Several students working on a project
photo courtesy of MN Department of Corrections

This report is an assessment of new higher education partnerships within the state of Minnesota. The partnerships are the result of collaborations between the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) and four state higher education institutions—Metro State University; Minneapolis College; Minnesota State University, Mankato; and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. This is a process evaluation examining Year 1 programming.

The new higher education programs were offered to incarcerated individuals in four state-run correctional facilities. The programming was primarily funded through philanthropic support from the Ascendium Education Group.

Logo for Metro State University
Logo for Minneapolis College
Logo for Minnesota State University, Mankato
Logo for University of Minnesota

 

During Year 1, the four participating higher education institutions offered either a degree program or academic courses at a correctional facility. In fall 2021 (the start of Year 1) classes commenced across the correctional facilities in what the evaluation team refers to as “satellite campuses.” They are satellite campuses in relation to each college or university’s main campus.

An evaluation team from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) was contracted by leadership within the DOC Central Office Education Unit to complete this process evaluation. The work was specifically commissioned by former Assistant Commissioner Daniel Karpowitz.

Evaluation Question Focusing the Study

The evaluation’s overarching question is:

How does the DOC Education Unit’s Higher Education Partnerships create opportunities for increased higher education accessibility, degree completion, and the construction of new learning opportunities?

“Our main message to higher ed partners was essentially, we want your curriculum/degree programs in our facilities, don’t change them to fit into the prison. We want the prison to bend to the college campus. After delivering that message, we really tried to step aside, while obviously working with the facilities to get the logistics in place to welcome the campuses.”

“It’s given me purpose. I’m not as, I don’t want to say depressed because I’m not. I’m not as, I see the light at the end of the tunnel, basically. I’m happy to get up. I’m like, ‘Man, I got shit to do.’ Excuse me for swearing, it just feels good. Like, man, I got stuff to do. I’m not just sitting here on dead time, just kind of waiting for an out-date. You just get up every day, like, ‘Oh my God, I got stuff to do.’ And I’m working toward a greater purpose. So it’s a good feeling just to get out there. Besides the bullshit, the little hurdles that’s not going to stop me—I feel good. I feel good. This is good. This is good for my mental. This is just good mentally. It’s just good spiritually, everything is amazing. Just getting up and going.“ (Student 11)

Evaluation Participants


 

25% of Year 1 students participated in the evaluation (52 students)

25% of Year 1 students participated in the evaluation (52 students)

Findings

Section 1: Program Profiles

The Program Profiles have three main aims. The profiles provide an assessment of a program in response to: metrics they agreed upon contractually or set for themselves, an introduction to key Year 1 programming features, and corresponding graphs illustrating whether a new higher education program student-body was representative of the larger correctional facility’s general population.

Documentation shared by DOC Central Office Education Unit leadership and the higher education partners administering the satellite campuses was used to construct the large majority of the Section 1 Findings.

Section 2: Themes

Section 2 is the product of new data collected through interviews, surveys, and observations as well as course syllabi shared by participating instructors. Through the themes, which cut across all four new partnerships, programmatic successes, opportunities for improvement, and barriers to program implementation are presented.

The themes presented in this section address: policy and procedural changes, foundational program resources, essential relationships, institutional connections and collaboration, points of synergy that undergird the initiatives, and family/friends’ perceptions of programming.

 Policy and Procedural Changes  Connections and Collaborations  Resources  Relationships  Points of Synergy  Family and Friends' Perceptions of Programming

Highlighted Participant Quotes

“We’ve also seen really wonderful student community grow that seemed impossible when we started. I think my favorite thing that we’ve achieved since fall ‘21 is we came in with a group of men who didn’t know each other, didn’t trust each other, had no reason to, hadn’t been socializing with other humans for many months because of COVID. And we’ve now built a community where if you’re part of TREC, I’ve got your back to some degree. And even if we don’t see eye to eye, we have this shared commitment and investment, and I’m happy to talk openly about difficult topics with you in the classroom. And that’s really taken a lot and it’s taken a lot of work on the part of TREC staff just building those relationships individually and then allowing them to build across the collective.” (University Staff 21)

“Managing it all, it’s just self-discipline. I kind of turned my cell into an office. Before I’m looking at my cell as just my room, my bedroom. Going in there, probably watching TV and laying down. But now the way it’s set up, I’m going in there to study, I’m going in here focused, like I got this assignment to do, it’s due this date. It’s just self-discipline. I got little sticky notes on the wall telling me motivational things, you know, it’s just about discipline. I had to work at it, it became a routine and I just got used to it over time. And I started seeing the progress. I started seeing my grades and I started seeing my credits adding up. I’m just working toward that goal.” (Student 22)

“I bring to the table a deep knowledge of this facility and how it runs and the ability to bring different partners together. If it’s regarding the incarcerated population, whether it’s administration, or other security staff—I’ve always worked to keep a very strong relationship with our security partners. I let them have a voice in things and find that common ground to make security and education work together so that one person isn’t getting more rights than another, while making this as safe an environment as we can, giving the best opportunities to our students.” (DOC Staff 13)

“Even though he’s behind bars he’s showing leadership. When I say leadership, he’s showing his kid—because kids look up to their father wherever they are. Or mother wherever they are. He is showing that you don’t have to get stuck because you’re in an environment or situation—you can still reach out and grow within. We got people on this side of town who are not even finishing their high school education—let alone trying to strive for a BA degree. They just out here doing a little of everything. He is trying to show—to me, his boys, and he’s got some nephews in high school, that you can still get that degree. If I can get it, you can get it.” (Family/Friend 4)

Graduation ceremony
photo courtesy of MN Department of Corrections
Graduation photo
photo courtesy Minneapolis College

Highlighted Participant Quotes

“We’ve also seen really wonderful student community grow that seemed impossible when we started. I think my favorite thing that we’ve achieved since fall ‘21 is we came in with a group of men who didn’t know each other, didn’t trust each other, had no reason to, hadn’t been socializing with other humans for many months because of COVID. And we’ve now built a community where if you’re part of TREC, I’ve got your back to some degree. And even if we don’t see eye to eye, we have this shared commitment and investment, and I’m happy to talk openly about difficult topics with you in the classroom. And that’s really taken a lot and it’s taken a lot of work on the part of TREC staff just building those relationships individually and then allowing them to build across the collective.” (University Staff 21)

Graduation ceremony
photo courtesy of MN Department of Corrections

“Managing it all, it’s just self-discipline. I kind of turned my cell into an office. Before I’m looking at my cell as just my room, my bedroom. Going in there, probably watching TV and laying down. But now the way it’s set up, I’m going in there to study, I’m going in here focused, like I got this assignment to do, it’s due this date. It’s just self-discipline. I got little sticky notes on the wall telling me motivational things, you know, it’s just about discipline. I had to work at it, it became a routine and I just got used to it over time. And I started seeing the progress. I started seeing my grades and I started seeing my credits adding up. I’m just working toward that goal.” (Student 22)

“I bring to the table a deep knowledge of this facility and how it runs and the ability to bring different partners together. If it’s regarding the incarcerated population, whether it’s administration, or other security staff—I’ve always worked to keep a very strong relationship with our security partners. I let them have a voice in things and find that common ground to make security and education work together so that one person isn’t getting more rights than another, while making this as safe an environment as we can, giving the best opportunities to our students.” (DOC Staff 13)

Graduation Ceremony
photo courtesy Minneapolis College

“Even though he’s behind bars he’s showing leadership. When I say leadership, he’s showing his kid—because kids look up to their father wherever they are. Or mother wherever they are. He is showing that you don’t have to get stuck because you’re in an environment or situation—you can still reach out and grow within. We got people on this side of town who are not even finishing their high school education—let alone trying to strive for a BA degree. They just out here doing a little of everything. He is trying to show—to me, his boys, and he’s got some nephews in high school, that you can still get that degree. If I can get it, you can get it.” (Family/Friend 4)