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Second Chance Pell pilots show graduations and hurdles; Regents weigh permanent prison‑education options
Summary
Helena College, Great Falls College and MSU Billings described graduates and employer interest from in‑prison trainings while identifying challenges — facility schedules, limited tech, early release — as staff plan to transition pilots into permanent prison‑education programs.
Campus leaders and the Commissioner’s Office briefed the Board on the system’s Second Chance Pell pilot and the work to transition pilot offerings into ongoing prison‑education programs.
Helena College’s program at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge has produced cohorts of certificate graduates in automotive technology and other technical credentials. Dean Sandy Bauman described caps and pivots made to accommodate facilities: recorded lectures for intermittent connectivity, adjunct assessment on site, and summer general‑education courses to prepare students to succeed.
The pilots have yielded early successes: full‑cohort graduations, employer interest and a handful of graduates who obtained jobs after release. "They are officially Helena College alumni," staff reported at the meeting, and graduates described renewed confidence and a new sense of purpose.
At the same time, presenters stressed operational barriers. Facilities are not designed as education centers, campus staff must travel to prisons for advising and testing, and students face unpredictable early release or conduct issues that interrupt time‑to‑completion. Technology and adequate on‑site lab capacity were recurring constraints.
What the board discussed: Staff proposed a transition from the pilot to a permanent Prison Education Program (PEP) model now that Pell access has been restored nationally, and identified short‑term welding trailer cohorts and apprenticeship‑aligned models as practical near‑term expansion strategies. System staff and corrections leaders emphasized the need for durable funding, improved facility‑campus coordination, and stronger prerelease placement to improve completion and employer linkage.
Why this matters: Staff cited national and state evidence that education in custody lowers recidivism and yields taxpayer savings. Regents asked for data on long‑term employment and recidivism outcomes as the program scales and recommended continued attention to employer partnerships and prerelease transitions.
Next steps: System staff will help campuses transition approved programs to PEP status, continue piloting short modules (welding trailer), and work with D.O.C. and industry partners on apprenticeships and prerelease job pipelines.
