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Higher Education for Students Impacted by the Criminal Justice System
The criminal justice system is filled with potential students who stand to benefit the most from high-quality postsecondary education.
Initiative
Assessing The Impact of Prison-Based Postsecondary Education Programs
In July 2018, the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)
Our criminal justice system contains millions of potential students, including the very populations whom the Higher Education Act (HEA) was originally intended to reach. For historically marginalized groups, in particular, higher education has the potential to change lives, strengthen communities, and sustain our workforce.
Postsecondary opportunities that meaningfully position incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated individuals for success and dismantling policy barriers that prevent justice-impacted students from accessing high-quality postsecondary programs.
To serve students impacted by the criminal justice system, IHEP:
- identifies barriers to college access and success for students;
- examines approaches by correctional and postsecondary leaders to assess academic quality and outcomes for the growing number of students who are participating in higher education programs while incarcerated; and
- works with policymakers and practitioners to advance opportunities for students who are currently- or formerly-incarcerated.