Kentucky among 5 states selected for a program opening educational opportunities for those with criminal records

KENTUCKY (FOX 56) — Kentucky is joining four other states in introducing a new way to give those with criminal records a second chance at education.

Kentucky is joining Arizona, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Virginia in a national initiative to expand postsecondary education for those who are, or have been, incarcerated, on probation, or parole.

State teams will be formed to look at what will work on this front, with the Kentucky state team including representatives from the Council on Postsecondary Education, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Dr. Miles Feroli is a senior associate in the workforce and economic development unit at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

“It was amazing to know that in this competitive market, to be able to access resources and funds that we were chosen to be a part of this group to receive the dedicated and timely support that is needed,” Feroli said.

These states were selected by the State Higher Education Executive Officers’ Association to participate in a one-year process to find out what works moving forward, all to open the world of higher education to those who might not have had the chance.

“We are going to be speaking to incarcerated individuals. We’ll be speaking to the prison and jail systems, folks who are working with the Kentucky Department of Corrections, and then also our higher education partners that are working with our incarcerated individuals,” Feroli said.

The Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) is working on what’s called the 60×30 goal, an effort to raise the percentage of Kentuckians with a postsecondary degree or certificate.

“We know that the value of higher education expands beyond just that credential. People are able to provide living wages for themselves and for their loved ones, the possibility models. Over the next year, our Kentucky team will be moving forward in deciding how we want to figure out what barriers and opportunities exist to improve our prison education programs,” Feroli said.

More information on the 60×30 goal can be found at the CPE website.