| Oregon Prisons Offering College Inside Program |
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| Department of Corrections and Chemeketa Community College Team Up |
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OSP students at the end of the year awards ceremony
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In late 2006, a group of inmates requested to have onsite college classes. January 2007 was the first time since 1993 that college classes have been available to inmates. Since then, Chemeketa Community College (CCC), with the help of donors, has assisted more than 100 inmates earn more than 2,000 college credits.
Inmates are responsible, to the extent possible, for the costs of their classes. To help provide education for those who can't afford the full cost of tuition and books, the Department is fortunate to have volunteer support. A donor contacted CCC and offered to help pay for the education of 40-45 inmates a year, two classes per term and four terms a year. The goal of the program is to help inmates earn an Associate of Arts Degree, or earn as many credits as possible towards a degree, making it more attainable to earn once released.
These offenders were so enthusiastic about the program that they recruited other inmates to participate. The College Inside Program is proud to be expanding to Mill Creek Correctional Facility (MCCF) in Salem. This expansion will give inmates the opportunity to continue their schooling as they are transferred to a minimum custody facility.
To be eligible for assistance with tuition/books, the following criteria must be met:
- High school diploma or GED
- Eighteen months clear conduct
- Within five years from release
- No other college degrees
- Maintain a B (3.0) GPA after three terms (Earning a D or F results in loss of funding)
After the donations, inmates only pay $25 per class plus the cost of books. Those who do not meet the above criteria may still enroll. However, they must pay for the program themselves or through the support of family members.
CCC staff members visited the program and saw the investment in bettering lives and consequently, creating safer communities. They began making donations to help even more inmate students enroll in college classes. They raised $5,000 for the Chemeketa Community College Foundation, which includes College Inside. The Miller Foundation matched those funds, which resulted in $10,000 for scholarships. CCC textbook representatives donated over $19,000 worth of textbooks for fall 2008/winter 2009 and the CCC Bookstore helps by finding used textbooks and textbooks that are one edition behind the books currently used at CCC.
Everyone involved in the College Inside Program was excited to hear that the financial donor agreed to continue the donations for another two years.
For those inmates who continue their education upon release, they can attend CCC with the assistance of the Hope Book Scholarship Fund. This fund gives these students a $100 credit at the CCC Bookstore to help purchase textbooks and instructional supplies.
Currently, there are 126 inmate students participating in the program, 93 students have scholarships and 33 are self-pay students; with the first two inmates graduating and the majority of the inmates receiving awards from Chemeketa for their high GPA's this year. Forty-two college classes are offered at Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP), OSCI and starting at MCCF on September 28, 2009. Students have earned 2,243 credits from January 2007 through spring 2009.
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