Cal State LA’s Prison Graduation Initiative (PGI) fosters individual and community transformation in California’s prisons through higher education. In 2016, PGI was the first and only BA program to be designated a Second Chance Pell (PEP) site in California, and it was the first bachelor’s degree program in California to award a BA degree to incarcerated students. Since then, it has become one of the largest bachelor’s prison programs in the country with programs at Los Angeles County Prison, Lancaster (LAC), California Institution for Men (CIM), California Institution for Women (CIW), and San Quentin Rehabilitative Center (SQRC).
PGI’s bachelor’s degrees prepare students for career readiness upon their release from prison through their career engaged curricular and co-curricular supports that connect student learning in the classroom to future careers. We provide integrated, holistic student support that helps students develop marketable career skills while incarcerated and connects them to networks of employers and ongoing support services upon their release from prison. Our program is built upon 4 pillars for student academic and re-entry success: 1. Career Engaged Curriculums 2. Student Supports Services 3. Community Engagement and Partnerships 4. Faculty Training
Currently PGI has served over 300 incarcerated students, with 93 students receiving their Bachelor of Arts degrees while incarcerated, 27 students seamlessly transferring and completing their degree on our campus, and 180 students prepped for CSU admission. Since the introduction of second chance Pell grants since 2016, only 69-334 incarcerated students have graduated each year with a bachelor’s degree in the nation. This makes PGI’s prison education program one of the largest BA providers for incarcerated students in the US, and furthers Cal State LA’s commitment to equity and fostering thriving communities in our region.