Smart Justice Spark Grants

The grant program focuses on:

1. Higher Education in Prison: Aims to enhance and expand educational programs within prisons, facilitating access to higher education, thereby aiding rehabilitation and reintegration.

• Strategies include leveraging state funding, removing barriers to Federal Pell Grants, and improving access to educational technologies and materials.

1. Support for Formerly Incarcerated Students: Seeks to bridge educational gaps for communities affected by the justice system, focusing on adapting resources to aid those without prior educational success.

• Actions include expanding campus programs for these students, developing cohort-based learning communities, and supporting engagement strategies post-incarceration.

1. Pathways to Economic Opportunity: Targets the elimination of occupational and educational barriers for individuals with criminal records, addressing the chronic joblessness, unemployment, and poverty faced by this group.

• Includes efforts to remove such barriers and connect individuals with skill-building opportunities for marketable careers in the 21st century workforce.