Community College of Vermont outlines expansion of college courses inside state prisons with federal and philanthropic support

Joyce Judy, president of the Community College of Vermont, told the House Education Committee on May 5 that CCV now runs college courses in every Vermont correctional facility and is building a reentry-focused center to connect classroom instruction with employment and wraparound supports. "If we can change the trajectory of 10 students, what a great gift to those students," Judy said.

CCV and Brian O'Connor, the college's director of corrections education, described a multi-year effort that began with philanthropic pilots in 2016'17 and gained federal momentum after CCV secured Second Chance Pell eligibility (Title IV financial aid) and a $4.5 million congressional directed spending award secured by Senator Bernie Sanders. Judy said CCV also received a $2.9 million, three-year grant from Ascendium to expand transition and reentry services; CCV officials said they are not requesting state operating money for the program at this time.

The program currently operates in four facilities and, according to CCV, served roughly 260 incarcerated students last year alongside about 140 corrections-staff students, roughly 60 family-member students and about a dozen reentry students. Brian O'Connor said CCV piloted locked-down Surface tablets and a secure version of the Canvas learning platform so students can take online classes without general internet access; most in-person instruction has historically been pencil-and-paper.

CCV described plans to stand up a CEEDAR Center (Corrections Education, Development and Reentry Center) to coordinate statewide postsecondary corrections education and to build a manufacturing simulation lab to deliver industry-recognized credentials. CCV said it is pursuing program pathways that could qualify for Title IV or workforce Pell aid in the future (examples cited: business, manufacturing certificates, behavioral sciences) and that credential "stacking" and nested microcredentials are part of the design.

Committee members asked about outcomes and recidivism. Judy and O'Connor said it is early to demonstrate reductions in reoffending because only a small number of program participants have completed reentry windows to date; CCV stated Vermont's recidivism rate is "over 50%" and said the CEEDAR center will begin to track post-release metrics such as continued CCV enrollment, employment and recidivism over a multiyear horizon. "We are too early in this," Judy told the committee about evidence on recidivism, while O'Connor said CCV will measure registration, student success, employment, continuation with CCV and recidivism as performance metrics.

Speakers described operational barriers that affect program continuity: frequent transfers between facilities, "keep-aparts" (restrictions that prevent certain residents from attending the same services) and corrections-led clearances that can prevent some residents from enrolling for safety or behavior reasons. CCV said corrections has agreed to consider course enrollment before transferring students when possible, and that corrections staff make final safety determinations.

Judy and O'Connor highlighted nonacademic needs that affect reentry success, naming housing, child care, reliable income and life skills as priority gaps. They said employer engagement is central to their exit strategy: CCV is building an employer network to prepare and reassure potential hirers about leave for probation appointments and other supports that help new hires succeed.

Judy also said the congressional earmark enabled significant scaling of the program but warned that funding for staff-related courses may end when the earmark expires; she said Senator Sanders has requested additional funding. CCV officials asked the committee to consider long-term funding options such as a higher-education trust fund while continuing to pursue philanthropic and federal support.

The committee thanked the presenters; CCV said it would return with more data as the CEEDAR center and reentry tracking mature.