Bowie State Becomes 1st HBCU In Maryland To Offer Degree Program To Inmates

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Residents of the Jessup Correctional Institution can now earn a bachelor of science degree in sociology and an optional entrepreneurship certificate through a prison education program being offered by Bowie State University through the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Bowie State is the first HBCU in the state to offer a degree program for individuals incarcerated at a state correctional facility.

Bowie State’s prison education program has been designated as a Second Chance Pell Grant awardee, which allows incarcerated individuals the opportunity to receive Pell Grants to participate in college and university educational programs. Incarcerated students who apply and are accepted into the university will have all fees and tuition covered by the Pell Grants.

“The university’s prison education program is embedded in our Restorative Justice and Practices Institute, which enables us the opportunity to inject the principles of restoration, reconciliation, harms and needs, and empowerment into the curriculum,” said Dr. Charles Adams, chair of the department of criminal justice at Bowie State. “We want to inspire each individual in the program to strive for personal and educational freedom while they embrace the journey of becoming whole again.”

A bachelor’s degree in sociology requires 120 credits that focuses on a liberal arts education. All courses will be offered at the Jessup Correctional Institute. The sociology undergraduate degree prepares students for leadership and responsibility in government, the private sector and equips them for success in graduate school and life, Bowie State officials noted.

“HBCUs must be involved in educating incarcerated citizens because approximately 70 percent of Maryland’s inmates are people of color,” said Dr. Adams. “Offering a prison education program rooted in restorative justice/practices is innovative and could prove to be beneficial to incarcerated citizens as well as the community they will ultimately return to when they are released from Jessup.”

To participate in the program, the inmates must have graduated from high school or successfully completed their GED. The first group of seven students began courses this week and they range in age from early 20s to over 50. They will take four courses each semester while pursuing their degrees in sociology with the goal of securing jobs or continuing their education after they are released from prison.

The University of Baltimore is the only other institution in the University System of Maryland to offer a four-year degree program to incarcerated citizens.