By Kenia Miranda Verdugo
The University of California, Irvine, (UCI) Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees (LIFTED) team joined Michelson 20MM last week for “Pathways from Prison to College: California’s Best Practices in Action: Learnings From UC Irvine’s Bachelor’s in Prison Program.”
As part of Michelson 20MM’s commitment to highlighting incredible organizations across the state that are implementing California’s Best Practices: Pathways From Prison to College, we were honored to showcase the incredible work of UCI LIFTED. During the discussion, the LIFTED team shared the process of creating a UC bachelor’s degree program in prison, who is involved, and how it is growing.
From Richard J. Donovan to the Norco California Rehabilitation Center: How the LIFTED Model Is Expanding
Education has emerged as a powerful tool for transforming the lives of incarcerated individuals. Leading the charge is UCI LIFTED, which has been instrumental in providing in-prison degree opportunities. As its success continues to unfold, the program’s expansion to the University of California, Riverside, (UCR) marks a new era of hope and opportunity for incarcerated individuals seeking to uplift their lives.
A Brief History of Face-to-Face Education in California’s Prisons
A decade ago, the California Legislature funded community colleges to start offering face-to-face courses in the state’s prisons. Within a few years, every one of the state’s 34 prisons offered face-to-face associate’s degrees, which means that there are now thousands of students clamoring for Bachelor’s degrees in prison.
Recognizing the need, California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) offered the first bachelor’s degree program in prison—now, the UC system has followed suit. Five years ago, UC Irvine brainstormed how to create a degree granting program inside prison and welcomed its first cohort in 2022.
From Incarcerated Student to Professor in Prison
Among UCI LIFTED’s initial students was Ryan Flaco Rising, now a PhD student at UC Irvine and founder of the West Coast Credible Messengers. Fast forward to 2024, Flaco Rising has come full circle, “I’m the first formerly incarcerated graduate student who actually was in this prison [Richard J. Donovan] going back in now,” he shared. “I’ve been teaching workshops—graduate preparation and career readiness workshops—I got to create the whole curriculum for this workshop, use my own personal statement, statement of purpose, and my own CV and everything.”
“To go in and empower these incarcerated scholars in the LIFTED program, and uplift their minds on this process of going from a bachelor’s degree to graduate school into a career afterwards, it is so awesome.” -Ryan Flaco Rising
For Flaco Rising and others, teaching in prison provides a life of purpose. “To go in and empower these incarcerated scholars in the LIFTED program, and uplift their minds on this process of going from a bachelor’s degree to graduate school into a career afterwards, it is so awesome,” he continued. “I’m happy to say that I found my dream career. I want to teach in prison, I want to be a professor in prison.”
A Beacon of Hope: The Holistic Approach of LIFTED
The UCI LIFTED program stands as a beacon of hope by offering a holistic approach that integrates academic learning with personal development. Through partnerships with correctional facilities, faculty members, and community organizations, the program provides incarcerated individuals with access to high-quality educational opportunities.
“We hope to see what we call triangles across the whole state…. So for the triangle you need a bachelor degree granting university, a state prison facility that’s welcoming the program, and an initial Community College partner. Of course, the dream is that students will be able to transfer and choose their program across the state.” -Dr. Keramet Reiter
“We hope to see what we call triangles across the whole state,” Dr. Keramet Reiter said. “So for the triangle you need a bachelor degree granting university, a state prison facility that’s welcoming the program, and an initial Community College partner. Of course, the dream is that students will be able to transfer and choose their program across the state.”
“I just really appreciate the UCs incorporating the voices of justice-impacted people into setting up these programs and allowing us to participate in it.” -Jennifer Gomez
The impact of the UCI LIFTED program is not limited to the individuals it serves, but also it extends to their families, communities, and society as a whole. By empowering individuals to pursue education and personal growth, the program helps break the cycle of incarceration and creates pathways to brighter futures for all. Jennifer Gomez shared her involvement in the LIFTED program and its great impact, “I just really appreciate the UCs incorporating the voices of justice-impacted people into setting up these programs and allowing us to participate in it…. All of the faculty and administrators told me that I would have a voice in the creation of this program.… Since I’ve started, I have felt like my voice has been included in all the conversations.”
“These things are big asks for our department chairs and administrators. It’s a big ask to the campus to say, ‘Hey, can faculty go teach 25 students in prison instead of the 250 they would be teaching on campus?” -Dr. Farah Godrej
Beyond the triangle structure, true dedication by faculty is a must in order to establish an in-prison program. Dr. Farah Godrej from UCR shared that, “One of the things folks may or may not know is that every UC campus functions very differently. The UC system is a system, but very often we find that the details of how things work on different campuses individually can vary greatly.” Additionally, she explained, “These things are big asks for our department chairs and administrators. It’s a big ask to the campus to say, ‘Hey, can faculty go teach 25 students in prison instead of the 250 they would be teaching on campus?’ UCR is not a resource-rich campus, unfortunately, right? It’s a pretty resource-impacted campus. And so we’re doing the best we can.”
Michelson 20MM could not be more excited to see the LIFTED program expand to UCR, where it will continue to provide life-changing opportunities for incarcerated individuals. Building upon the foundation laid by UCI, the UCR LIFTED program aims to reach even more individuals and make a lasting impact on the landscape of prison education in California.
To learn more about how the LIFTED program is breaking down barriers and opening doors of opportunity for incarcerated individuals across California, view the recording. Stay tuned for the next iteration of “Pathways From Prison to College: Best Practices in Action.”
Michelson 20MM is a private, nonprofit foundation working toward equity for underserved and historically underrepresented communities by expanding access to educational and employment opportunities, increasing affordability of educational programs, and ensuring the necessary supports are in place for individuals to thrive. To do so, we work in the following verticals: Digital Equity, Intellectual Property, Smart Justice, Student Basic Needs, and Open Educational Resources (OER). Co-chaired and funded by Alya and Gary Michelson, Michelson 20MM is part of the Michelson Philanthropies network of foundations.
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