The reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility to all students who are incarcerated, whether they are located in prisons, jails, juvenile justice facilities, work farms, or similar correctional institutions, allows them to participate in an approved prison in education program. This change has the potential to significantly increase the number of approved PEPs throughout the country, thereby expanding access to students.
A new guidebook from the Vera Institute of Justice aims to help accreditors, administrators, and professors involved in the accreditation process better evaluate college-in-prison programs.
The guidebook covers a range of possible accreditation issues, including the logistics of arranging site visits at prisons, how to ensure these programs offer proper academic supports, how to assess whether the technology and facilities available are adequate, and, more broadly, how to ensure institutions comply with the proposed federal regulations for college-in-prison programs.