A recent survey of education programs operating in prison by the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison found that less than 20 percent offered direct pathways to a campus program, and even fewer — 14 percent — provided reentry services. BPI does both. BPI’s distinctive approach — pairing ambitious college-in-prison with holistic reentry and long-term support for people leaving prison — radically expands access and opportunity, creating a pipeline directly from traditionally excluded communities into corridors of decision-making and leadership.
Reentry at BPI begins as soon as a student is enrolled, preparing them to leverage their education in their community and establish stability when they return home.
Supporting a growing network of more than 1,000 alumni who have returned home, BPI has a long history of supporting justice-impacted people in finding and creating pathways to success. With a unique set of skills, experience, and education, BPI alumni are met with a reentry environment that acknowledges their individual experiences, creating a space for them to grow and thrive.
How it Works
Reentry begins with enrollment
Reentry begins upon enrollment while students are incarcerated and BPI’s dedicated Reentry Team works to carry forward each student’s educational ambition into long-term plans for civically engaging, fulfilling futures.
BPI begins working with students to construct individualized reentry plans 6-12 months ahead of their release. Reentry plans include comprehensive support in the areas of continuing education (e.g. undergraduate, graduate, professional schools), employment, housing, technology, and wellness.
Reentry Workshop
The Reentry Workshop is the last formal reentry support prior to a student’s release, helping them prepare for the immediate challenges and opportunities of going home. The workshop highlights the issues and obstacles many BPI alumni have faced during the transition period, and it ensures that all students are familiar with the resources available to them from BPI, as well as from partner organizations. Students participate in seminars such as: “Hurdles, Obstacles and Opportunities: The Myths and Misconceptions About Returning Home,” “Getting Things Done & Managing Your Time;” “My Transition Plan;” “Resumes, Cover Letters and the Job Hunt;” “Mental Preparation and High Risk Factors During the First Year Home,” and; “Maneuvering in the Digital Economy.”
ConnectEd
Upon returning home, alumni have the opportunity to enroll in BPI’s ConnectEd workshop. ConnectEd provides intensive support for alumni who have recently returned home as well as a stipend that allows alumni to fully engage in the workshop while receiving critical income. Over the course of six weeks, participants are taken through 25 hours of weekly programming in the vital areas of Wellness/Social Services, Technology, Housing, Career Planning, and Continuing Education. The workshop is designed to reflect the environment and pedagogical approach of a BPI classroom, providing a space to learn and have critical, open conversations. ConnectEd is offered six times throughout the year at BPI’s New York City headquarters.
Career Development Programs
BPI’s career development programs are an opportunity for formerly incarcerated professionals to deepen their knowledge and prepare for leadership positions in research, policy, and practice in their communities. For BPI alumni, it creates a bridge from curricular specializations through coursework taken while incarcerated to career development pathways upon returning home.
Upstate Reentry
Since 2022, BPI has worked under the leadership of Upstate Reentry and Capital Region Initiative Project Lead Shawn Young ’19 to develop a new infrastructure to support BPI alumni returning home to the update region of New York State. Young works with a network of peers and BPI alumni to cultivate connections across community resources, service organizations, and employers to ensure that people returning home, whether in the early days of their transition home or taking next steps as they pursue professional development, are fully supported and connected.
“I’m helping to debunk and redefine the notion of what a formerly incarcerated person is capable of doing. I’m helping to rewrite that narrative.”
—Nikko Vaughn '15, Associate Director of Education & Professional Advancement
Lifelong Connections
Beyond the comprehensive reentry programming and transitional assistance provided by BPI’s Reentry and Alumni Engagement team, the network of BPI alumni throughout New York fosters a supportive and ambitious community that builds upon formal services through networking, mutual support, and peer mentoring.
