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Sean Carnell, who grew up in Boise, never saw himself pursuing a college education. He was sentenced to prison on battery and robbery charges in 2013 鈥� where he later received his GED. He faces another four years before he can be considered for parole.

Despite his past, Carnell made the dean鈥檚 list at the University of Idaho for the last two semesters in a row.

Carnell, a resident at the Idaho Correctional Institution in Orofino, attends college through the Second Chance Pell Experiment 鈥� a program launched by the U.S. Department of Education which provides need-based Pell Grants to people in state and federal prisons.

鈥淚 never thought I鈥檇 have straight A鈥檚, let alone be enrolled in college,鈥� Carnell told the Idaho Capital Sun. 鈥淗aving the hope of achieving something, of being able to walk out and say I did something with my time to try to better myself, is huge.鈥�

Like Carnell, more than 90 residents at the Orofino prison registered for the spring semester through the Second Chance Pell program 鈥� keeping themselves busy in prison while also aiming to enhance their resumes in preparation for their eventual release.

鈥淭his is the first time in corrections that I鈥檝e felt that I鈥檝e been valued as a human being,鈥� Carnell said. 鈥淢ost of the time we are the sum of our failures. This gives us the opportunity to try to achieve these levels of success that we never thought possible.鈥�

Thirty years later, Idaho prisoners have access to college education

Three decades ago, the federal government removed Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals through the Federal Crime Bill of 1994. The ban was enacted amid a wave of 鈥渢ough-on-crime鈥� policies in the 1990s.

But in 2015, the Obama administration reinstated access to Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals as began to show that prison education plays a role in decreasing crime.

According to the , incarcerated people who have participated in postsecondary education in prison are 48% less likely to reoffend than those who do not. Additionally, every dollar invested in prison-based education results in four to five dollars in taxpayer savings from reduced incarceration costs.

Between 2016 to 2020 鈥� the first four years of the reinstated access to Pell Grants 鈥� over 7,000 prison students earned either an associate degree, bachelor鈥檚 degree, or a certificate or diploma, according to the .

, the University of Idaho and Lewis-Clark State College became the first schools in the Gem State to participate in the program 鈥� bringing the total number of colleges participating in the program to 200.

Most courses are asynchronous and are conducted virtually at the prison鈥檚 school space using designated laptops. However, some university professors make on-site visits to the facility, accompanied by non-incarcerated students.

While the program requires a lot of partnership and collaboration between the schools and correctional staff, Sean Quinlan, the dean of the University of Idaho鈥檚 College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, told the Sun that it is worth it.

鈥淎ccess to higher education and to complete college degree as an inmate is one of the surest predictors for keeping people from crime in the future,鈥� Quinlan said. 鈥淚 believe that this is a really important way of serving our state 鈥� to help people improve their lives and have safer communities.鈥�

鈥楾hey鈥檝e been waiting for something like this鈥�: IDOC education director says

Ted Oparnico, the Idaho Department of Correction education director, told the Sun there was significant interest from correction residents to participate in the program.

In Idaho, some incarcerated people earn between an hour, so the Second Chance Pell program makes it possible for them to fund their education beyond a GED or certificate.

鈥淚 think they鈥檝e been waiting for something like this for a long time,鈥� Oparnico said. 鈥淲e typically only provide GEDs as our secondary certificate, but once they complete that, well, what鈥檚 next? They might have another five or 10 years or longer left, so having a Pell program gives them some opportunities to continue education.鈥�

Students in Idaho prisons are still in their first few semesters of having access to the Pell Grants, so none have graduated as of yet, Oparnico said.

Silas Parks, who was on manslaughter charges for killing his pregnant wife, told the Sun he has been excited to see this program come to Idaho.

鈥淚 have literally day-dreamed for over 10 years sitting in prison about getting out of prison and going back to college,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 still here, but I can go back to college which is an awesome experience.鈥�

Parks attended the University of Idaho before going to prison, but he did not complete his bachelor鈥檚 degree. Now enrolled with the financial help of the Second Chance Pell Grant, he is close to receiving his degree. His next goal is to receive a graduate degree once he is released.

鈥淚 came to prison when I was 23, and I was not the most mature person,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow I know what I want. Nothing teaches you what you want more than having everything taken away.鈥�

To participate in the program, residents have to have a GED or high school diploma and be six months without any disciplinary offenses. They also must complete a 20-hour college preparatory course, and commit to at least a semester of a class or pay back the funds if they choose to leave.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a benefit for the community,鈥� Oparnico said, adding that 90% of prison residents will eventually be released from the Idaho correctional system. 鈥淲hen we have people who leave our facilities, the public can know that they鈥檙e getting a neighbor that has an education because they spent the time, commitment, and they dedicated themselves to being better prepared to contribute to society.鈥�

鈥楨verybody can do this鈥�: IDOC resident says about college

Like Carnell who never saw himself attending college, and like Parks who acknowledged his immaturity at the time of his sentencing 鈥� Travas Bickhart is also proud of the personal growth that鈥檚 come with being a college student in an Idaho prison.

Giving more attention to alcohol and drugs, Bickhart graduated high school with roughly a 2.8 GPA, despite paying people off to do his homework, he told the Sun.

In 2018, Bickhart was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison on rape charges, with the possibility of parole after 10 years.

Despite being the first person in his family to go to prison, he is also the first person in his family to receive a college education. He told the Sun that he鈥檚 learned a lot about himself in the process of taking college courses.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 give up on yourself,鈥� he said. 鈥淣o matter what your position is or what crime you鈥檝e done, everybody can do this. I鈥檝e made a lot of mistakes in my life, but this is the only thing I鈥檝e been proud of to this point.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: info@idahocapitalsun.com. Follow Idaho Capital Sun on and .

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