ROCKWELL CITY, Iowa (KTIV) - A Northwest Iowa correctional facility is working to set its inmates up for success by providing them with a higher education while serving their time.
KTIV was invited to the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City, Iowa, to speak with officials and students about the program. They requested to not disclose the names of the incarcerated individuals who were interviewed, they will be referred to as ‘Inmate A’ and ‘Inmate S.’
For decades, the North Central Correctional Facility has been helping its inmates achieve their High School Equivalency, or HiSET, Diplomas.
Barb Scholtens, an education coordinator and life skills instructor with Iowa Central, says that they aim to ensure every inmate is released with at least a high school education.
“When they come in and they don’t have a documented high school diploma, or GED, or HiSET, they get enrolled into the program. It’s kind of a part of their treatment,” said Scholtens. “Not only do we have our high school programs, we also have literacy programs. Anyone that’s reading under a 6th grade level will be in a reading class to get those skills up to either be in HiSET, or they will be able to test out and be in vocational classes.”
Currently, around 80 students are enrolled in the HiSET program, and over its history, they’ve had over 5,000 students graduate from the program. With so many students to help, instructors have even employed the help of inmates who have already graduated as tutors.
“We’re very fortunate, the institution allows us to have offender tutors, people that have had success in our program,” said Scholtens. “We love when the recent graduates come back, they really know the study strategies.”
Inmate A, who dropped out of school in 11th grade, then graduated from the North Central HiSET program in two weeks, now works as one of those tutors. He says he sees a lot of himself in those whom he now helps get an education.
“I see some of these guys, they’re really smart, but maybe they don’t have that motivation, and I try to help them,” said Inmate A. “I tell them, ‘Look, show that you can do the work and they’ll test you fast, they’ll graduate you fast.’”
“I’m very grateful, I can’t explain the joy that I have from completing those classes. I just never thought I could get this far, honestly, and I’m still pushing to get this diploma before my release,” said Inmate S, who’s highest level of education is 9th grade, is currently enrolled in the HiSET program, and says he’s finding success through the program at North Central. “I never thought that there was ever going to be a teacher that could break through my mind, my way of thinking, and challenge me in a way that I could get things done. So I’m grateful that this is something that I’ve experienced so far, it’s progress.”
In 2016, Iowa Central Community College partnered with six correctional facilities across the state of Iowa to bring higher education to incarcerated individuals. Including the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City.
“The federal government offered opportunities for higher education institutions to apply for a waiver to use Pell Grants to help educate those that are incarcerated,” said Jim Kersten, VP of external affairs with Iowa Central. “And we were lucky to be one of 63 colleges approved to provide Pell Grant programs to prisoners.”
At that time, Iowa Central was the only college in the state of Iowa to receive the Pell Grant, which allowed them to offer college education to incarcerated individuals. They then partnered with North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City; Newton Correctional Facility, Clarinda Correctional Facility, Fort Dodge Correctional Facility, Iowa Correctional Institue for Women, and the Iowa Medical & Classification Center over the next decade.
More colleges have since been able to join in on the Pell Grant expansion.
“What’s great is we have [High School Equivalency] graduates, and we just take them to the next step up and say, ‘you’re going to be here for a while, let’s start some college classes,’” said Scholtens. “Just like any other high school student in the community. Give them the option to take their education to the next step.”
Since the expansion of the Pell Grant program, Iowa Central has helped over 1,500 inmates achieve around a dozen different technical degrees and certifications while serving their time.
“I’ve actually already done the welding simulator class, the CPR class, forklifting; they do have a lot of classes and I’m taking advantage of those,” said Inmate A. “I figure that by having those certifications, I’ll be able to get more jobs in the world.”
Iowa Central has also taken steps to ensure once the inmates are released with their degrees, they can put them to good use.
“We’ve had some job fairs here in Rockwell City, and in Fort Dodge, bringing employers in to say, ‘Here’s a pool of workers that have these skills, if you’re willing, they’re willing to go and work for you,’” said Kersten. “And we’ve been very blessed that these employers have stepped up and are giving people a second chance.”
Those who are a part of the program say they’ve seen their students achieve great things in the classroom and the community.
“The average, general population student’s GPA [at Iowa Central’s traditional campuses] is 2.6, versus the incarcerated student’s GPA is 3.6,” said Kerstens.
“We had a couple of individuals who had been incarcerated for most of their life. One of them has been out for a number of years now and he has a successful woodworking business, another individual is out there with a nonprofit help group that’s helping individuals in the justice system do the same thing he’s done and help them to turn their lives around,” said North Central’s Deputy Warden, Josh McNeil.
The program even includes a graduation ceremony with family and friends invited to attend. Scholtens says that on graduation day, she loves talking with her students and their families.
“Talking to the moms of graduates, saying, ‘I never thought my son would be able to do this.’ To see them take that step and take so much pride in it, it means a lot to them,” said Scholtens. “And you hear [the students] say, ‘I can’t believe I did this,’ and they had it in them all along.”
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