Thousands of incarcerated people in Connecticut want to pursue higher education, and funding is available, but limited space and resources have kept programs from expanding to meet demand, officials say.
According to The Associated Press, as of October 2024, about 320 incarcerated individuals were enrolled in college courses — a small fraction of the roughly 3,000 who are eligible. State leaders, correction officials, and educators point to shortages of classrooms, technology, and internet access as major barriers.
“With the classroom space we are currently allotted, we are really only able to admit maybe 12 to 15 students per year out of hundreds who express interest annually,” said Zelda Roland, founding director of the University of New Haven Prison Education Program and the Yale Prison Education Initiative.
Yale’s program offers college courses at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution and degrees in partnership with the University of New Haven.
Funding through Pell Grants is available, with maximum awards for 2025–26 reaching roughly $7,400 per student, but the lack of classrooms and equipment prevents expansion.
“The scale of this unmet need is astounding,” said Daniel Karpowitz, undersecretary of criminal justice policy and planning at Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management. “If we measure it simply in the failure to draw down the millions of dollars that the federal government is offering, it’s staggering.”
Limited internet access adds additional hurdles. Roland said students cannot access online research, and all teaching materials must be approved by the Department of Correction.
Teresa Foley, who oversees Connecticut State Community College programs for incarcerated students, added that many students lack laptops, hindering skill development in software like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
“The digital divide they face makes reintegration into society even harder,” Foley said.
Connecticut has expanded prison education programs since the Second Chance Pell Program launched in 2015, and Pell eligibility was fully restored in 2023. Schools, including Wesleyan, Yale, Quinnipiac, Trinity, and the University of New Haven, now offer courses, sometimes rotating between multiple correctional facilities.
Programs have shown positive outcomes. Graduates have started businesses and joined organizations supporting incarcerated people. Karpowitz noted that education increases high school graduation rates in students’ families and reduces the likelihood of recidivism.
Still, logistical hurdles remain. Facility lockdowns and transfers disrupt student progress, and programs must often rely on private grants to cover costs beyond Pell Grants. Professors and administrators continue to advocate for more classrooms, internet access, and technology to allow incarcerated students to succeed.
“This is an intergenerational priority,” Karpowitz said. “And we are missing the boat, currently.”
