Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — July 1, 2016
(DALLAS) — As thousands of incarcerated Americans are released annually from the country’s jails and prisons, those men and women begin looking for jobs and for ways to build new lives. Correctional education is key to their success, and the U.S. Department of Education recently announced a new pilot program, Second Chance Pell (Grants), that will provide the educational opportunities they need to succeed.
Two colleges in the Dallas County Community College District system — Cedar Valley and Mountain View — are among the 67 higher education institutions across the U.S. that will participate in the pilot program, which will allow eligible incarcerated Americans to receive Pell Grants. Both DCCCD colleges already are engaged in education programs for prisoners. The Second Chance Pell pilot program will help those students pursue postsecondary education with the goal of helping them get jobs and support their families when they are released.
Programs at both colleges are expected to start in spring 2017. Cedar Valley College will offer a certificate in air conditioning and refrigeration technology, and Mountain View College will offer a certificate in welding technology.
“The Second Chance Pell Grant program will allow Cedar Valley College to better serve students who have been a part of the penal system,” said Dr. Jennifer Wimbish, CVC’s president. “The mission of the community college — and Cedar Valley — is to provide educational opportunities that allow individuals, often those who need a second chance at an education, to receive that education. Providing Pell Grant opportunities for this population allows us to better serve these individuals.”
She added, “For many years, Cedar Valley College has had an educational program within a prison system that has allowed students to leave the system with a professional certificate. As a result, they are better prepared for a world where it is important for them to gain employment. Research also has shown that individuals who leave prison with an education are not as likely to return as those who don’t.”
Dr. Robert Garza, president of Mountain View College, responded, “Our mission is all about empowering people and transforming communities. The Second Chance Pell program truly enhances our work by allowing us to reach students who otherwise do not have the financial and educational means to become workforce-ready. With the Pell Grant and employer-ready training, our students have improved chances for lifelong success.”
He added, “We are honored to have been chosen to participate in the Second Chance Pell pilot program. Mountain View College currently is working with incarcerated students in Dallas County by providing training in machine shop, OSHA and entrepreneurship skills through the sheriff’s jail education program. We also are a community college leader in the area of training work-ready manufacturing classes, so our experience allows us to meet the needs of the Second Chance Pell Grant program.”
The U.S. currently has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with approximately 2.2 million people living in American prisons and jails. A 2013 study done by the RAND Corporation, funded by the Department of Justice, found that incarcerated individuals who participated in correctional education were 43 percent less likely to return to prison within three years than prisoners who did not participate in any correctional education programs. RAND also estimated that for every dollar invested in a correctional education program, four to five dollars are saved on three-year re-incarceration costs.
“The evidence is clear. Promoting education and job training for incarcerated individuals makes communities safer by reducing recidivism, and it saves taxpayer dollars by lowering the direct and collateral costs of incarceration,” said U.S. Secretary of Education John King Jr. “I applaud the institutions that have partnered to develop high-quality programs which will equip these students with invaluable learning. The knowledge and skills they acquire will promote successful reintegration and enable them to become active and engaged citizens.”
Cedar Valley and Mountain View colleges, along with the 65 other colleges and universities chosen for the pilot program, will partner with 141 federal and state penal institutions to enroll roughly 12,000 incarcerated students in educational and training programs. Through the Second Chance Pell program, these institutions may provide federal Pell Grants to qualified students who are incarcerated and who are likely to be released within five years of enrolling in coursework.
DCCCD’s two colleges in the pilot program will work with financial aid staff members on Second Chance Pell. “The district’s financial aid department, in conjunction with team members at our District Service Center with information technology and financial services, will collaborate and implement the program with Cedar Valley and Mountain View colleges as the Experimental Sites Initiative – Second Chance Pell program moves forward,” said Cynthia Butler, executive director of financial aid for DCCCD.
The vast majority of the selected schools are two- and four-year public institutions that will offer classroom-based instruction on site at the correctional facilities. Others will offer online education or a hybrid of classroom and online instruction. More than 10 percent of participating educational institutions are minority-serving institutions; approximately 17 percent will offer prison-based education for the first time. Selected institutions may begin offering education and training as early as July.
Factors in the selection process for the new pilot program included strong partnerships between post-secondary and correctional institutions; robust academic, career and social support services; and college affordability. The selected sites also demonstrated a focus on re-entry by evaluating local labor markets and providing educational programs that would prepare students with the training and credentials to improve prospects for employment after their release.
For more information, contact Ann Hatch in the DCCCD office of public and governmental affairs at 214-378-1819 or at
ahatch@dcccd.edu.
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