The prison held a ceremony Tuesday for the 25 students who received their degrees in communications studies, marking the first graduation in a state prison from a California State University campus, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“Obtaining a higher education in a prison setting through a partner like Cal State LA is an opportunity for incarcerated people to have a true second chance, said CDCR Secretary Kathleen Allison. “There is no resource more powerful than an education, where people can gain new skills and learn new perspectives.”
“Cal State LA is proud of the graduates in our prison education program,” said Jose A. Gomez, Cal State LA’s provost and executive vice president. “They have demonstrated the power of education to transform lives.”
Cal State Los Angeles is one of 67 post-secondary schools that offer educational programs through the Second Chance Pell Program, and is the only university to offer a communications studies degree. The university’s collaboration with California State Prison, Los Angeles County differs from other educational correspondence programs in that it offers face-to-face instruction through video lessons where students can interact live with faculty, according to the CDCR.
Incarcerated students take one or two courses per semester toward a degree in communications, with a focus on organizational communication.
Nine graduates from the program participated in commencement studies on the Cal State LA campus in July. Of those nine, five have been accepted into graduate programs at the university.
The educational programs have been so successful that access to Pell grants for incarcerated students is expected to be expanded beginning July 2023, according to the CDCR.
“College is much less expensive than incarceration, and recidivism rates for students who have taken college classes are vastly lower than for those who have not,” said CDCR’s Office of Correctional Education superintendent Shannon Swain.
“Correctional education helps create safer neighborhoods with less crime, helps create citizens who work and pay taxes and contribute to their communities and has a multi-generational positive impact,” Swain added.
Concerned resident says
These folks should have been working in prison to pay the victims or the victims’ families for what they did to them, but no. They are given free 4- year college educations while many of us on the other side of the wall wish we had funds to continue our education. As the guy in the Twilight Zone episode said, ” It’s not fair, it’s not fair at all.”
Tim Scott says
So, get yourself sent to prison. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Get yourself a degree, really live it up!
Claire says
Concerned resident…Restitution is the word you’re looking for, and they do. On your computer you can gather information to help you understand what is being offered to inmates pursuing higher education. Check out “Second Chance Pell Grants” along with “Mellon Foundation” that allow inmates to get Bachelors Degrees. Before, inmates families had to pay for Associate Degrees and still do.
Stinger says
‘Cause once you go to prison, for any reason, you should never, ever, ever, be able to redeem yourself to society – right?
Keep honking, clown.
Debbie says
I’m sure 100% free with no students loans to get their education. Though my two law abiding children are up to their necks in debt having to get student loans to get an education at a CSU.
Stinger says
Okay, then… Since prisoners getting education to help keep from going back to a life of crime and causing more victims isn’t good enough for you, what would you suggest?
I grow weary of you whataboutists. You got a problem with the education expenses for your kids (and I don’t blame you for that, btw)? Fine. That’s is another subject. This kind of dumbness is what keeps us from being able to fix problems in society.
Bill Martinez says
She’s not “dumb”, she’s frustrated. A lot of us are!
Tim Scott says
How’s that frustration working out for you?
I’m not concerned with “dumbness” myself, or frustration. I’m concerned with insanity; the doing of the same things over and over coupled to an expectation that EVENTUALLY it is going to turn out different.
Trickle down economics will work this time if we just try it again, and who knows what will happen if we try something else…that is just manure.
Harsher punishments! Screw these inmates!!! Treat them with hate as we always have!!! Look how well that’s been working!!!…well, yeah, let’s really look at how well that HAS been working.
Corporations have never needed regulation to make them maintain the environment and not poison us all before! Less regulation will allow them to just solve the climate crisis on their own!…okay, sure, that seems likely based on prior experience.
Did someone say frustration? I get why you think it’s unkind to call the conservatives dumb and I’ll try to resist.
Bill Martinez says
Tim Scott,
I don’t know you, but you’re mistaken if you think I’m a “conservative”. It’s an assumption you make because Debbie and I dared to disagree with the idea of giving felons free bachelors degrees while people like her kids and myself are encumbered with student loan debt. You don’t even know if Debbie is a “conservative” either?
I’m a left-leaning person on most issues and always have been! I support universal health care, I support climate change measures and regulation of industry. I voted for Elizabeth Warren in the primary and Joe Biden for president.
For the record, I fully support rehabilitation programs for prisoners and teaching them a valuable trade such as metal working, wood working/carpentry, electrician apprenticeship, HVAC, plumbing, etc. These are jobs that are both needed and of value and that we should be filling with American labor first.
However, giving a person in prison a bachelors degree (at a value of $35,000–50,000) while others are forced to take on debt, is not right or just !
Normal, law-abiding people who are encumbered with student loan debt have issues with credit, have issues purchasing a home and in some cases, even a car. We have to delay starting families and work in undesirable jobs to make ends meet, until something better comes along.
Bill Martinez says
I have mixed feeling on this.
On the one hand, it’s great that they were able to do something positive in prison which will help their chances of being successful upon release.
On the other hand, do their victims get a free college education subsidized with Pell grants? A typical bachelors degree program at any Cal State school will run anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000.
How about those of us who managed to hold multiple jobs while going to school, and who didn’t do something causing us to end up in prison? We still had to pay for our own education and many of us have student loan debt which will never be forgiven.
In essence, those of us who have done the right thing get punished again.
Part of me wants to see this as a “positive” and the other part of me believes that these guys would have been better off learning a trade. Even with a bachelors degree, a white collar job will be mostly unobtainable for anyone with a felony record, so what good is this communications degree?
The Prisoner says
Learning a trade would be far more valuable for most of these students.
Stinger says
What is it that you think people learn in college?
Bill Martinez says
A trade (welding, metal work, HVAC, LVN, fire science, electrician, auto mechanic, etc.) is very different than a bachelors degree!
A trade certificate can be provided by community college, a state-run occupational center like North Valley Occupational Center, a high school district or adult school.
Stinger says
Do you, too, think that these things are not taught in college?
Facepalm says
Facepalm,
Yeah I’m gonna go to Berkeley and have a
P-hat wearing purple haired freak teach me heating ventilation and air conditioning.
Trade or occupation schools teach trade, not your beloved indoctrination farms.
Sheesh, go outside every once in a while.
Tim Scott says
I suggest you examine what it is in yourself that has you equate “someone else got something” with “I am being punished.” even if that equating is just “in essence.” Whatever becomes of these guys I can tell you from experience that you will be better off without piling that kind of chips onto your own shoulders.
Thanks for a very thoughtful and well stated opinion.
Bill Martinez says
Someone else “got” something because they committed a crime and a state institution (CSULA) decided it would partner with the State prison to allow criminals to obtain courses leading to a bachelor’s degree — free of charge!
Yes, they “got” something! Those of us who managed to live crime-free lives and not end up incarcerated get what? Student loan debt. It certainly does feel like punishment.
I overcame my circumstances (which weren’t great!), made good choices, put myself through school while working multiple jobs and now I’m a contributing taxpayer. As a reward, my taxes are being funneled to give free-of-cost bachelors degrees to men who have committed felony-level crimes or worse.
In other words, you do the right things in life and make the right choices and you still get to pay for someone else to be given the same thing you worked hard for. Yeah, that’s punishment!
Tim Scott says
That’s a way to look at it. Another way to look at it is that there is an effort being made to turn these additional people into taxpayers like you instead of criminals like they were.
Neither way is necessarily an all caps “the truth.”
How you choose to look at it is up to you. I know which option gives me a better life, but I am not trying to impose.
Stinger says
I can appreciate that perspective, I just don’t share it. I look at this from a criminological perspective, as that is the subject at hand.
As for the education and expense aspect, you’re talking to a supporter of taxpayer paid college for all citizens… for ALL of the years that may be required for the profession being learned, with some societal service to be repaid by the recipient… but that would be changing the subject, now wouldn’t it?
Claire says
Bill Martinez…I thank you for a very mature comment. I know I have mixed feelings about a lot of issues in our society. I got so much out of your honest comment.,