Requires HLC, Department of Education approval, and College must work closely with the warden of the selected prison and the Department of Corrections. | Pell grants will provide tuition and Bachelor of Science and Business is the program that the Community College will initially offer
Yavapai Community College President, Dr. Lisa Rhine, announced at the April 23, 2024 District Governing Board meeting that the College was selected by the Arizona Department of Corrections as one of the few community colleges in Arizona to be certified as eligible to offer a prison education program. This allows the College with an opportunity to be assigned to a prison.
Dr. Rhine explained that “we’re assisting those individuals that are in prison to come out with some type of credential that will hopefully allow them to be once again taxpaying citizens and part of the fabric of society and contributing.”
Research shows that participants in college-in-prison programs are 48% less likely to return to prison. By providing postsecondary education, Yavapai Community College aims to break the cycle of recidivism and promote successful reintegration.
The College must still obtain approval from the Higher Education Commission, the Department of Education, and it must work closely with the warden of the prison selected to offer the program and the Department of Corrections. It is anticipated that the program will be ready by the fall semester 2025. It is also anticipated that the Community College will be offering its Bachelor of Science and Business to begin the program.
It is noteworthy that as of July 1, 2023, incarcerated individuals are eligible to receive full Federal Pell Grants, which will provide the tuition for a student in the program. This significant change was brought about by the FAFSA Simplification Act, which restored Pell Grant eligibility for confined or incarcerated individuals for the first time since 1994.
One estimate is that up to 463,000 incarcerated people will now be eligible for Pell Grants. It is also estimated that Nationwide, offering education to incarcerated individuals could reduce state prison spending by as much as $365.8 million annually.