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Prison Education
Second Chance Pell: Five Years of Expanding Higher Education Programs in Prisons: 2016–2021
May 18, 2022
The Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative, launched by the U.S. Department of Education in 2015, provides need-based Pell Grants to people in state and federal prisons. A new report from The Vera Institute of Justice shows that enrollment of incarcerated students in Second Chance Pell higher education programs has increased steadily for five years,…
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Prison Education
Freedom to Achieve

Pathways and Practices for Economic Advancement After Incarceration

Aug. 20, 2021
More than half a million people are released from U.S. prisons each year, and the majority are unable to find work due to underlying biases and systemic racism. A new report from Jobs for the Future argues that we must match the breadth and scale of the investments that support U.S. systems of incarceration by…
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Prison Education
What Corrections Officials Need to Know to Partner With Colleges to Implement College Programs in Prisons

Tool

June 2, 2021
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest at the federal and state levels in expanding higher education in prisons, particularly expansions that offer a path to degrees or industry-recognized credentials. This report from the RAND Corporation provides guidance on key questions about in-prison college programs, helps corrections officials in assessing such opportunities,…
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Prison Education
Lessons Learned From Prison Education Interruption During Pandemic

Fact Sheet

April 1, 2021
A fact sheet by the Center for Law and Social Policy details the effect the coronavirus pandemic on prison postsecondary education. Focusing on the spring 2020 term, the information highlights some changes in correctional facility visitation policy, highlights challenges in providing prison postsecondary education, recognizes the history of prison education disruption, and amplifies appropriate policy…
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Prison Education
The Possibility Report

From Prison to College Degrees in California

Feb. 3, 2021
At least 95 percent of people in prison will eventually be released—and their ability to access and complete some form of a college degree or credential will increase their chances of overcoming post-incarceration barriers. A new report from The Campaign for College Opportunity offers insight on how college leaders and policymakers can help. The study is written…
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Prison Education
Supporting Success: The Higher Education in Prison Key Performance Indicator Framework

The Impact of Higher Education in Prison

Sept. 15, 2020
Nearly 94 percent of the people currently incarcerated across the United States do not have a postsecondary degree, despite research indicating that higher education in prison decreases rates of reincarceration by improving chances of meaningful employment, stable housing, and successful reintegration in families and communities upon release. This report from the Institute for Higher Education…
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Prison Education
Laying the Groundwork

How States Can Improve Access to Continued Education for People in the Criminal Justice System

Feb. 11, 2020
A new report on helping incarcerated people obtain the education they need to improve their lives and avoid further contact with the justice system shows how much progress we’ve made – and how states could be doing so much better.
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Prison Education
Equipping Individuals for Life Beyond Bars

The Promise of Higher Education and Job Training in Closing the Gap in Skills for Incarcerated Adults

Nov. 5, 2019
Research shows the importance of education on successful reentry for justice-involved individuals, where postsecondary education is proven to be meaningful to both reentry and labor market success. Nonetheless, opportunities to pursue postsecondary education in federal and state prisons are extremely limited. While federal and state prisons prioritize General Educational Development (GED) courses, traditional college courses…
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Prison Education
Federal Policies Should Emphasize Quality and Equitable Outcomes for Incarcerated Learners

Federal policy 1-pager

Aug. 27, 2019
Lumina Foundation believes high-quality education and training after high school should be available, affordable, and accessible to all—and that it should lead to further education and to good-paying jobs. Our commitment is motivated by a desire to use education to empower people who face longstanding, structural barriers, and we emphasize that commitment for people who…
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Prison Education
A Piece of the Puzzle

State Financial Aid for Incarcerated Students

July 9, 2019
High-quality postsecondary education offers people in prison new opportunities. It makes it possible for people leaving prison to build the lives they choose by equipping them with the tools they need to navigate the complex social and economic realities of America in the 21st century. So, too, it offers people serving long—or possibly endless—sentences the…
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