California Leads the Nation:

Providing College Opportunities

to Incarcerated and Formerly
Incarcerated Students

National Press Foundation

November 11, 2019
 The Benefits of College in Prison

Increases social mobility

• Incarcerated students in college programs have improved chances of
accessing living-wage employment post-release.

Makes us safer
• Incarcerated students in college programs have 51% lower odds of
recidivating as compared to those in other education.

Saves us money
• For ever $1 invested in correctional education, research shows a return of $4
to $5.

Builds the state’s economy

• By 2030, California will be 1.1 million workers short of demand for workers
with a bachelor’s degree.

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Growth in Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated
College Programs in California, 2014-2017

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 California-Specific Features
Supreme Court mandate to reduce prison population has increased
role of jails, in addition to prisons

Prison milestone credits incentivize college participation

Career technical education delivered by CDCR, not colleges

Incarcerated students eligible for California College Promise Grant,

covering cost of community college tuition

Community colleges collect apportionment for incarcerated students

No criminal record disclosure requirement on community college,

CSU or UC undergraduate applications

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 Evidence of Public System Ownership
• Dedicated funding
• $5 million allocated in 2018-19 State Budget for community colleges serving
incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students
• $10 million request in 2020-2021 Chancellor’s Budget for community
colleges serving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students
• $3.3 million annual state allocation for CSU Project Rebound

• Dedicated staff in the Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and

convening of statewide Advisory Board

• 19 community colleges teaching face-to-face associates degree for

transfer courses in 34 of 35 prisons to more than 4,500 students
each semester, plus a fully matriculated face-to-face BA completion
program through Cal State LA

• More than 50 CCC, CSU and UC programs serving formerly

incarcerated students
• 2019 Leadership Institute
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 Academic Success

• Forthcoming study of students enrolled in 12 CA community

colleges in spring and fall 2018 semesters.
• 3,172 incarcerated students
• 384 formerly incarcerated students

• Incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students outperform

their on-campus and system-wide counterparts.

• Incarcerated college students are more likely than their campus

students to be enrolled part-time, whereas formerly
incarcerated students are more likely than their campus
counterparts to be enrolled full-time.

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 Ask the Hard Questions
• Is it student-centered? What happens when incarcerated
students are transferred to another prison or released? Do their
credits transfer? Do they have to start from scratch upon release
or transfer? Do credits earned inside render them ineligible for
entry programs on campus? Are the students fully matriculated?
Who is awarding the credit? Are their earned credits building to
degree? Is it a terminal degree, or can they continue to the next
credential?

• Is there an on-ramp to campus? Who is supporting the students

upon release? Can they complete a degree or certificate started
inside? Are parole agents and parole requirements supportive or
are they an obstacle? Does the college teaching inside also
welcome students on the outside? Does the college demonstrate
support through hiring faculty and staff who are themselves
directly impacted? 7
 Ask the Hard Questions (cont.)

• What is the educational modality? How much face-to-face

interaction do the incarcerated students have? If it's "online," is it
interactive or passive video watching? If online or distance, how
are students participating in critical thinking interactions with other
students and faculty? How are their questions answered?

• What is the purpose of the education program? Is it acceptable

to limit incarcerated students only to job training? If post-secondary
education is limited, how can future options open for incarcerated
students and graduates to include BA, MA, PhD completion?

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 Ask the Hard Questions (cont.)

• What happens after the credential is earned? Does the state

have licensing barriers for those with a criminal record preventing
them from obtaining higher wage and higher skills jobs? Who is
monitoring if the barriers are reasonable? Do students and
graduates have an opportunity to demonstrate rehabilitation?

• As federal Pell Grant restoration is debated in Washington, how

is access being balanced with the need for quality, and who is
being excluded? Post-secondary education leads to safer working
conditions for prison employees, and children of incarcerated
students model their parents' educational achievement.

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 Contact Information

Debbie Mukamal Rebecca Silbert

Executive Director Director
Stanford Criminal Justice Center Corrections to College CA
dmukamal@law.stanford.edu rebecca@theopportunityinstitute.org

https://correctionstocollegeca.org/

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