The Educational and Professional Consequences of Incarceration After College

For college students, a criminal conviction can lead to jail time, fines, and a permanent criminal record that can negatively affect their lives. Formerly incarcerated people are often excluded from educational opportunities, making it difficult to gain the credentials needed to succeed after release. This article examines the educational disadvantages faced by formerly incarcerated people and the impact of these disadvantages on their employment prospects. Furthermore, it also examines whether a bachelor's degree is revoked because of incarceration.

Educational Attainment of Formerly Incarcerated People

Formerly incarcerated people are often relegated to the lowest rungs of the educational ladder. According to data from the National Former Prisoner Survey, more than half hold only a high school diploma or GED, and a quarter hold no credential at all. In contrast, residents (age 25+) who hold a high school diploma or GED has increased steadily.

Before going to prison, many formerly incarcerated people are subject to punitive practices in schools and neighborhoods that funnel them out of school and into the juvenile and criminal justice system. This process has been characterized as a “school-to-prison pipeline.” A quarter of formerly incarcerated people do not have a basic high school diploma or GED, and at least an additional third (33%) obtain GEDs as their highest level of education in lieu of traditional diplomas. Together, these two groups make up 58% of all formerly incarcerated people whose traditional high school educations were cut short. Excluding youth from a traditional high school education denies them not just an important credential, but also qualitatively different educational experiences, valuable networking opportunities, and career guidance. To achieve social and economic success, people who are incarcerated must find ways to make up for these lost experiences in prison or upon reentry.

The Importance of Education for Employment After Release

Education is especially critical for people seeking employment after release from prison. Building on previous research, which revealed a staggering 27% unemployment rate among formerly incarcerated people, it is found that those with low levels of formal education face even higher unemployment rates. In particular, formerly incarcerated people without a high school credential report extreme unemployment rates, and the outlook is particularly bleak for people of color. The combination of educational exclusion, history of incarceration, race, and gender contributes to much higher rates of unemployment for formerly incarcerated people of color (age 25+) without high school credentials. Women of color face the highest unemployment rates: 60% of Black women who don’t have a high school diploma or GED, and nearly half of Hispanic women, are unemployed.

The labor market has declined. It is nearly impossible for formerly incarcerated job seekers to compete in an economy that increasingly demands highly skilled, credentialed workers. An analysis finds wide variation in employment outcomes by educational attainment, underscoring the importance of education for people seeking work after release. Unemployment among those without a high school credential is much worse, ranging from 25% among white men to 60% among Black women.

GED Programs in Prison

For those who enter prison without a high school diploma, GED programs are frequently offered to help bridge the educational gap. Compared to the general public, formerly incarcerated people are much more likely to attain the high school credential through GED programs. Of the 33% of all formerly incarcerated people (age 25+) who hold GEDs as their highest degrees, the vast majority (73%) received them in prison. Almost 27% of formerly incarcerated people attained a GED while incarcerated.

For formerly incarcerated people, a GED earned in prison is almost never a stepping-stone to higher education. Of all formerly incarcerated people with in-prison GEDs, less than 10% go on to take any college coursework, and less than 1% attain college degrees. In contrast, nearly half of GED holders in the general public go on to complete at least some college.

College Education

There are large educational inequalities between the general public and formerly incarcerated people at the top of the educational ladder: college. While over 28% of the U.S. population in 2008 held a college degree, less than 4% of formerly incarcerated people did. The difference is even more pronounced among those who hold a high school diploma or GED: While those in the general public have a 1 in 3 chance of attaining a college degree, a formerly incarcerated person’s chances are less than 1 in 20.

Part of the problem is the limited number of in-prison college programs, which are available in only a fraction of the number of facilities that offered them 25 years ago. But even after release, formerly incarcerated people face barriers to enrolling in college programs. They continue to face punishment in the form of federal financial aid restrictions, discriminatory college admissions practices, and occupational licensing restrictions that can negate educational achievements.

In-prison college degree-granting programs are still inaccessible for most incarcerated people. People incarcerated in state and federal prisons, with limited exceptions, are ineligible for federal Pell Grants and federal student loans. Many colleges and universities continue to include questions about criminal history on their applications. Even when incarcerated people learn skills relevant to further education or occupational licenses in prison, license restrictions based on criminal history can invalidate their training.

Even more unsettling is the fact that no more than 6% of any demographic group surveyed had completed college. It appears that even four or more years after release, the educational attainment of formerly incarcerated people still lags well behind that of the general public. Although the narrowing of the high school education gap is encouraging, these results aren’t as significant as we would hope and formerly incarcerated people remain far less likely than the general public to take part in any postsecondary educational experiences.

Overcoming Educational Inequalities

There are opportunities to alleviate these educational inequalities and prevent them from ever occurring in the first place.

Fix K-12 school inequalities: Students - particularly students of color - should not suffer from a lack of educational resources or overly punitive school policies that funnel them into prisons simply because of the neighborhood in which they live. In order for education to truly be the “great equalizer” it first has to operate equally.
Ensure access to robust educational services: Incarcerated people should have access to robust educational services that prepare them for both higher education and 21st-century jobs.
Ban-the-box: States should immediately “ban-the-box” on all applications for admission to state-funded colleges and universities. Postsecondary educational institutions should give everyone a fair opportunity to pursue their educational goals, not further punish criminalized people looking to get their lives on track.

Read also: "Plankton: The Movie": A critical analysis
Restore Pell Grants: Restore Pell Grants to incarcerated people and remove other barriers to financial aid for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people.

College in Prison Programs: A Second Chance

Fortunately, there are examples of successful programs that provide college courses to incarcerated individuals. The NJ-STEP initiative launched at East Jersey State Prison in 2013, Stackhouse was among the first cohort of students. NJ-STEP allows people in five of New Jersey’s eight prisons to take courses offered by Drew University, Princeton University, Raritan Valley Community College, and Rutgers University.

The Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative (SCP) began in 2016 to help fill the gap left by the ban on Pell Grants. The Department of Education has provided Pell Grants to students in state and federal prisons who attend one of the 200 participating colleges.

Lee College has been offering college degrees to incarcerated people in Texas since 1966. Research underscores the value of college in prison-which benefits students, families, and communities. Some studies suggest a college education can help formerly incarcerated people secure well-paying jobs and find stability when they return home. The recidivism rate for formerly incarcerated people who have participated in Lee College programs is six percent, compared to Texas’s recidivism rate of about 20 percent within three years of release. The Rand Corporation estimates that every dollar spent on college-in-prison programs saves taxpayers five dollars in reincarceration costs.

Success Stories

Dameon Stackhouse is the community police alliance coordinator for the Bridgewater Police Department in New Jersey, where he responds to calls related to mental health and domestic violence, among others, and connects residents with resources. After his incarceration, Stackhouse went on to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work.

CJ Suranofsky is a warehouse site manager who's overseen the opening of three new locations in Texas over the last two years. He'll be moving into upper management next year. Suranofsky was released from prison in April 2020.

Jamie Gregrich is pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock while she works as a reentry program specialist for Goodwill. Gregrich has since graduated from Shorter with an associate’s degree in entrepreneurial studies.

Drug Use and College Students

Drug use in many college campuses is prevalent. Students who get caught with drugs can face not only trouble with the law but also severe ramifications from their school such as suspension or even expulsion. If you are charged with drug possession, the thought of going to jail is always on the back of your mind. The amount of time you spend in jail will depend on the type of drugs you had in your possession and whether or not you have a criminal background. Colleges and universities frown upon drug use and may likely put students caught with drugs on academic probation, suspension, or even expulsion. It is also common for colleges and universities to take student aid away from students charged with drug possession. If you have plans to go to graduate school after college, a drug possession on your record could really slow you down. Many graduate programs conduct background checks on applicants and might reject those with criminal records.

Impact of a Criminal Record

A permanent criminal record will have a profound impact on many areas of a student’s life in the years to come.

Employment: Getting a job is challenging enough for college students and new college graduates. Employers often ask whether a person has a criminal record.
Graduate school: Graduate schools have high standards for selecting students for their graduate programs.
Sex offender registration: Sexual assault, statutory rape, and other sex-related criminal charges will affect nearly every aspect of your life far into the future. It will impact your ability to secure a job, where you live, where you can travel, and with whom you can spend time.
Housing: Many apartment buildings and other rental properties do not rent to people with criminal records.

The stress of dealing with the criminal process while in school can also weigh heavily on a student.

Degree Retention After Incarceration

Concerns often arise about losing academic credentials due to criminal convictions or imprisonment. A bachelor’s degree awarded by an accredited institution remains valid regardless of incarceration. Educational institutions do not revoke degrees solely because a graduate goes to jail. However, if the degree was obtained through fraudulent means, the institution may investigate and potentially rescind it. It is important to review the specific policies of the awarding university and any relevant legal statutes. Degrees are considered earned credentials and are not typically affected by subsequent criminal convictions. However, it is possible for an individual to lose their professional license due to a conviction (for example, a lawyer's license can be revoked for a serious criminal conviction), the degree earned remains intact.

Implications of a Grand Theft Charge on a Medical License

Grand theft is typically classified as a felony, which is a more serious offense, and it is also considered a crime of dishonesty. While it does not automatically result in the loss of a license, the final decision lies with the licensing board, but it remains a possibility.

tags: #consequences #of #going #to #jail #after