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USM and Department of Corrections framework aims to expand prison higher‑education programs statewide
Summary
USM staff told the House Appropriations subcommittee that consultants found demand for higher education in prisons, and that an MOU with the Maryland Department of Corrections establishes a framework for statewide program implementation and streamlined university agreements.
Sarah Baker told the House Appropriations Committee Education and Economic Development Subcommittee that the University System of Maryland (USM) and the Maryland Department of Corrections have executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) intended to provide a statewide framework for offering higher‑education programs in correctional facilities.
Baker said consultants hired by USM found strong demand for postsecondary programs in prisons, and identified approval and startup processes and data‑tracking and sharing as significant barriers. Under the MOU, institutions will execute university agreements as addenda to the MOU and proposed programs must align with the MOU’s stated goals. Baker said the arrangement is the first correctional division in the country to formalize such an MOU with a state university system, and she recommended that the committee concur with the governor’s allowance that included related program funding.
The presentation included a listing of current program offerings and a recommendation to concur with the governor’s allowance. Baker emphasized that data sharing and a standardized approval process are the primary supports a statewide system can provide to institutions seeking to offer programs in correctional facilities.
The transcript records the system’s presentation and the recommendation but does not record legislative action by the committee on the recommendation during the recorded segment.
