When revised federal Pell Grant regulations went into effect in July of 2023, one of the provisions stipulated that college in prison programs would now be obliged to document how they or the organizations they partner with provide reentry services. Ithaka S+R’s new report, Exploring the Landscape of College and Community Reentry Partnerships, examines how colleges and community organizations can best partner to deliver effective services for reintegrating students. This report represents the first findings from a multi-year project made possible with funding from ECMC Foundation.

Because there is a large body of scholarship on reentry needs and services, and it can be overwhelming to find a point of entry, we’ve designed this report to help professionals working in colleges, universities, and postsecondary education in prison programs begin to navigate the space. The report provides key takeaways from existing research and highlights from case studies of how postsecondary institutions serve their reintegrating and formerly incarcerated students.

The report also briefly highlights some of the ways that reentry programming and student basic needs programming overlap, an issue that will be important to consider in future research. Moreover, colleges and universities that serve, or plan to serve, substantial populations of nontraditional students would do well to consider whether their programs are designed and staff are trained to reach and serve students impacted by the criminal legal system.

Below we offer key findings. See the full report to explore case studies of the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons, Emerson Prison Initiative, Washington University in St. Louis Prison Education Project, and the College Gateway Program at Red Rocks Community College.

Key Findings

  • The field of providers serving the needs of returning citizens is at once large and disaggregated.
  • Contextual factors such as education, and employment; family and social support networks; state, local, and charitable service and program offerings; and college support services all influence individual reintegration needs and priorities.
  • Reintegration needs, therefore, must be individually assessed and prioritized for each student on a case by case basis.
  • Colleges employ a variety of partnership structures and service coordination strategies to ensure that reintegrating students have their needs met. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, it is clear that cross-departmental and cross-organizational collaboration—both within and beyond the university—communication, and coordination are important to aid successful transition to college on the outside.