For reentering individuals, the financial burden of pursuing and completing higher education programs begun in prison can be substantial and prohibitive. When surveyed, CIP students (N=114) identified several financial challenges that they anticipated would interfere with returning to school in the community.

Like other institutions of higher education, College-in-Prison Reentry Initiative (CIP) education providers were faced with shifting from in-person to fully remote coursework with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Although grateful for the opportunity to continue classes, students and faculty alike described remote coursework as inferior to in-person instruction.

In East Harlem, the Center for Trauma Innovation is building a learning community so organizations can exchange innovative practices, learn from each other, and tap into each others’ resources to better serve their community with trauma-informed, evidence-based practices.

After conducting a multiyear evaluation of the College-in-Prison Reentry Initiative (CIP), we outline recommendations for educational providers, corrections, and other stakeholders to consider how best to prepare for and carry out their missions to provide high-quality postsecondary education to students who are incarcerated.

CIP invested $7.3 million in postsecondary education in NYS correctional settings, ultimately serving 931 students through seven higher education institutions in 17 prisons statewide.