Higher Education Behind Bars

Concerns about crime and public safety are top of mind for many North Carolinians. Happily, university and community-college systems offering correctional-education programs can play a role in reducing recidivism. Partnerships with higher-education institutions provide incarcerated individuals with opportunities to earn a living wage upon release. Studies show that this reduces recidivism and improves public safety.

Every year in the U.S., more than 600,000 individuals are released from incarceration, approximately 18,000 of them in North Carolina. More generally, 95 percent of all incarcerated individuals will eventually be released from prison and return to their communities. In what condition would we like to receive them?

Studies have shown that prison- and workforce-education programs reduce the likelihood of recidivism. Studies have shown that prison- and workforce-education programs reduce the likelihood of recidivism by 14 percent. In addition, findings point to a 6.9-percent increase in the possibility of employment upon an offender’s release and an extra $131 in quarterly wages per formerly incarcerated individual.

There are also taxpayer benefits to offering postsecondary-education programming to prisoners. Studies show that postsecondary-education programs during incarceration generate a positive return on investment for taxpayers. One study found that, for every dollar invested in prison-based education, there are “more than four dollars in taxpayer savings from reduced incarceration costs.”

North Carolina is paving the way for a more robust, high-quality prison-education system. There is a clear connection between the availability of postsecondary programming in prisons and improvements to public safety via the reduction of recidivism, and North Carolina has already caught on. Currently, North Carolina universities and the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS), through coordination with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction, offer a wide variety of programming to incarcerated individuals across the state. With further support from Reentry 2030 and the Pell Grant system, North Carolina is paving the way for a more robust, high-quality prison-education system.

The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s Education Services division currently partners with 43 state community colleges and six other postsecondary institutions. Through these partnerships, incarcerated individuals can gain vocational and postsecondary-education opportunities that will assist them in obtaining and sustaining employment upon release. Incarcerated individuals also have access to a Programs & Services Catalog, where they can search for educational courses that fit their interests and needs. On offer are a wide range of courses and degree options from numerous institutions throughout the state. Below are a few examples of programs that highlight our state’s targeted and robust offerings.

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

In partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, UNC-Chapel Hill offers a variety of educational resources to inmates through its Correctional Education Program, housed in the Friday Center. Over the last 50 years, UNC-Chapel Hill has worked with thousands of incarcerated individuals through this program. Taught by UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, the program offers self-paced correspondence courses by mail or, for eligible individuals, classes in on-site classrooms at seven North Carolina correctional facilities. In addition, the program provides academic advising to help inform inmates’ course selection and potential degree pathways.

Notable programming offered by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Correctional Education Program includes poetry and literature, music, U.S. history, and public speaking and persuasion.

Campbell University 

Campbell’s Second Chance Initiative (SCI) advances second chances through holistic support and meaningful educational opportunities. Created through a partnership between the university, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, and philanthropic organizations, the program is “designed to help students develop the academic and personal competencies necessary for successful reentry and long-term stability.” The initiative began at the Sampson Correctional Institution in 2019 and has since expanded to include both male and female facilities, in addition to providing a reentry component for formerly incarcerated women.

Over the last 50 years, UNC-Chapel Hill has worked with thousands of incarcerated individuals. SCI offers incarcerated students access to accredited college pathways, beginning with an associate of science degree and including a bachelor of science in communication studies, with an optional minor in addiction studies. Participants in SCI earn college credits, complete full degrees, and, in some cases, obtain special certifications.

Campbell reports that, as of January 2025, 39 students have earned an associate of science degree, and nine have completed a bachelor of science. Students impacted by SCI have collectively earned more than 6,500 credit hours across over 2,200 courses.

Prison postsecondary-education programming was not always this accessible or abundant. University of North Carolina Asheville

UNC Asheville’s Prison Education Program (PEP) initiative has been offering liberal-arts-based educational programming in North Carolina correctional facilities since 2019. PEP provides credit courses for incarcerated individuals, with program participants starting with general-education classes including statistics, sociology, humanities, and communications. In 2024, PEP began collaborating with the Buncombe County Detention Facility to allow detainees to earn transferable college credit in courses such as Mass Communication, Introduction to Sociology, and many others.

Through philanthropic support and collaboration with community partners in developing these resources, PEP offers high-quality education to students and provides educational-success support post-release.

NCCCS Program Highlights

The North Carolina Community College System runs a statewide Prison Education Program in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction to deliver postsecondary education to currently incarcerated individuals. In addition to teaching postsecondary courses, some community colleges offer specific programming opportunities to currently incarcerated individuals.

Additional opportunities include:

• Pamlico Community College’s two-year degree program in human-service technology;
• Stanly Community College’s two-year degree program in applied science in HVAC maintenance.

In 2024, North Carolina became the third state to join Reentry 2030, a move timed with Governor Roy Cooper’s signing of Executive Order 303. Executive Order 303 directed whole-of-government coordination to improve reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals in North Carolina.

North Carolina has established its own specific Reentry 2030 goals, which align with the broader goals of Executive Order 303, including:

• Increase the number of post-secondary certificates, diplomas, and degrees offered in state correctional institutions by 25%.

• Increase the number of post-secondary certificates, diplomas, and degree programs available to students at no cost by 25%.

• Increase the number of second-chance employer partners by 30%.

By setting these goals, North Carolina is acknowledging that education is one of the most reliable ways to reduce recidivism, stabilize families, and strengthen our workforce.

Funding for educational programming is essential, and prison postsecondary-education programming was not always this accessible or abundant.

Educational quality and rigorous program evaluation must remain at the center of every initiative. The 1994 federal crime bill barred incarcerated individuals from receiving Pell Grants, leading to a significant reduction in postsecondary-education programming in prisons. Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals was fully restored by the passage of the FAFSA Simplification Act as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act in 2021. This meant that incarcerated people could once again access the benefits of education while imprisoned.

Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals are important because they provide a reliable funding source and address the significant financial barriers that incarcerated individuals face in affording their college coursework. Pell Grant eligibility also means improved program quality. To qualify for Pell Grants, new and existing prison-education programs must undergo an approval process that encourages robust evaluation and data collection to help ensure their effectiveness.

North Carolina’s higher-education institutions can strengthen public safety at low cost by focusing on rigorous, well-evaluated prison-education programs that produce measurable outcomes. This is a practical, evidence-based strategy that improves public safety. Given the state’s history of postsecondary prestige, North Carolina is uniquely positioned to lead this work, but only if educational quality and rigorous program evaluation remain at the center of every initiative. As these programs expand under Reentry 2030, leaders must ensure that the coursework offered during incarceration meets the same academic standards expected on campus and that clear, measurable outcomes guide the program’s growth.

Studies confirm that education during incarceration is one of the most cost-effective public-safety tools available. By focusing on academic rigor, transparency, and the responsible stewardship of public funds, North Carolina can serve as a national model for how higher-education systems can advance both public safety and educational excellence.

Magdalene Horzempa is a 2025 Carolina Cardinal fellow at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, a former Martin Center intern, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and a board member of the UNC Alumni Free Speech Alliance.