Maryland inmates can now earn a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University
Georgetown University has announced a new program that will allow some Maryland prison inmates to earn bachelor’s degrees.
The Georgetown Prisons and Justice Initiative (PJI) will lead the five-year program. It will choose its first 25 students in the fall 2021 semester. By the program’s end, at least 125 inmates within the Maryland prison system will have earned bachelor’s degrees
from the private university in Washington.
“There is a great deal of research showing that prison education reduces costs, makes communities safer and greatly improves the lives of participants and their families,” PJI director Marc Howard told CNN.
By Cherranda Smith
Apr 9, 2021
Georgetown University will offer bachelor’s degrees to about 25 people currently incarcerated in a Maryland prison. According to a report by
The Hill, the university is building upon its Prison Scholars Program after receiving a $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Since the program was started in 2018 in response to incarceration and recidivism, more than 150 students at the Washington, D.C. prison have taken no-credit classes.The three-year grant will permit the students in the program to start earning credits towards a degree.
Students can choose from three majors, cultural humanities, interdisciplinary social sciences, or global intellectual history with courses taught by Georgetown professors, according to a press release made by the university on Tuesday (April 7).
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By leading the initiative, PJI will build upon the Georgetown academic courses they have at the D.C. jail through its Prison Scholars Program.
“We are excited to build upon the success of the Prison Scholars Program and provide an opportunity for students to earn a college degree while incarcerated,” said PJI Director Marc Howard.
“A degree from Georgetown and the interdisciplinary coursework behind it will prepare our graduates to reenter their communities and the workforce with pride in their academic achievements.”
Many returning citizens struggle to find employment after their release due to their criminal record, a lack of formal education, and large gaps in resumes, said the PJI in a press release.
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