As of Fall 2024, Borough of Manhattan Community College, The City University of New York (BMCC/CUNY) and the Institute for Justice and Opportunity at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (JJC/CUNY) have joined efforts to create a degree-granting, Prison-to-College Pathways (P2CP) program for incarcerated students at Otisville Correctional Facility in upstate New York.

Participants in the program are on track to earn an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts at BMCC, making P2CP the only CUNY College-in-Prison (CIP) program providing an undergraduate degree in a New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision facility.

“Education is a powerful and transformative tool for social change,” said BMCC President, Dr. Anthony E. Munroe. “By expanding Prison to College Pathways (P2CP) into a degree-granting program, we are not only enhancing the educational opportunities available to our students, we are also alleviating barriers that have historically marginalized justice-impacted individuals. Offering a degree pathway that is accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of our diverse student body will create opportunities for advancement and success that can help break the cycle of poverty by fostering an environment where every individual, regardless of their background or circumstance, can thrive and contribute meaningfully to our society.”

“At John Jay College, we believe in the transformative power of education for all, and the Prison-to-College Pathways program is a testament to that belief. By offering incarcerated students the opportunity to earn an associate degree, we are providing them with a vital chance to rebuild their lives, pursue their dreams, and contribute meaningfully to our communities. This partnership with BMCC marks a significant step toward justice and equity, ensuring that no one is defined solely by their past but is empowered to shape their future,” said JJC President Karol Mason.

While a goal of P2CP has always been to release students from prison with a degree in hand—to better equip them to mitigate the challenges of reentry—attaining a bachelor’s degree from JJC has not been feasible given the average sentence length at Otisville Correctional Facility.

Offering an associate degree program better meets the needs of many incarcerated students, so in 2018, the John Jay Institute for Justice and Opportunity supported BMCC in becoming a Second Chance Pell site.

In May 2023, JCC President Karol Mason and BMCC President Anthony E. Munroe announced their commitment to jointly support the P2CP program in becoming degree-granting for the first time in its history.

BMCC and JCC are well-suited partners for this endeavor.

At JJC, the Institute for Justice and Opportunity offers a variety of educational and career pathway opportunities to system-impacted individuals, both in carceral settings and in the community.

At BMCC, the student success program Project Impact provides mentoring, community-building activities, emergency funds, college transfer assistance and more, to justice system-impacted BMCC students.

Together, these campuses and programs help address and repair the harms caused by decades of mass incarceration that have plagued many New York City communities.

The BMCC/John Jay partnership helps ensure that Prison-to-College Pathways students are able to return home after their release with real options for continuing their education and finding meaningful employment.

This article originally appeared here.