Class In Session For Women At Dublin's Prison

DUBLIN, CA — Class will soon be in session for women interested in taking noncredit customer service and small business management courses at the Women's Federal Correctional Institute in Dublin. The courses, offered by Las Positas College, will commence in the spring.

Women will have the opportunity to take seven nine-hour classes over the course of 16 weeks, the college announced in a press release.

Many inmates work in the service industry after leaving the prison, said Kristina Whalen, Las Positas College vice president of academic services. The recidivism rate is lower for people who are employed after their release from prison.

The courses will make it easier for inmates to transition into a post-prison life, said Drew Patterson, the college's business professor.

"We strongly believe that if given an opportunity, this segment of our society will be a productive part of the workforce," he said in the press release.

The prison outreach effort is a pilot program, part of the college's Adult Education Project.

Las Positas College reached out to the prison's educational director, Loanne Tran, and reviewed the course catalog for classes that could benefit inmates, the college said.

The Adult Education Project also offers English as a Second Language classes, basic adult literacy classes, classes that can lead to a GED or high school diploma, programs for adults with disabilities, pre-apprenticeship classes and more, according to the college's website.