Vermont is expanding a program that helps incarcerated individuals and corrections staff get a college education. Soon, people who have been recently released from prison will be able to continue their education, too.
“Research shows education, particularly at the college level, strengthens the workforce and gives individuals the tools they need to succeed — and stay — in our communities,” Corrections Commissioner Nick Deml said in a press release on Thursday.
Beginning Jan. 1, people ending a prison sentence will qualify to receive re-entry vouchers from the Community College of Vermont, allowing them to take two free classes at the college per semester for a year after being released.
The state’s Corrections Post-Secondary Education Initiative, which was first introduced in 2023, allows all Vermont Department of Corrections staff, spouses and dependents of department staff, and those who are incarcerated at any of the state’s six correctional facilities to pursue secondary education through the Community College of Vermont.
The program also embedded free courses from the college into the Vermont Correctional Academy for new department employees, according to Haley Sommer, director of communications and legislative affairs at the department.
“The re-entry vouchers were identified as an additional avenue to support successful re-entry and allow students to continue accessing this resource upon release if they choose to do so,” Sommer said in an email.
Since it launched in 2023, 304 incarcerated individuals along with 136 department staff and staff family members have participated in the program, according to Katie Keszey, director of communications at the Community College of Vermont.
The funding for the initiative comes from part of a federal grant from the Department of Justice and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sander’s office, according to the release.
“Making college classes accessible during re-entry will go a long way toward supporting Vermonters as they return to their communities,” Joyce Judy, president of the Community College of Vermont, said in Thursday’s release.
Read the story on VTDigger here: State expands corrections education program to include those exiting prison.