Pathways From Prison To Postsecondary Education

Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education is a five-year, Vera-led initiative that provides selected states (Michigan, New Jersey, and North Carolina) with incentive funding and technical assistance to expand postsecondary education for currently and formerly incarcerated people. The project is unique for its emphasis on coordination between pre- and post-release programming, encouraging partnerships between officials, corrections and parole agencies, schools, employers, and service providers. By demonstrating that postsecondary education—combined with supportive reentry services—can reduce recidivism and increase employability and earnings, the project hopes to spur national replication and long-term public investment. Providing college education opportunities to incarcerated people is important for a number of reasons: It helps to end mass incarceration by reducing recidivism and providing people the resources for post-release success; It strengthens families and communities by helping formerly incarcerated people become economically stable and remain with their families rather than returning to prison; and It saves taxpayer money by yielding a $5 to $1 return on investment over three years (due to reduced recidivism and increased employment and stability for formerly incarcerated people and their families). EAPSE has been funded by the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance, ECMC Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Pathways is funded by the Ford Foundation, the Sunshine Lady Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. To learn more about requesting technical assistance to support postsecondary education in your state, please email Margaret diZerega at mdizerega@vera.org.