The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Corrections is partnering with the University System of Maryland on a program to make higher education available to incarcerated people in all state prisons, the department announced last week.
Incarcerated people will be able to earn bachelor's degrees and credit-based certificates at one of USM's 12 colleges through federal Pell Grants, according to a news release.
The department and USM signed a memorandum of understanding, marking the first time the Department of Corrections and the state university system have taken this formal step, according to the release. MDPSCS Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs and USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman called the move “historic” in a release.
“At the University System, we believe that the fundamental purpose of higher education is to improve the human condition and contribute to the public good,” Perman said. “This partnership is unparalleled in advancing these goals. By enabling more incarcerated people to attend college and practice their education upon release, we will help these students It not only expands opportunities, but strengthens the communities they return to.”
Each university signs an agreement with MDPSCS as an addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding outlining the academic programs offered. The ministry said educational services will serve as a tool for mental health and social reintegration.
“The department is focused on ensuring access to education at all levels in all prisons in the state, but also the skills they need to be able to earn an income and support their families as they reenter society. We also focus on giving the best of both worlds,” Scruggs said. release.
Inmates who receive education while in prison are 48% less likely to return to prison and have increased employment potential and income, said Andrea Cantra, a professor at the University of Baltimore's School of Criminal Justice, an institution of USM. She is also the director of UB's Second Her Chance College Program. The program already provides higher education to students incarcerated at Jessup Correctional Facility through federal funding.
For more than a decade, Goucher College in Baltimore has also had a prison education program that allows students to earn a bachelor's degree. Meredith Conde, director of operations and prison affairs for the Goucher Prison Education Partnership, said the format could become an example for the state because the average inmate who participates in the program graduates with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Stated.
“High quality is key. As Pell expands, it is imperative that the university builds rigorous in-person programs based on relationships,” Conde said. “That's what makes GPEP so successful. You don't get the same results by handing out tablets and isolating students.”