Residents of the Jessup Correctional Institution can now earn a bachelor of science degree in sociology and an optional entrepreneurship certificate through a prison education program being offered by Bowie State University through the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Bowie State is the first HBCU in the state to offer a degree program for individuals incarcerated at a state correctional facility.
Bowie State’s prison education program has been designated as a Second Chance Pell Grant awardee, which allows incarcerated individuals the opportunity to receive Pell Grants to participate in college and university educational programs. Incarcerated students who apply and are accepted into the university will have all fees and tuition covered by the Pell Grants.
“The university’s prison education program is embedded in our Restorative Justice and Practices Institute, which enables us the opportunity to inject the principles of restoration, reconciliation, harms and needs, and empowerment into the curriculum,” said Dr. Charles Adams, chair of the department of criminal justice at Bowie State. “We want to inspire each individual in the program to strive for personal and educational freedom while they embrace the journey of becoming whole again.”
A bachelor’s degree in sociology requires 120 credits that focuses on a liberal arts education. All courses will be offered at the Jessup Correctional Institute. The sociology undergraduate degree prepares students for leadership and responsibility in government, the private sector and equips them for success in graduate school and life, Bowie State officials noted.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Kristin Danley-Greiner over at Patch
