional Settings (BASICS) program at Barton Community College in central Kansas has been a transformative force in correctional education for the past 21 years. Operating in the Ellsworth Correctional Facility (ECF) and Larned State Correctional Facility (LSCF), BASICS serves more than 200 people each year.
BASICS offers associate degrees in general studies, sciences, and business leadership to students in ECF and LSCF, as well as an adult basic education program for inmates looking to earn their GED diploma. Perhaps the most popular pathway for BASICS participants is through the program’s 16-hour certificate program in welding technology, which trains nearly 100 students each semester. Based on the success of the welding certificate, Barton is developing similar offerings in plumbing and carpentry. Many in the program pursue their GED diploma and certificate at the same time.
Recognizing the pivotal role of education in reducing recidivism, BASICS matches incarcerated students with a career advisor and a transition specialist. Career advisors utilize motivational interviewing to create education and employment plans tailored to each student’s goals. The plans help them navigate the challenges of applying to educational programs and receiving financial aid while in prison, and also overcome existing barriers to their success, such as loan defaults, child arrears, and employment limitations based on convictions.
A transition specialist is assigned to students with six to 10 months remaining on their sentences and helps them prepare for reintegration. Providing information on educational and career opportunities in their release area, transition specialists connect students with local workforce centers, colleges, vocational training centers, and the Offender Workforce Development Specialist network.
These are two examples of community college-based programs and partnerships that work to provide both education and career support to incarcerated students, and make a significant positive impact on their future opportunities and transition to life outside prison.
