POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
The MDOC Workforce Development Division provides career training opportunities for men and women incarcerated in the state, regional and private prisons through intergovernmental agreements with community colleges throughout the state.
The Prison to College Pipeline Program was launched at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in June 2014 with a grant from the University of Mississippi’s College of Liberal Arts. The program expanded to women incarcerated at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl with support from the Mississippi Humanities Council and Mississippi College.
With support from the Mellon Foundation and in partnership with Mississippi junior and senior colleges, the Mississippi Higher Education in Prison Program offers for-credit humanities courses at no cost to students who are incarcerated. The Council works with the Mississippi Community College Board (MCCB) and Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) to sponsor courses that both fulfill basic degree requirements and help students recognize and cultivate the humanity of themselves and others. Currently, four schools are teaching at five locations: Hinds Community College at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, Northeast Mississippi Community College at Alcorn County Correctional Facility, Mississippi Delta Community College at Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, and Mississippi Valley State University at Bolivar County Correctional Facility and the Delta Community Work Center/Technical Violation Center/Restitution Center.
Mississippi Valley State University’s Prison Educational Partnership Program (PEPP) was piloted in the spring of 2022. Classes are provided with Second Chance Pell, a federal program that restores access to income-based financial aid for incarcerated people. All classes are taught by MVSU faculty or adjuncts in alignment with SLCC standards for excellence at Bolivar County Correctional Facility and the Delta Community Work Center/Technical Violation Center/Restitution Center. The program provides inmates a chance to earn college credits and work towards a General Studies Associates Degree. All classes count towards this goal, and every credit earned inside the prison is transferable anywhere in the state. Obtaining a higher education facilitates returning citizens with continued training or educational opportunities, which translates into a documented impact on reduced recidivism rates and taxpayer savings.
PELL PRISON EDUCATION PROGRAM
PELL GRANT INFORMATION
The United States Department of Education (USDOE) reinstated PELL grant eligibility to the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated population on July 1, 2023. The Mississippi Department of Corrections is currently seeking college and university partners to provide post-secondary programs leading to a recognized credential and/or degree program to incarcerated individuals in the MDOC institutions as a Prison Education Program (PEP) as defined by the USDOE.
Regulations regarding PEPs can be found at:
https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/topics/prison-education-programs.
REVIEW PROCESS
Interested colleges and universities must follow a four-step process prior to being considered as a Prison Education Program (PEP) at the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC):
- Initial review with MDOC,
- Final review and evaluation by the MDOC Pell Advisory Committee,
- If applicable; request for additional information or any necessary programmatic changes,
- Formal letter will be sent to applicant with proposal decision.
PARTNERSHIP
In addition to the PEP application, a standardized Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a separate Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) must be established prior to approval of a PEP program. Partnership may be developed within a DOC facility, partnering county jail, or private facility in Mississippi.
QUESTIONS
If you are interested in becoming a PEP within MDOC institutions, we request you review and complete the MDOC PEP application.
To submit an application, or for questions concerning the PEP Proposal Process, or to request information about providing a PEP within the Mississippi Department of Corrections, please contact LaShetta Wilder, LWilder@mdoc.state.ms.us.
Mississippi Department of Corrections Prison Education Program (PEP) Application