How A Bay Area Program Is Giving Incarcerated Youth Newfound Hope: Report

ALAMEDA, CA — An outreach program in the Bay Area is helping incarcerated youth explore higher education opportunities, according to a report by CBS News.

Incarceration to College is an outreach program started by Shani Shay, a formerly incarcerated scholar and UC Berkeley graduate. It offers college-readiness courses and coaches hundreds of incarcerated youth across Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties.

Shay told CBS News that she started committing crimes when she was 17 years old. But she carved out a new life path when a mentor suggested she attend college, according to the report.

At 28, she was accepted into UC Berkeley, where she earned her Bachelor's degree before earning a Master's degree from Harvard, according to the report.

One incarcerated youth, who has one year left on a four-year sentence, told CBS that he's currently working toward a double Associate degree.

"That's been my motivation, to leave here as a man instead of a child," he told CBS News.

Read more from CBS News.