Prison education programs are designed to provide incarcerated individuals with academic, vocational, and life-skills training, ultimately supporting those impacted by the justice system with their transition back to society. While many prison education programs focus on preparing incarcerated individuals for life after release, one program is actually tapping the expertise, experience, and background of people behind bars—to be faculty in their classrooms.
Adams State University, a public four-year university in Alamosa, Colorado, has offered accredited college courses that lead to degrees for incarcerated individuals through its Prison Education Program for 20 years, and since 2017 has graduated over 300 incarcerated or formerly incarcerated learners. And, in a unique twist, the program also employs two faculty members who are currently incarcerated, seven who are formerly incarcerated, and two staff members who are formerly incarcerated to deliver both online and in-person instruction across five facilities in-person in Colorado and approximately 600 facilities throughout the nation.
“Adams State University is an engine of opportunity for our student body,” said Adams State President David Tandberg, Ph.D. “We take pride in moving our students up the economic quintile, often doubling their projected income status, based on their immediate family’s current income. The Prison Education Program – or, PEP – contributes to our overall mission of providing access to a quality education for all. PEP has the potential to revolutionize the current prison education system and paves the way for incarcerated individuals to acquire new skills and positively contribute to society.”
While prison education programs range in the services and support they provide, similarities can include access to academics ranging from literacy classes to high school diploma or GED preparation up through college courses; vocational training ranging from job-specific skill development in carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, and the culinary arts; to life skills which focus on skill development in financial literacy, parenting, and communication skills.
In the case of Adams State, the majority of courses are delivered through correspondence, allowing students to study independently and submit their materials and assignments to a faculty member through the mail. This approach, while not used much in mainstream higher education programs, is one that addresses the challenge of limited internet access in many prisons. The flexibility of the program also enables students to pursue their education at their own pace, which supports individualized learning while incarcerated. In fact, the correspondence program at Adams State University is one of the last remaining correspondence programs in the country—in large part due to the success the institution has had in extending postsecondary opportunities to those in prison.
“At any one time, we have nearly 1,000 students taking classes through our correspondence program,” said Lauren Hughes, the Director of Adams State’s Prison Education Program. “Oftentimes, incarcerated learners will take just one class at a time and it may take them a year to finish that single course. But, for learners who are incarcerated for a long period of time, they may end up earning a bachelor’s degree after eight years, literally taking one course at a time.”
Adams State University, a public four-year university in Alamosa, Colorado, has offered accredited ... [+]
Hughes brings a unique perspective to her leadership role with the Adams State program. She herself is a formerly incarcerated individual, having served a sentence in New Jersey 11 years ago. At the time of her incarceration, she was also enrolled at Rutgers University in a program similar to the one she now leads at Adams State.
It was advocacy from Hughes; Kara Gaffney, Adams State’s Director of Admissions; and others involved in the Prison Education Program with President Tandberg to remove questions about prior convictions from the institution’s college admissions application.
“When incarcerated Adams State students want to enroll at the university after leaving prison, they have to submit an application to continue their degree program online or on our campus. For so many learners, that single question about a felony is one that has kept them from applying to college,” said Hughes. “We are committed to all learners, regardless of their background and circumstance. So we removed the question. Learners can self-identify during our enrollment process if they want the additional support that our team provides.”
And that additional support extends to who is teaching the courses. In a story that first appeared in Open Campus earlier this year, Adams State adjunct professor David Carrillo was profiled as the first incarcerated professor in the country to teach students on the inside. Now, Adams State has employed Serena Ahmad, who holds a law degree from the University of Denver and is currently serving a 14-year sentence at Denver Women’s. Profiled by Chalkbeat Colorado this spring, Ahmad joins Carrillo in the Adams State faculty ranks and now the first woman in the U.S. to teach as an adjunct faculty member at a women’s correctional facility.
“The Department of Corrections reached out to our team at Adams State and asked if we would be willing to hire people who have earned their degree and have the qualifications to teach, as a way to help get a new federal Pell Grant program off the ground,” said Hughes. “We knew David from our courses and in December of 2022, President Tandberg and I went to David’s graduation and we offered him a job as our first incarcerated professor. He said yes before he even knew if we would pay him. He was so overwhelmed.”
Carillo would be paid. Leaders at Adams State advocated with the Colorado Department of Corrections for equal pay for the new faculty member. They stipulated that the only way in which they would hire Carillo to teach for them on the inside is if he had equal pay to equally qualified faculty on campus, and was eligible to pay into Colorado’s Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA).
“Engaging individuals who are incarcerated as instructors in postsecondary education in prison programs not only provides valuable skill-building opportunities for them, but also fosters a sense of purpose and possibilities within correctional facilities,” said Dr. Rebecca Villarreal, Senior Director for the Center for Justice & Economic Advancement at Jobs for the Future. “By leveraging the expertise and lived experiences of incarcerated individuals, these programs offer a unique perspective and can tailor education to the specific needs of those preparing to reintegrate into their communities. Employing people who are incarcerated as instructors and paid fair wages inside facilities not only equips individuals with the skills necessary for successful reintegration but also promotes a more inclusive and supportive learning environment.”
While funding for many prison education programs has received limited support from states and the federal government, the leadership team at Adams State secured a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
“We recently received a grant from the Mellon Foundation to grow our cohort of incarcerated faculty members. There are many people who have humanities degrees and are incarcerated,” said Hughes. “This grant will allow the institution to deliver training to those with humanities degrees to become instructors in the prisons for us. In fact, the new program coordinator who will manage the Mellon grant is a formerly incarcerated learner, having studied throughout incarceration and then earning his Ph.D. when he got out.”
Adams State was also one of the earliest participants in the Second Chance Pell Grant pilot program, launched in 2015 by the U.S. Department of Education. This pilot program allowed a limited number of colleges and universities to provide Pell Grants to eligible incarcerated students. The program partially reversed a provision of the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act that made incarcerated individuals ineligible for Pell Grants, and following the pilot’s success, Congress reinstated Pell eligibility for the incarcerated population in 2020.
The benefits of prison education programs are shown to reduce recidivism rates and can be cost-effective, with research showing that for every dollar invested in prison education programs, five are saved on incarceration costs. Studies have also shown that inmates who have participated in educational programs in prison can help formerly incarcerated individuals find stable employment following their release. And finally, many prison education programs can be credited with boosting the self-esteem, confidence, and sense of purpose among inmates as they prepare to reenter their communities.
In addition to the classroom and coursework experience, Adams State has also been providing student support services to participants. Their academic advising and academic support programs such as tutoring are tailored to the needs of incarcerated students. Advisors assist learners with course selection, academic planning, and navigating some of the challenges that come with studying while incarcerated. The university provides access to library materials and other academic resources to support students’ learning.
“One of the student speakers at the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility commencement ceremony was standing in his graduation robe over his prison uniform and he said, ‘The uniform I wear here everyday reminds me of me on my worst day, and this robe will now remind me of me on my best day.’ And that moment humanized our motto, which is that ‘great stories begin here,’” said Tandberg.
Second chance initiatives have become popular and in recent years and have been commemorated during “Second Chance Month,” which take place annually each April. These initiatives aim to highlight the barriers to employment, housing, and education faced by people with criminal records encounter, and create an advocacy platform for changes in policies or programs. However, Hughes sees these initiatives differently.
“I don’t think education in prison is really a second chance,” said Hughes. “So many incarcerated people have been failed by the education system, and so what we are providing learners is their first real chance. We need to reframe it in a way that everyone, regardless of what they did, has a first chance at a life with a strong education.”
