Schools Offering College Courses to Inmates - Washington

Correctional Facility: Washington Correction Center for Women, Gig Harbor, WA

College/University/Organization Partnership: Tacoma Community College/ University of Puget Sound

City, State: Seattle, WA

Year Founded: 2011

Founders: Professors Tanya Erzen, Stuart Smithers, Gilda Sheppard, Robin Jacobson and Mary Dewine

Population Served: All women at the prison who have a GED. Women complete a writing and Math assessment to see if they will be placed in college preparatory classes or college level classes.

Number of Students: 111

Degrees Offered: Associate of Arts and Sciences degree from Tacoma Community College

Funding: Private grants, foundations and individual donors.

Contacts: Dr. Tanya Erzen, Executive Director at 206-489-5232 or learn@fepps.org

Program Website: http://fepps.org/

Program Description: The Freedom Education Project Puget Sound (FEPPS) is a nonprofit that benefits women prisoners and their families by offering pre-college and college classes in the Washington Corrections Center for Women. We are the first college program for women prisoners in Washington State. Since 2012, 220 prisoners have enrolled in 20 of our semester-length college courses, and 200 women have attended our monthly lecture series and film series.

Our classes are taught by professors from the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma Community College, Evergreen, University of Washington, and Pacific Lutheran University who have a Ph.D. in their subject area. We have offered 24 full-semester classes in the prison since January 2012.

As of January 2014, our classes receive credit from Tacoma Community College and women in the prison can work toward an Associate of Arts and Science degree. FEPPS is a member of the Bard Prison Initiative National Consortium of Liberal Arts in Prison.

We collaborate directly with the Village, an organization formed by women inside WCCW to address mental health, violence, addiction, and education issues for female prisoners. The Village has grown from five members in 2008 to over 200 women at the prison. In that time, violent incidents inside WCCW have dramatically decreased. We actively promote and foster leadership within the prison through a Village Education Advisory Committee of prisoners who meet monthly with FEPPS about program development.

University Beyond Bars

Program Website: http://www.universitybeyondbars.org/

Contacts: Stacey Reeh, JD, info@universitybeyondbars.org

Program Description: University Beyond Bars (UBB) provides higher education to incarcerated men on-site at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Washington. UBB’s mission is twofold: 1) to transform Washington’s prisons into communities of learning by providing post-secondary education to the incarcerated, particularly to prisoners of color, and 2) to educate the public about prison issues. The men who are incarcerated who have earned their GED can choose from two educational pathways: one offers non-credit, college-level courses and the offers credit-bearing college courses. We have expanded to provide college preparatory instruction as well. Our twice monthly Arts and Lectures series, with guest speakers from a variety of disciplines, is open to all people who are incarcerated at the facility.

Degrees Offered: Associates and Bachelors.

Programs Offered: On-site college preparatory courses, non-credit certificate courses, and credit-bearing college courses.

Unique Features:

1) Incarcerated people themselves play a vital role in administering UBB programs through our Prisoners Advisory Committee which helps determine program policy and organizational goals.

2) We recruit instructors from area colleges and universities who volunteer their time, donating over 3,000 hours per semester.

3) UBB is not part of any educational institution. The energy and funding for this program come from concerned individuals and educators acting independently from their institutions.

Headquarters: P.O. Box 31525, Seattle, WA 98103

Correctional Facilities Served: Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Washington

Population Served:Men incarcerated at the Monroe Correctional Complex

Number of Students: 150-200

Graduates to Date: 11

Year Founded: 2005

Founders: Carol Estes and Gary Idleburg

College/University/Organization Partnerships: Students earn credit through Seattle Central Community College or Adams State University but UBB is not part of either institution.

Funding: Privately funded through foundations and individual donors. All teachers volunteer their time to the program.

Gateways for Incarcerated Youth

Program Website: http://gateways.evergreen.edu/

Contacts: gateways@evergreen.edu or call 360-867-5633 or 360-867-6025

Program Description: The college prep classes at Green Hill and Maple Lane offer incarcerated participants the opportunity to work with teachers and students from The Evergreen State College. Evergreen students travel to the institution to work as co-learners with Green Hill and Maple Lane students on a weekly basis during fall, winter, and spring quarters. Students read and discuss a common college level text, write response papers, and engage in a positive peer relationship. After successfully completing one quarter of college prep, Green Hill and Maple Lane students typically receive two college credits per quarter. The Academic Mentoring Program (AMP) offers participants one-on-one peer mentoring and tutoring. It is youth-driven and goal oriented program that pairs outside volunteers from Evergreen or the greater South Puget Sound community with young men at Maple Lane and Green Hill. Together they develop a syllabus/work plan to meet one a week for an hour to an hour and a half. The Academic Mentoring Program (AMP) is a way for young men to get additional support in the completion of their high school diploma, GED, post-incarceration plans, and/or college class work. The Cultural Identity Groups offer participants the opportunity to learn more about their cultural heritage while bonding with others of similar backgrounds. Gateways recruits outside community members with a strong commitment to cultural diversity to share their knowledge and experiences with the group through presentations or workshops. Visual art, music, writing, performance, and cooking are all mediums group members have used to showcase aspects of their cultural backgrounds. Gateways subscribes to the philosophy that when an individual is secure in their identity and proud of their own heritage they are able to be more accepting of others.

Degrees Offered: No Degrees Offered, but 2 credits/quarter of involvement accredited through the Evergreen State College

Programs Offered: College Level Seminar course in liberal arts/humanities with Evergreen State College Students; Academic Mentoring Program that pairs incarcerated youth with college mentor for college readiness and preparation through goal-orientated curriculum; Cultural Identity Groups that match community members with a small group of ethnically-identified incarcerated youth to gain skills and knowledge through culturally-relevant teachings and practice.

Unique Features: Gateways for Incarcerated Youth is one of the only organizations that work that works with youth and emphasizes the importance of culturally relevant education through a popular education/participatory research approach.

Headquarters: Centralia, WA; Chehalis, WA

Correctional Facilities Served: Maple Lane (Centralia), Green Hill (Chehalis) Juvenile Institution

Population Served: Youth who are incarcerated at Maple Lane or Green Hill Juvenile Institutions

Number of Students: Currently working with 60, total this year 164

Graduates to Date: N/A

Year Founded: 1996

Founders: Carol Minugh

College/University/Organization Partnerships: Evergreen State College

Funding: Limited Transportation Assistance from Washington Juvenile Rehabilitations Administration; limited operations coverage and staffing match through the Center for Community-Based Learning and Action (Evergreen’s Public Service Center) and Americorps’ Washington Campus Compact Retention Project; subgrantee of the College Access Challenge Grant through the Retention Project and generous donations from past and current Gateways Participants, Evergreen State College Students, Staff and Faculty and Olympia Community Members. The Evergreen State College provides 1 full-time faculty, college class operations, as well as staff support

Coyote Ridge Corrections Center College Program

Contacts: Loretta Taylor, Education Direcor of Coyote Ridge Correction Center, loretta.taylor@wwcc.edu, (509) 543-5948, D0C-CRCC (Office)

Degrees Offered: Associates

Headquarters: Connell, WA

Correctional Facilities Served: Coyote Ridge Corrections Center

Population Served: People who are incarcerated

Number of Students: Currently 194 in total

Graduates to Date: So far, 7 have received associate degrees and 5 more graduated in 2011

Year Founded: 2009

Funding: A private foundation has awarded a $140,000 grant to keep the Connell prison’s associate degree program going until 2012, when Department of Corrections officials hope a federal grant will be reinstated.