For former convicts, transitioning from prison life to society often comes with pitfalls and unexpected risks that could lead to another unfortunate stay behind bars.
For 23 incarcerated individuals in California, a new program is helping them re-enter civilian life with more than they had when they entered the correctional system.
Earlier this month, through a groundbreaking partnership between the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the University of California, those 23 people will have bachelor’s degrees to lean on when they restart their lives.
The incarcerated students at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego received in-person education from UC Irvine instructors as part of a collaboration between CDCR and the University of California.
The program is called Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees, or LIFTED.
LIFTED allows inmates to apply to transfer into UC Irvine as juniors and earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology while serving their sentences. Those that received their degrees last week are the first graduates of the program, having begun taking courses in 2022.