Stakeholders shared statistics from the RAND Corporation research institute, finding that every dollar invested in prison education saves taxpayers $4 to $5 and that incarcerated students are 43% less likely to return to prison after release.
Lisa Schra, Executive Director of the Calvin Prison Initiative, emphasizes that education is changing prison environments from the inside out as incarcerated graduates become tutors and mentors helping others prepare for release.
“Many have been incarcerated, especially in our program for 10, 20 years and they haven't been in college or even in school for a while. They're uncertain at first, but when given the opportunity, they say, ‘You know what? I am a learner,’ and that starts to transform how they see themselves.”
While 14 Michigan colleges currently serve 1,300 students in 15 facilities, more than 3,000 prospective students swell wait lists.
“We are slowly whittling away at that number, but that's obviously something that's going to take us a long time. I just want people to know that this is something that is of interest to people who are incarcerated, and that they are doing excellent work.”
Schra emphasized that the true impact of prison education stretches far beyond economics, focusing on human dignity and expanding worldviews.
“Incarcerated people want to have the same opportunities as much as possible that are offered on the outside.”
For more information, visit michep.org.
About Calvin Prison Initiative
Established in 2015, the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) is a partnership between Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary that provides a Christian liberal arts education to incarcerated individuals at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia, MI. To date, more than 100 men have graduated from the program with bachelor’s degrees. For more information, visit calvin.edu/prison-initiative.
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