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It takes time to set up these programs

• Implementing a prison-based and community-based college program with multiple partners for a population with diverse education and reentry needs is challenging. Staff and students reported feeling that a longer commitment (e.g., five years) was needed.

The program needs to allow students to change educational paths upon release

• Postsecondary programs in North Carolina state prisons were limited to a terminal Associate of Applied Sciences degree. The programs offered in prison were for only three majors, which did not always align with students' career interests.

Funding was inconsistent across release communities

• Although each release community received the same budget, the funding was spent differently depending on the size and needs of the student population and available community resources. Variation in spending caused trust and communication problems and created uncertainty among the reentry staff about available resources.

Reentry supports were critical for students

• Housing, employment, and transportation were among the top referrals to services provided to Pathways students, followed by family and substance abuse treatment services.

Having a Pathways navigator and trusted persons of authority was important

• Having a navigator who could help link students to reentry services and assist them in applying for college and financial aid was critical.
• Having Department of Corrections senior leadership support was key to problem-solving, maintaining support, and understanding the concerns of staff.

Staff training and support is needed

• Those involved in Pathways needed clear expectations and defined responsibilities. For many college instructors, teaching in a correctional environment was a new experience.

Before 2013, incarcerated individuals in North Carolina could enroll in college correspondence courses, but there was no coordinated effort to provide a path toward a postsecondary degree or credential. Furthermore, there was no coordination around reentry. The Vera Institute of Justice's Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education Project (Pathways) was a multistate demonstration project in three states — Michigan, New Jersey, and North Carolina — intended to create a continuum of higher education and reentry support services that begin two years prior to an individual's release from prison and continue in the community for two years postrelease, with the goal of educational progression and degree attainment.

RAND and RTI International researchers conducted an independent evaluation of the North Carolina Pathways Program, examining the implementation of the in-prison and community components of the program, the experiences of Pathways students and staff, factors that facilitated or hindered their participation in the program, and lessons learned. The findings and recommendations will be of interest to other states, corrections officials, and educators interested in implementing postsecondary education programs for incarcerated adults.

Notably, North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) continues to fund components of Pathways after the demonstration project ended. Pathways affected how NCDPS approaches both higher education in prison and reentry planning. It has led to more coordination among prisons and probation and parole officers and community resources. Because of Pathways, education has become the fourth pillar of the department's reentry focus (along with housing, employment, and transportation).

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  The North Carolina Pathways Program's In-Prison Component

• Chapter Three

  The North Carolina Pathways Program's Community and Reentry Component

• Chapter Four

  Conclusions and Recommendations

• Appendix A

  Overview of the Pathways Demonstration Project

• Appendix B

  Consent Protocols and Focus Group Discussion Guide for Evaluation of the In-Prison Component of the Pathways Program

• Appendix C

  Consent Protocols and Focus Group Discussion Guide for Evaluation of the Community Component of the North Carolina Pathways Program