The growing evidence of the benefits of prison education programs helps to explain why Congress took historic, bipartisan legislative action to reverse a ban on Pell Grants for incarcerated learners. Effective July 1, 2023, eligible incarcerated people can access federal Pell Grant funding for the first time in almost 30 years.
To maximize educational opportunities and career pathways for incarcerated individuals, this joint report from The Educational Justice Institute at MIT and the New England Board of Higher Education calls on colleges to partner with state leaders and correctional facilities and work together to implement a “student-centered approach” to prison education. This approach includes voluntary “credit transfer compacts” that guarantee colleges’ acceptance of academic credits earned before and during incarceration to improve students’ ability to continue their education upon release.