A joint program involving Kent State University and Sinclair Community College will offer those presently incarcerated at the Trumbull Correctional Institution with an opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree. 

The program will incorporate a two-plus-two formula, with participants taking two years of courses through Dayton-based Sinclair, followed by two years of Kent State Trumbull courses.

Participants will have the opportunity to complete a bachelor of technical and applied studies degree. Kent State said the first participants from Sinclair could begin taking classes this fall. Sinclair has been offering associate degrees in business management for the last two years to those at the correctional institution. 

The Kent State program also offers certificates in entrepreneurship. 

“We chose the BTAS with entrepreneurship training because it is difficult for individuals with felonies to get hired by employers,” said Kristenne Robison, assistant professor of sociology, criminology and justice studies at Kent State. “By developing their entrepreneurial mindset and skills, as well as putting credentials in their hands, graduates of the program can start a business, pursue funding for their entrepreneurial efforts or offer value to local employers.”

In December, Congress reinstated Pell grants for those incarcerated. Those incarcerated will have an opportunity to access Pell grants by Fall 2023. Until then, five private foundations are helping to fund the program. 

According to the Associated Press, those in prison lost the ability to gain Pell grants in 1994 when Congress passed the Crime Bill. 

Other Ohio universities offer similar programs, but in most cases, the participants must secure their own funding. 

Ashland University has graduated more than 1,130 incarcerated people since 2016 through its program. The university has four bachelor’s degree programs for those in prison. 

Ohio University has seven degree programs entirely through the mail, which allows those incarcerated the opportunity to earn a degree. But like Ashland, Ohio University requires students to use grants and their own funds to pay for tuition