The petey greene program (PGP) proposes to implement an enhanced tutoring and college readiness program at the pennsylvania state correctional institution at chester, PA (SCI-chester)

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded a $900,000 Project Grant under the Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative (CFDA 16.812) to The Petey Greene Program Inc. located in Princeton, NJ. The purpose of this 3-year grant, effective October 1, 2024, is to expand the educational tutoring and college readiness program at the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution at Chester, PA. The program aims to provide academic tutoring and college preparation services to 60 incarcerated individuals per year, integrating educational support both inside and outside the prison walls with transitional services to reduce recidivism rates in Pennsylvania. Key program components include individualized academic instruction, educational navigation and reentry planning, and collaboration with workforce development experts to complement the educational training with career exploration and readiness programs.

The purpose of this project is to expand the educational tutoring program that the PGP has successfully built over the past six years at SCI-chester, and to integrate a comprehensive educational and reentry service program to guide men behind and beyond the prison walls. Thirty percent of those incarcerated in state and federal prisons do not have a high school equivalency degree or the requisite literacy skills to succeed in a career technical training program or in a post-secondary environment and only 6% have a college degree. These significant learning gaps prevent incarcerated learners from taking full advantage of the mandated reinstatement of the federal pell grants program and occupational licensing certification opportunities that could lead to a career pathway. Considering the over 44,000 documented barriers making IT difficult for returning citizens to succeed upon reentry, the proposed program will provide a holistic and evidence-based approach to reduce the staggering rate of recidivism in pennsylvania and create a scalable model. The proposed program builds on pgps 16-year experience providing high-quality tutoring for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners, integrating educational support inside and outside the prison walls with much needed transitional services. The PGP will offer academic tutoring and college readiness programs for 60 SCI-chester residents per year. Classrooms in correctional settings are composed of individuals at different levels and backgrounds, who benefit from individualized instruction and especially tutoring, which is among the most effective education interventions ever to be subjected to rigorous evaluation. Furthermore, each student will meet with a PGP educational navigator while incarcerated for individual guidance and planning as well as with a reentry education coordinator to consider educational and other resources available upon release. Upon entering the program and within two years of their release, program participants will create a reentry plan, in consultation with the educational navigator. After release, former SCI-chester residents returning to the greater philadelphia area will receive enhanced reentry support from the reentry education coordinator, while continuing to meet with the PGP tutors. In addition to mobilizing its extensive network of community partners, the PGP will collaborate with philadelphia works, a well-recognized expert in workforce development and providing equitable economic opportunities, to complement academic training with workforce readiness programs, including career exploration and development.