This past fall, the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI), hosted at the Handlon Correctional Facility, celebrated bringing its total enrollment to 104 students. This is the highest number in the program’s 11-year history, and highlights the growing success of the CPI.

According to 5-year census data published by Calvin University in the Day 10 report, CPI enrollment has hovered between 95 and 97 students over the past five years. CPI executive director Lisa Schra gave an insight into the reasons behind the recent increase.

“The biggest factor that’s contributed to our record enrollment this year is the fact that we have been able to consistently enroll 25 students in each of the [current] cohorts,” Schra shared.

Despite this fact, Schra explained that this “was not the case the year of COVID.” With the pandemic limiting access to classrooms, enrollment shrank to around 17 students per cohort, but in the five years since, the program has once again returned to enrolling 25 students with each class.

“It’s just now started to catch up,” Schra said. “This year we’ll graduate 18 students.”

In addition to the boost in enrollment, the CPI is also growing by expanding its program offerings.

This year the CPI started offering the Wayfinder Program. This free, nine-month course, created by Calvin University and Calvin Seminary, is designed to aid first-time adult students in starting their pursuit of a college degree. “We call it a jumpstart to education,” Schra said.

After Calvin saw success with the Wayfinder Program in the Grand Rapids community, the university partnered with the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) to offer Wayfinder inside the Handlon Correctional Facility as well.

The CPI is now eight months into offering Wayfinder with 17 students enrolled, all of whom have decided to continue pursuing a college degree.

Similar to the growth seen in the CPI, the amount and quality of prison education programs across the state of Michigan is increasing.

“In 10 years, this state has really blossomed,” said Todd Cioffi, senior advisor and professor with the CPI, as he discussed the history of prison education in Michigan. Currently, there are 14 institutions that offer education programs in correctional facilities across the state. Depending on the program, students can pursue a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree or a certificate in subjects including business management, nonprofit administration and faith and leadership.

Following the 2023 Pell Grant restoration, funding for and access to prison education systems expanded, leading to an increase in the number of programs and quality of education offered in Michigan prisons.

As the oldest prison education program in the state, the CPI did not receive Pell funding until several years after it opened, and instead relied on donor funding from the Calvin Seminary. “It was 100 percent donor-funded right from the start.” Schra stated.

Today, the CPI is still 30 percent donor-funded. “It allows us to have a really robust staff,” Schra said. “It’s one of the reasons we see high retention rates and high rates of student graduation.”

With 11 years of history and success behind them, the CPI continues to look forward to future growth for their programs.

“There’s a few different things that are at our table,” Schra stated as she described potential projects the CPI is considering. One of these prospective projects includes coming alongside Calvin University in offering micro-credentials for employers to learn about hiring formerly incarcerated people. Schra also discussed potential plans for the CPI to accept students with associate’s degrees from other correctional facility programs who are looking to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

“Being wise and discerning about what is the next best step is something we will probably be doing in the next six months or so,” Schra explained.

Schra concluded her interview by discussing her hopes for the CPI and the world of Michigan prison education as a whole: “I’m excited about how prison education brings people who were formerly not familiar with incarceration closer to that issue.”

Schra strongly encourages members of the Calvin body to consider “what we as a West Michigan community can do to support people who have really been transformed by God’s power and how we can come alongside and open doors instead of create barriers.”