(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — For the first time, some Illinois prison inmates will be eligible to apply for education at Northwestern University while they’re incarcerated.
The Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP) announced Friday that it is now accepting applications for a new cohort of students for the 2022 – 2023 academic year.
Northwestern’s program, the product of a partnership with the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), allows the university to provide a liberal arts education to inmates at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill.
Oakton Community College is another school that partners with IDOC to provide higher education to those in custody at Stateville Correctional Center.
In a press release, Northwestern said it's the only top-10 university in the country to confer its own bachelor's degrees to students through a prison education program.
IDOC Director Rob Jeffreys said prison education has been shown to help keep inmates from finding their way back into the carceral system.
“While research demonstrates prison education programs are a proven strategy to reduce recidivism, justice-impacted individuals are still excluded from higher education too often,” Jeffreys said in a press release.
All NPEP courses are taught by faculty members at Northwestern and Oakton. The program offers an associate’s degree of general studies from Oakton Community College. After earning their associate’s degree, inmates may apply to Northwestern for a bachelor of science degree.
“Education has a unique power to transform people’s lives for the better,” said NPEP Director Jennifer Lackey. “I am delighted that Northwestern is a national leader in bringing the highest-quality educational opportunities to incarcerated men and women in Illinois.”
Applications are due by August 15th.
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