Kentucky joins national initiative to expand postsecondary opportunities for justice-impacted individuals

June 24, 2025

Kentucky was one of five states selected by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) to participate in a one-year learning community to expand postsecondary opportunities for individuals impacted by the criminal justice system (people who are or have been incarcerated, on probation or on parole). The other states are Arizona, Louisiana, Minnesota and Virginia. The Vera Institute for Justice is a partner in this work, and Ascendium Education Group provided financial support.

Kentucky’s state team will include representatives from the Council on Postsecondary Education, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the Kentucky Department of Corrections. These organizations will work to remove barriers to postsecondary education for individuals with criminal records and help them make meaningful contributions to Kentucky’s workforce.

“Kentucky’s incarceration rate is 889 per 100,000 people, higher than the U.S. average,” said Dr. Aaron Thompson, CPE President. “Giving these individuals a chance to go to college and train for a career not only helps our workforce, it greatly reduces their recidivism risk.”

In 2023, Pell-grant eligibility was reinstated for incarcerated students, opening the door for postsecondary programs targeting this population. According to SHEEO, the initiative will support states in:

• assessing current prison education program (PEP) policies to identify gaps and opportunities;
• streamlining access to postsecondary education for incarcerated learners;
• aligning educational offerings with workforce needs to ensure credentials earned in carceral settings have labor market value; and
• fostering stronger partnerships across sectors to sustain and scale these efforts.

For more information about the Advancing Postsecondary Success for Justice-Impacted Students project, visit https://sheeo.org/project/pell-grants-for-prison-education/.