Inmates at Ironwood State Prison have the opportunity to earn an Associate’s Degree from Palo Verde College. EOP&S assumed the leadership in beginning this pilot project. It has turned into a very successful partnership program for the prison and the college. Disciplinary incidents at the prison have declined, as have the rates of recidivism.

Palo Verde College became involved at the request of the Chancellor’s Office for the California Community Colleges. Instructor Joy Aeschbocker at Ironwood wanted to “do something positive for the inmates”, so made the phone call to Chancellor’s Office staff member, Cheryl Fong, in the Student Services Department. Cheryl then called Palo Verde’s EOPS Director/Counselor, Pat Koester (yours truly) to encourage work with this population of potential students. I thought this might be an interesting opportunity for Palo Verde, a way to gain some enrollment and use some additional book funds that were available that year. And, what a challenge! I had only set foot on prison grounds once, and that was for a tour.

Soon after agreeing to provide services, we set about meeting with college President James W. Hottois and prison administrators Warden Don Taylor and Rick Babb, Community Resources Manager. We put together a plan and began to offer distance education courses, which required a “buy-in” from the faculty at Palo Verde, since it meant a restructuring of educational delivery. Course materials, books, videos and assignments were prepared and delivered via courier to Ironwood. Assessments for placement in math and English courses were given, orientations were held, paperwork was filed, and eligibility was determined. The EOPS program paid for books and counseling services, and fees were covered for California residents by the Board of Governor’s waiver program. Proctors, mostly off-duty prison educators, monitored exams and distributed books and materials.

Some of the challenges we faced involved learning how two very different state agencies could work together for mutual benefit. Regulations governing prisons, safety and security issues, and community college laws did not always coincide. Training of college staff in how to work with felons, dressing to satisfy strict dress codes, learning to work in a “locked-in” environment were all new experiences. For example, how do you submit your taped Spanish assignment to your instructor when “recording devices” are not allowed? We found a way to deal with all of it.

An even greater challenge has been dealing with the correctional officers’ local unions. The program at Chuckawalla was suspended in spring 2003 due to pressure from their union, but restarted in fall 2003 with 50 some inmates enrolled currently. A prison official, Bill Hobbs, Correctional Counselor II, along with college officials and the warden, was in on the ground floor when the program began. He states that there are approximately 800 guards employed at both prisons, with only about 25 that do not support the educational program. The current warden at Ironwood, James Hall, is committed to supporting and continuing the program.

Student inmates watch videotaped classes on the closed circuit prison television system broadcast into their cells. Televisions are purchased by the inmates or their families. To succeed, inmates view the videos in the wee hours of the morning as they carried full-time jobs during the day. Textbooks and calculators are recycled to save on costs.

An important aspect of the success of the inmate education program at Ironwood has been the follow-up support services. During the semester, instructors visit their students during “college day” in a face-to-face format. Counselors meet with student inmates to register them for classes and to review their progress mid-term. Other inmates serve as tutors and clerks and encourage the students to be successful by keeping up with their classwork.

To date, there have been 40 some graduates, with another 20 or so expected this fall. The inmates have shown higher grade point averages and complete more course units than the Palo Verde College students in the traditional classroom setting. The very first semester of participation, spring, 2001, the Chancellor’s Office presented Palo Verde College and Ironwood State Prison a student success award for innovative and collaborative projects.

The College, the community and the prisons have all benefited from the inmate education program in several ways. Overall funding for the College has increased significantly as a result of the program. The College has been able to expand course offerings and programs to all students. The number of full-time faculty members has been increased, allowing a greater variety of choices for all. The distance education program would not have been possible without the critical mass of students the prisons provided. Residents, who could not attend traditional face-to-face traditional courses because of work schedules, disabilities, or other reasons, now have the option to enroll in distance education courses that previously did not exist. The prisons have benefited because the program has reduced the number of disciplinary incidents, which often create expensive overtime costs. Also, those involved with the inmate education program have noted that racial and gang barriers seem to have been eliminated among the student inmates. It is hoped the program will reduce recidivism. So far, those inmates who have participated in the program and been released, have not returned to custody. In fall 2003, California Department of Corrections (CDC) established a pilot program for Ironwood to track recidivism rates and disciplinary savings from the program. If the program proves successful in reducing crime and saving money, the CDC has indicated a willingness to expand the program to other prisons. Ironwood officials estimate that if the program were implemented statewide, the state could save hundreds of millions of dollars.