In Michigan prison classrooms and workshops, the numbers are climbing: More inmates than ever are earning high school diplomas, technical certificates and college credits, signaling a shift in how the state approaches incarceration.
New state data shows that about 4,000 inmates completed programs last fiscal year, up 66% from about 2,400 in 2020 as the state expanded access to academic and vocational training across its 26 facilities.
Enrollment has climbed over that same time frame, with about 11,000 of the state’s 33,000 prisoners participating last year, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Programs in Michigan prisons range from high school equivalency and special education to trades like welding, robotics and commercial truck driving. The goal: provide inmates with an education or vocational training that sets them up for successful reintegration when they leave prison.
“The Michigan Department of Corrections has focused on increasing access to educational programs over the last decade,” Jenni Riehle, spokesperson for the MDOC, told Bridge Michigan.
“This has included developing and launching new career and technical education programs with support from the state budget, as well as expanding postsecondary programming with partner colleges and universities, thanks to the restoration of federal Pell Grants for those who are incarcerated.”
Those federally funded Pell Grants are typically awarded to help low-income students pay for college. Congress reinstated eligibility for incarcerated individuals in 2020, ending a nearly 30-year ban that began with a 1994 crime bill.
Last year, the department began transforming the Michigan State Industries factory at Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer into an educational center with the goal of providing postsecondary and career technical education to more than 800 inmates. The facility is expected to open by mid-2027.
“We have seen that educational programming can create a positive focus within facilities, giving individuals a productive outlet for their time, which helps reduce behavioral incidents,” Riehle said.
She noted that inmates on parole who participated in Vocational Village, a specialized vocational program offered at Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia and Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson, have a lower recidivism rate than the general prison population.
Prison partners
Michigan also partners with several colleges and universities to provide postsecondary education in state prisons, including Jackson College, Eastern Michigan University, Calvin University, Hope College, Grand Valley State University, Lake Superior State University and Wayne State University.
For the last 10 years, Jackson College has offered associate degrees and certificates at seven correctional facilities, including the federal prison in Milan. Inmates can earn associate degrees in arts, general studies, business administration, public leadership, or science, or certificates in business management and public administration.
“Our goal is to make sure that our students complete a program and get a credential because that’s what you do when you go to college,” said Lynn Wood, director of corrections education at Jackson College.
“We work closely with our students to ensure that they are taking the right classes so that they’re on track to get a completion, especially before they have a parole date, so that they can walk out with that credential.”
Credentials not only help incarcerated individuals receive better job placement in prison but can also help them once they are released from prison.
Wood recalled a former student who was promoted from an entry-level job to a management position in the food service industry because he earned his associate degree in business management while he was incarcerated.
The opportunities extend beyond associate degrees, with some universities offering full bachelor’s programs tailored to specific correctional populations. These initiatives aim to mirror traditional campus experiences while preparing incarcerated students for continued education and reentry after release.
“Our goal is to provide a main campus experience as close as possible for our Women’s Huron Valley Facility campus students,” said Meghan Lechner, Director of the College in Prison & Returning Citizens Fellowship. “This means we have several student clubs, an annual Business Pitch Competition and students who annually present at EMU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium.”
‘The heartbeat of our program’
Eastern Michigan University offers a bachelor’s degree in general studies to women incarcerated at Huron Valley Correctional Facility, the state’s only women’s prison in Washtenaw County, through its College in Prison program.
The program, primarily funded by a Pell Grant, launched in 2023 and in September, hosted its first graduation ceremony for 12 incarcerated women who earned their bachelor’s degrees.
“We offer robust, wraparound reentry services for our CiP students upon release, which include helping them find pathways to continue their education at EMU or beyond,” Lechner said.
Currently, four students who began the program while incarcerated have transitioned to EMU’s main campus to finish their degree.
“Aside from finding new and creative ways to mimic the main campus experience as much as possible, many of our new initiatives and goals come from our students themselves,” Lechner said. “Our students are truly special and the heartbeat of our program.”
Calvin University also offers a double major bachelor’s degree in faith and community leadership and human services at Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia, through its prison initiative. Since it began in 2015, 88 men have received their bachelor’s degrees, and 18 are on track to graduate in May.
“Our intention from the beginning was to serve men with a long or life sentence. At our inception, there was not much programming available for those with those types of sentences,” said Lisa Spoelhof Schra, executive director of the program.
“By providing students with the same excellent Christian liberal arts education found on our main campus, students in CPI would discover their calling and use their skills to be of service to their communities — whether that was inside or outside the prison walls.”
The program takes five years to complete. Individuals receive a certificate after their first year, an associate’s degree after two years and then their bachelor’s degree upon completion.
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This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
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