SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Illinois Department of Corrections' (IDOC) new policy on post-secondary education went into effect across the state on Monday.
The policy was written with input from the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit research and policy organization. It was designed to address the challenges faced by individuals completing their degrees while incarcerated.
Illinois is one of the only states to enact a policy for post-secondary education in correctional facilities.
“We are proud of this new policy, the thoughtfulness that went into writing it, and the input IDOC collected from colleges, staff members, national experts, and formerly incarcerated students,” said IDOC Director Rob Jeffreys. “We believe this new guidance will be clearer and easier to interpret for staff and provide our post-secondary partners a stronger foundation to build their programs. We’re particularly grateful to the Vera Institute for its assistance and expertise. They helped us to keep Pell reinstatement front and center.”
IDOC’s new policy will create significant changes to post-secondary education programs inside facilities. The full policy can be found here.
“We at Lake Land College appreciate the Department of Corrections’ work and leadership on correctional education. Post-secondary education within a correctional environment can be difficult, but it is critical in helping individuals in custody to successfully re-enter the labor market after release. This new policy will provide colleges like Lake Land College with clear guidelines that ensure the safety as well as the success of students and staff,” said Lake Land College President, Josh Bullock.
Studies say that incarcerated individuals with the opportunity to enroll and complete college courses are less likely to re-offend and are also less prone to disciplinary issues.
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