How California's Colleges Are Supporting Formerly Incarcerated Students

By Arabel Meyer, EdSource

December 22, 2022

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California public universities are becoming more equitable and inclusive as programs emerge to help formerly incarcerated students earn college degrees.

These programs include the California State University system’s Project Rebound and the University of California’s Underground Scholars, both of which have shown promising results in the successful reintegration of people into the education system.

Project Rebound was started in 1967 by professor John Irwin to help facilitate the transition from the criminal justice system to receiving bachelor’s degrees at San Francisco State University. Since then, the organization was adopted by Associated Students and has expanded to 14 Cal State campuses, aiding in the passage of hundreds of formerly incarcerated students through the four-year education system. Another, newer California program, the Underground Scholars Initiative, was founded by two UC Berkeley alumni in 2013. This program has since expanded to all nine UC undergraduate campuses, furthering the support of educational equality.

Statistically, the work of these organizations has proven to be invaluable in reducing rates of recidivism. The term recidivism refers to the tendency of someone who has been convicted of a crime and imprisoned to reoffend and re-enter the system after their first release from custody.

California has one of the highest recidivism rates in the country. In 2019, the state released a report that 62% of inmates released by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2017-2018 had returned to prison. In contrast, according to the California State University Annual Project Rebound report of 2021, zero percent of students in the program from 2016-2020 recidivated.

The EdSource California Student Journalism Corps explored the impact of these organizations by speaking with students and administrators involved with Project Rebound and Underground Scholars. To hear their voices, read the eight stories below.

Note: EdSource has recently explored the topic of student housing for formerly incarcerated students through print and podcast mediums.

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EdSource works to engage Californians on key education challenges with the goal of enhancing learning success. It does so by providing timely, useful and accurate information to key education stakeholders and the larger public; advancing awareness of major education initiatives being implemented in California and nationally; and highlighting effective models and strategies intended to improve student outcomes, as well as identifying areas that are in need of repair or reform