Postsecondary education is changing lives in Oklahoma prisons. The research has shown us that there are plenty of reasons to support these opportunities — reducing recidivism, improving prison safety for incarcerated people and staff, and increasing employment rates after release, to name a few. I discussed these in my op-ed earlier this year on how hiring individuals returning from incarceration can address the ongoing labor shortage in our state. I want to breathe life into these statistics for you today by sharing a more human story — Nina’s story.
Nina enrolled in college courses while incarcerated in Oklahoma’s Mabel Bassett Correctional Center. She took physics, chemistry and geology classes, studying in some of the most challenging learning conditions any college student can face. She contended with lockdowns, limited time with faculty and few opportunities for quiet study. Even securing a scientific calculator for her calculus classes proved challenging — it took months and required several approvals.
More:Hiring individuals returning from incarceration can address the ongoing labor shortage
But Nina persevered. She graduated with an associate degree while incarcerated and went on to receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology. She now works as a planetary geochemist and consults with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration — better known as NASA. From reentry to the stars is a pretty remarkable journey.
It’s true, Nina is remarkable. But there are so many more remarkable people like Nina in our state’s prisons. And we are working hard to get them the opportunities that will unlock their potential and prepare them to follow in Nina’s footsteps. In July of 2023, incarcerated people regained eligibility for Pell Grants — the primary federal need-based financial aid available to postsecondary students in the United States — from which they had been barred for almost 30 years. Pell reinstatement is good for Oklahoma. Thanks to a federal pilot program that launched Pell eligibility early for some colleges, Oklahoma has five Pell-eligible colleges teaching in prison, and 1,876 people have enrolled in their programs since 2016. Pell reinstatement is good for Oklahoma.
Having a college education eases the transition from prison back to a community, but there are still so many challenges people face outside the prison gates. At a roundtable I participated in this past April, we discussed how finding safe housing is a major obstacle for people returning to the community. Even with a well-paying job, housing providers may be reluctant to house people with a conviction history.
This is what we’re taking on next in Oklahoma. This year, my office will work with partners like Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform and the Vera Institute of Justice to open doors for formerly incarcerated people for public and affordable housing. We know the people leaving our prisons will be successful, and we want them to be our neighbors.
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Ninety-five percent of people in state prisons across the United States will return home, and people who have participated in postsecondary education programs in prison may have up to 48% lower odds of returning to prison than those who have not. People with safe housing after release see about 34% lower odds of recidivism. The combination of these two efforts in Oklahoma will grow our economy, make our communities safer and unlock the potential of formerly incarcerated Oklahomans here in the Sooner State.
Tricia Everest is Oklahoma secretary of public safety.
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