Community college outlines expanded prison-education program, asks committee to back facility technology upgrades

Joyce Judy, college administrator, told the committee that the college has expanded prison-based education since 2018 and now operates four strands of programming for incarcerated students, corrections staff and families, and reentry students.

The program, Judy said, received a $4.5 million congressional directed spending grant secured with support from Senator Bernie Sanders and has been granted the ability to enroll incarcerated students under a Second Chance Pell arrangement and Title IV financial aid. Judy said that combination created a sustainable funding on-ramp after pilot support from the McClure Foundation.

Brad O'Connor, director of corrections education, described program goals as reducing recidivism, strengthening the workforce and improving lives. He said the program currently offers general-education courses in four facilities (including Northern Correctional Facility, Richmond and a Springfield-area facility), reports 120 incarcerated students enrolled across four classes, provides advising, study halls and ADA support, and treats each corrections site as an accredited campus for credit transfer.

O'Connor said the award funds four active program strands: in-facility classes for incarcerated students; a voucher-based program for corrections staff; vouchers for staff family members; and reentry vouchers that provide two free classes to the newly released. He said staff and family vouchers are used as recruitment and retention tools and that two students who used reentry vouchers were enrolled in college within two weeks of release.

Both presenters said the program is limited by facility technology. Judy and O'Connor asked the committee to "nudge" the Department of Corrections to install or expand an education network so secure, locked-down devices can connect to course content and simulations. They described vocational opportunities that require simulated equipment or Internet-limited educational networks (for example, manufacturing simulators, CAD and fiber-optics training) that cannot be delivered without that infrastructure.

Judy and O'Connor framed the program as a mix of immediate supports and long-term workforce development: general-education courses now taught in person where possible, and plans to add technical certificates and an associate in professional studies once educational technology is available in more facilities. They said about 10 percent of the incarcerated population at one point this fall were enrolled in college courses.

Committee members asked about the educational background of participants; O'Connor said the program serves students across the spectrum (those finishing high school/GED, students with existing community college credits, and some with associate degrees) and that Title IV eligibility requires participants to have a GED or high-school diploma. Both presenters emphasized that the program prioritizes skills, transitional supports (resume writing, personal finance) and wraparound advising to improve reentry outcomes.

No formal motions or votes were recorded during the presentation. Presenters repeatedly asked the committee to support facility wiring and technology investments to expand vocational and technical offerings.

Judy closed by saying the college and corrections leadership view the program as a "win-win" that can alter trajectories for individuals and families and that the congressional grant plus Title IV eligibility provides a sustainable path forward if the technology constraints are addressed.