Overview

Earning a postsecondary credential is a critical pathway to economic success. However, for more than 70 million people with a history of arrest, conviction, or incarceration, involvement in the criminal legal system results in a series of collateral consequences that limit their upward economic mobility. Limited access to education is one of these consequences.

For many years, individuals who were incarcerated were not eligible for Pell Grants, a form of federal financial aid to help eligible students pay for college. However, in July 2023 Congress reinstated Pell Grant eligibility for those in prison, increasing access to education for thousands of individuals. A growing number of colleges and universities are enrolling people who are incarcerated, but there is a lack of centralized oversight of higher education programs within prisons and a limited understanding of the academic and nonacademic needs of these students. While descriptive studies exist, rigorous evidence detailing students’ educational experiences or examining their long-term educational and employment outcomes is scarce. Instead, most research focuses on the effects of these programs on recidivism, or a relapse in criminal behavior often measured by rearrest, reconviction, or reincarceration. Even less evidence exists about how to support people who are pursuing a degree after release.

MDRC is developing a research portfolio related to postsecondary education and training for those who are—or have been—incarcerated. This work will equip administrators, instructors, and other system actors with better information about these students, their experiences, and their outcomes, as well as identify promising practices for promoting degree attainment, reducing recidivism, and improving economic outcomes.