Dept. of Ed expands SECOND CHANCE PELL Grants(for students in prison)

[Dorian Breh]

well gah damn

it must be both sides

 

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Simmons College of Kentucky expands education partnership with the Department of Corrections

The Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women is joining two other corrections facilities in an education partnership with Simmons College of Kentucky.

www.lpm.org

Simmons College of Kentucky expands education partnership with the Department of Corrections​

June 6, 2023

Simmons College of Kentucky is adding The Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women to the program, joining Northpoint Training Center and Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in the partnership.
Through the program, people incarcerated at the correctional facilities will be able to take classes at Simmons College if they have at least 12 months left on their sentence before they are eligible for parole or release.
“The 12-month eligibility timeline helps make sure that those that are participating can complete at least one semester without interruption before release,” Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference.
Participants will be able to receive an Associate’s Degree, Bachelor of Arts in Entrepreneurship or Bachelor of Arts in Sociology by completing the program.
The partnership was made possible through federal funding via the recently expanded Second Chance Pell Grant initiative.
Beshear said getting these degrees will help formerly incarcerated people have better access to employment opportunities.
“These students will be eligible for jobs that earn anywhere between $40,000 and $80,000 a year,” Beshear said.

Beshear said having access to job opportunities upon release helps reduce rates of recidivism, thus creating safe communities.
The Beshear administration has introduced other programs to help formerly incarcerated people find employment upon release, including a partnership with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and assistance with transportation needs for addiction treatment, job interviews, education and employment.
The Simmons College partnership came from leaders at the historically Black college.
“In 1879, the doors of Simmons College of Kentucky opened for the express purposes of transforming the lives of oppressed people through the empowerment afforded by higher education,” said Simmons College Vice President of Academic Affairs Javen Reed. “From then, until now 144 years later, we remain to provide all students with an educational experience that enlightens challenges and prepares them to lead successful and impactful lives.”
Reed said the program aims to address the connections seen between education, socioeconomic status and incarceration.
“We conclude that this day is a step towards breaking the link between property and crime although there's still more work to do, to reverse the negative impacts of a series of social policies, and public policies,” Reed said.

 

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Inmates become first class to receive bachelor's degree from HBCU, Lane College​

Nov 21, 2023

Six inmates at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville received their Bachelor's degrees in business administration thanks to a partnership between Lane College and the Tennessee Higher Education in Prison Initiative.
At graduation day on Nov. 2, the six men made history as both the first in the prison's history to earn a bachelor's degree, and the first incarcerated class in the state to earn a degree from a Historically Black College and University.

THEI is a nonprofit agency serving as the catalyst in connecting the Tennessee Department of Corrections with colleges and universities across the state since 2012. Prioritizing adept reentry, THEI launched a number of associate degree programs for inmates beginning in 2014 and two bachelor's degree programs in 2021.

Lane's partnership with NCC began in June of 2021 while Turney Center Industrial Complex's program with Belmont University commenced in August 2021.
In a press release, Lane President Dr. Logan Hampton shared that the college and its faculty were confident in their ability to provide inmates with the "behind-the-wall" academic program, noting that the partnership was "an overwhelming success."
“Lane College and THEI have been a natural fit. Lane is deeply committed to the transformative liberal arts education, and Lane College has a history of helping students excel despite challenging environments and backgrounds," he said.
Formerly incarcerated individuals face challenges upon release with societally reintegrating, but educational programs aid in deterring incarceration relapses. THEI Executive Director Laura Ferguson-Mims added that post-secondary educational options aid in reducing the cycle of recidivism.

"When we introduce post-secondary educational options while the individual is incarcerated, we reduce the risk of recidivism by nearly half," Ferguson-Mims said.
Data from the Tennessee Office of Reentry (TOOR) states that 46% of released individuals will return to prison within three years.
"I will always remember the first day of classes at NCC. The lecture was supposed to be online, but the president came to speak to the students in person. He talked about the history of Lane College and the legacy of HBCUs as a tool for Black liberation. The students were absolutely mesmerized," Ferguson-Mims said

 

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02/17/25

A Midlands college joins effort to help inmates earn their degrees​

Columbia, SC (WOLO) — A Midlands college is joining the effort to help those incarcerated in South Carolina earn their degrees.


Monday the HBCU Benedict College announced it has received a two million dollar grant through the South Carolina Coalition for Higher Education and Ascendium. Officials say the opportunity for an education can increase an inmate’s chances of them not returning to prison.


Other colleges also taking part in the program include Claflin University, Denmark Tech, and Morris College among others

 

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Prison Education Program | Bowie State

bowiestate.edu

04/04/25

 

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Related



05/17/25

From Incarceration To Graduation: A VSU Student's Journey To Greater

How Dennis Freeman transformed his life through education and perseverance at Virginia State University.

www.vsu.edu