Higher Learning, Second Chances: Transforming Education in Virginia’s Corrections System
Expanding access to higher education in Virginia’s prisons requires navigating complex regulatory and logistical challenges for implementing fully-scaled, smoothly operating Prison Education Programs. This was the focus of discussion during the panel, “Education in a Highly Regulated Context: Higher Education & Corrections” at the Virginia Consensus’ inaugural Building Consensus conference on July 17.
Moderated by REFORM Alliance Organizer Sincere Allah, the discussion brought together a powerful lineup of experts shaping education behind bars. Panelists included Dr. Rodney Berry, Superintendent of Education for the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC); David Robinson, Chief Deputy Director at VADOC; LaShetta Wilder, Director of Education for the Mississippi Department of Corrections; Dr. Eric Barna, representing the Virginia Consensus; Sheila Meiman, Prison Education Specialist with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA); and Dr. John Donnelly, Vice President at the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Panelists explored barriers for incarcerated individuals and outlined a path for expanding educational access, strengthening partnerships and advancing second chance hiring.
Pictured from left to right: Sincere Allah, Dr. John Donnelly, Dr. Eric Barna, David Robinson, Dr. Rodney Berry and LaShetta Wilder
Key Takeaways from the Panel
Cross-functional coordination matters
A successful postsecondary education program requires robust cross-functional coordination within facilities. Security staff, program administrators and education departments must work in unison to ensure programming is aligned and supported at every level.
Bridging the technology gap in corrections
Technology is a longstanding hurdle many states still face in implementing modern higher education programs. Without adequate infrastructure such as reliable broadband and secure devices, facilities are forced to scale back offerings or rely solely on outdated, paper-based instruction which limits academic quality and puts at risk colleges’ compliance with Pell stipulations.
Berry shared that VDOC is actively working to bridge this digital divide. Recent upgrades to broadband infrastructure across the Commonwealth’s correctional facilities have increased internet speeds from just 1-4 Mbps to 100 Mbps, opening the door for expanded online learning. These improvements also signal a deeper institutional commitment to educational equity and second-chance opportunities.
Incarcerated students deserve equal education
To protect the integrity of federal student aid funding, Pell regulations require that higher education programs in prisons must be substantially equivalent to those on campus. From curriculum and advising to assessment and technology, incarcerated students should expect access to as complete a college experience as is possible to implement in the prison setting.
Academic rigor is part of that equivalence, “Students inside don’t want charity,” Meiman explained. “They want to be held to the same standards as traditional learners.”
Aligning workforce and academic goals
Wilder and Robinson both cited the importance of programs’ linkage of educational pathways with viable careers—to include steering clear of fields for which felony convictions encumber licensing barriers.
Panelists also stressed the value of providing academic opportunities beyond career and technical education (CTE), noting that access to humanities and other scholarly pathways contribute to comprehensive intellectual, civic, and moral development and long-term success.
Transfer policies need careful oversight
Derailed academic progress because of transfers remains a critical issue. While DOCs work to hold enrolled students in place, panelists called for expanded articulation agreements, better credit transfer policies and more colleges participating in prison education across a statewide geography to ensure that prison transfers do not scuttle degree attainment or even result in Pell repayment obligations.
“The more colleges that offer these programs, the less it matters which prison you’re in,” said Barna. Conceivably, prison transfers could be more easily accommodated with more college programs at more prisons, with better-coordinated credit transfer agreements and greater overlap in curricula.
Education reduces recidivism
At 17.6%, Virginia has one of the lowest reported recidivism rates. Research documents a replicable, incremental effect of educational attainment on recidivism – with employment, among other stabilizing variables, recognized as a driver of the decrease.
Employer partnerships strengthen reentry
Wilder and Berry both spoke about the importance of employer partnerships and reentry navigators who assist with resume building and job placement.
“Reentry starts inside,” Wilder noted. “We’ve got to align our programs with what’s waiting outside.”
As the session wrapped up, one message was clear: This work cannot happen in silos. From infrastructure to accreditation, and from policy to practice, it will take establishing, and progressively investing in, a coordinated ecosystem to ensure incarcerated Virginians will experience the full educational promise of Pell restoration.
If you’d like to be part of the continued effort to expand access to postsecondary education in Virginia’s prison system, we invite you to take a simple step toward tremendous impact and join the Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison.