Community College in Enfield to Implement Controversial Inmate Student Program

ENFIELD, CT — Asnuntuck Community College will soon begin offering a variety of certificate programs to incarcerated individuals as part of a federal pilot program known as “Second Chance Pell,” but at least one longtime area legislator is vehemently against the idea.

According to a written statement from the college, Asnuntuck was one of 67 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 take classes at the Elm Street campus, 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,” Asnuntuck president Jim Lombella said in the statement. “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 the college's AMTC.

Asnuntuck 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,” said 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.

Longtime state Sen. John Kissel, who represents seven towns in the Asnuntuck district, expressed strong objections to the state’s decision to implement the plan.

Kissel, the ranking member on the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, said in an email the Department of Correction’s decision to bus the inmates to Asnuntuck raises several safety, security and public policy concerns, including:

• There will be just one parole officer with the inmates at the campus.
• No corrections officers will accompany the inmates to the college.
• Classes at the Manufacturing Center will put inmates in direct contact with tools and instruments which could lead to security risks.
• Due to ongoing construction at Asnuntuck, machinery and materials are present throughout the campus, which could lead to security risks.
• Resources are being directed toward inmates which could have been directed to law-abiding citizens or dislocated workers trying to start a new career path.

“The state’s decision to bus inmates to ACC raises a slew of questions,” Kissel said. “The safety of staff and students must be paramount. Asnuntuck has an open campus where people come and go all the time. So many things could go wrong with this decision. All it takes is one bad event. I support inmate re-integration efforts in general, but I cannot support this decision. I don’t think it was properly thought through. I strongly urge state officials to reconsider this decision immediately.”

Photo credit: Tim Jensen