The College Program At San Quentin
About 300 student inmates are enrolled in the College Program at San Quentin each semester. A High School diploma or its equivalent is required to participate, but most students nevertheless begin with the College Program's non-credit preparatory courses in Mathematics and English. Associate's degree course offerings have included Calculus, Biology, Environmental Science, Chemistry, English, and Composition. 19 courses are offered per semester. Most courses are worth 3 credits, with 60 being required for graduation. As of October 2007, 68 inmates had completed their degrees at San Quentin.
The College Program has been cited by both instructors and student inmates, as well as corrections officers, as exerting a positive influence on the lives of participants and improving their chances of contributing productively to society upon their release. Prison officials and inmates believe that the program helps make the environment inside San Quentin safer, and inmates and their families say that the program has inspired inmates' children to better educate themselves and help break the cycle of intergenerational crime and incarceration.
Read more about this topic: Prison University Project
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