Community college has offered opportunities to many students throughout their history. In recent years, those opportunities have been extended to incarcerated populations, offering inmates the skills and training they need to find productive lives after prison. By bringing education to those who are currently in the prison system, the hope is that once they leave the system, they will never return. Does higher education in prison work as intended? Read on about the efforts by some colleges to transform incarcerated individuals for the better.
This video outlines how education for inmates produces beneficial results.
New College Program in Mississippi Aimed at Correctional Facility
A handful of inmates at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan are getting a new lease on life. Fifteen of the prisoners at this institution are enrolled in a pilot program featuring college courses from Jackson Community College. The inmates are enrolled in four rounds of courses from the school, according to a report at mLive. Classes include a computer course, which is available through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The rest of the classes are paid for by the inmates themselves. Some are using money they saved prior to incarceration, while others are relying on friends and family to foot the bill until they are released and able to begin earning their own living. Most prisoners are ineligible for financial