YAKIMA VALLEY COLLEGE – Yakima Valley College got $39,000 through the Corrections Education Grant to hire a navigator that will focus on reaching out to people about to finish their prison sentence in any of the 12 correctional facilities in Washington State.
The navigator will help guide former prisoners in choosing their study paths and finding financial resources to continue their education.
Dustin Wunderlich, director of community relations at YVC, said this grant will help them support people trying to reenter society.
“We know that reentering society and the workforce having been incarcerated can be a challenge but we also know that with education, it makes a huge difference in empowering people to chance their lives,” Wunderlich said.
According to the Washington State Institute of Public Policy, between 32-35% of adults leaving prison reoffend within the first three weeks of their release.
Teana Robbins, a criminal justice instructor who formerly worked in parole, said there’s a number of reasons why that’s the case.
“Locating supportable employment is a big factor,” Robbins said. “I also believe housing for certain offenders may be difficult to secure, of course substance abuse, relapsing is a big factor we’ve seen in the parole field.”
According to the Washington State Department of Corrections, prisoners who seek higher education are less likely to reoffend. Prisons in our state work with 12 colleges and technical schools to give educational opportunities to prisoners. With YVC now receiving this grant, they can also help people being released from prison.
When someone is approaching their release date, the navigator will be notified so they can reach out to them to see if they’re interested in furthering their education.
Robbins said while she can’t guarantee higher education keeps people from reoffending, it could possibly help them find work.
“I can attest to higher education programs will allow prisoners to be trained in skillsets that will afford them to have an opportunity to compete for the job like others would,” Robbins said.
She said removing barriers for people reentering society starts with providing prisoners resources inside prisons so they have skills they can use when they reenter society. One example Robbins gave is the Lending a Helping Paw Program which allows prisoners to help train shelter dogs.
If you or someone you know has been incarcerated in Washington and want to pursue higher education contact Alexander Bazan at 509.834.4506.
