ACC Kicks Off Second Chance Pell Pilot Program

Starting next week, Asnuntuck Community College (ACC) will begin offering a variety of certificate programs to incarcerated individuals as part of a federal pilot program known as “Second Chance Pell.” Asnuntuck was one of sixty-seven schools selected nationwide by the White House to participate. This initiative seeks to equip inmates with job skills necessary to become contributing members of society upon their release. The program provides federally-funded Pell Grants to eligible incarcerated students who are close to completing their sentences.

To be eligible, potential students must demonstrate excellent behavior and meet all academic and financial requirements. A total of 16 low-risk, near release students will on campus at ACC, with an additional 400 inmates participating solely at area correctional facilities. Many of the students are currently located at low security, reintegration facilities and a high percentage are veterans.

“We’re excited to be selected to participate in this historic program” said ACC President Jim Lombella. “Asnuntuck has a history of offering groundbreaking programs and a policy of open access. Since March 2016, we have been working on this project with several partners including local law enforcement, our community leaders and the Department of Corrections who vetted and selected each student. We will be monitoring the progress of the program closely to ensure its success.”

Asnuntuck will be providing instruction at its Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (AMTC), in Enfield, as well as at the MacDougall, Osborn, Robinson and Willard Cybulski correctional facilities in the disciplines of Marketing, Business Administration, Human Services Management and Advanced Manufacturing Technology. The on-campus component will restricted to the AMTC (not classrooms) during times when the AMTC would otherwise be empty. Department of Corrections staff will regularly check-in with the 16 students who will do a portion of the program in ACC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (AMTC). ACC currently has former correction officers on site for additional security.

“This type of partnership between the Department of Correction and Asnuntuck Community College, generated through the Second Chance Pell Program, speaks to the collaboration necessary to support successful community reentry. By breaking through silos, we can have a generational impact on recidivism,” says Connecticut Department of Corrections Commissioner Scott Semple.

This program is funded through Federal Pell dollars earmarked for this population, and it is not taking away resources from Connecticut students.

Asnuntuck is one of four community colleges within the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system participating in the Second Chance Pell Program. Schools chosen demonstrated strong partnerships with state correctional institutions as part of the criteria along with a focus on supporting successful reentry. The national goal is to enroll approximately 12,000 incarcerated students across the country who are likely to be released within five years.

Additional Background:

ü The Second Chance Pell program is a response to recommendations by President Obama’s My Brothers’ Keeper Task Force

ü The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world with approximately 2.2 million people in American prisons and jails

ü According to a study by the Department of Justice, incarcerated individuals who participated in correctional education were 43 percent less likely to return to prison within three years