Second Chance College Program
On June 26, 2016, the University of Baltimore (UBalt) was selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell Grant Experimental Sites Initiative. UBalt was among 67 other colleges/universities selected nationwide to offer a post-secondary correctional education program through federal Pell Grant funding. The objective is to provide post-secondary education to incarcerated students prior to release, therefore reducing likelihood of recidivism, and improving outcomes for educational and employment success.
UBalt’s program is being offered at Jessup Correctional Institution (JCI), a maximum-security prison for men. As of the spring 2021 semester we have 48 students who will study toward a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services Administration degree. While taking courses at JCI students receive academic support from UBalt faculty and staff, community volunteers, and their incarcerated peers.
Through higher education and reentry support students are able to have a positive impact on their own lives, their families, and the Baltimore community. The Second Chance College Program works with students when they are released to continue their education on campus and find meaningful and sustainable employment. When released, students are also provided with reentry support services, tuition assistance, and receive mentoring from their peers who are successfully continuing their education on campus.
The Second Chance College Program director is Andrea Cantora, associate professor in the School of Criminal Justice.
Download the Second Chance College Program fact sheet.
In the news...
- Dec. 23, 2020: Congress lifts long-standing ban on Pell grants to people in prison
- April 23, 2019: Why federal student aid should be restored for people in prison
- March 29, 2019: University of Baltimore Student Chris Wilson, Author of The Master Plan, Announces Scholarship Fund for Students in UBalt's Second Chance Program
- March 18, 2019: Teaching in America's prisons has taught me to believe in second chances
- Nov. 20, 2018: Prison education a proven investment
- Fall 2018: The Power of a Helping Hand
- April 5, 2018: Finding College by Way of Prison
- Oct. 18, 2016: Give Prisoners a Second Chance
- June 28, 2016: UBalt School of Criminal Justice Selected as Participant in National 'Second Chance' Program to Educate Incarcerated
- June 24, 2016: Prisoners to Get 'Second Chance Pell'
- June 24, 2016: 12,000 inmates to receive Pell grants to take college classes