‘A new path forward’: Community colleges partner with Department of Public Safety to provide college courses to students at juvenile facilities

The North Carolina Community College System and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety have partnered in a collaborative pilot project providing online instruction to students in youth development centers. The instruction is administered through the System’s Virtual Learning Community colleges to students in multiple juvenile justice facilities.

Following the North Carolina Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act, which raised the age of adult incarceration from 16 to 18 and went into effect in December 2019, the System began discussions with the Department of Public Safety to increase access to college courses into juvenile facilities. When DPS received a grant for technology in 2021, resources were available to receive online courses.

The program allows students to gain college credits while at their facilities as part of a goal to reduce recidivism and support academic and career success. The pilot helped determine best practices and tested efficacy for use by the program.

Last year, Adam Johnson, Director of Juvenile Education at the Department of Public Safety, was looking for ways to address the unique challenges they would face in providing educational opportunities to older youth when he connected with Kathy Davis, Associate Vice President of Distance Learning Technologies at the North Carolina Community College System.

“We knew our physical environment limited our ability to provide in-person community college classes and we would have challenges meeting the minimum student threshold for the colleges’ full-time equivalent requirements at our individual facilities,” Johnson said.

Davis said she was excited to hear from Johnson and his idea for collaboration.

“In our System, we are all about changing lives through education, and this pilot project allows us to utilize our online learning platforms, digital tools, high quality instruction, and technical support to assist these students in achieving a new path forward in their lives,” Davis said.

The two state agencies agreed to partner on a pilot program to deliver virtual courses to students at two juvenile facilities. The first two courses began in June 2022 at Edgecombe Youth Development Center and Lenoir Youth Development Center. The courses were Human Resource Development – Working Smart Credential and Skills for Success.

“Education has been shown to be a key component in reducing recidivism among youth involved in the justice system, and this program provides us with additional resources and opportunities to positively impact the futures of the students we serve and their communities,” Johnson said. “This program allows them to get a jumpstart on their post-secondary education and training, which puts them closer to fulfilling their goals.”

Two more facilities were recently added, Chatham and Cabarrus Youth Development Centers, and courses included Introduction to Digital Media and Interpersonal Communication. Courses were chosen after surveying students in the centers about their interests.

Currently, Fayetteville Technical Community College is teaching Theatre Appreciation and Surry Community College is teaching Music Appreciation.

Jesse Adams, Facilitator at the Edgecombe Youth Development Center, said students see this project as a means to learning life tools and skills to equip them and to help navigate the college experience.

“The Music Appreciation course at Surry Community College helps our students better understand diversity and cultural differences through music expression, while Theatre Appreciation at Fayetteville Tech helps students understand the different roles that people will take on in life,” Adams said.

Approximately 20 students have taken courses since the pilot began last summer.

Cheryl Thompson, a Student Transition Coordinator at Lenoir Youth Development Center, works directly with a student enrolled in the program.

“He is thrilled and excited to call himself a college student,” Thompson said. “This project allows students from marginalized communities to have a chance at achieving what some would call the American Dream. The project lets students see that they can be successful in college and sometimes this is the push they need to transform their lives.”

Lee-Ann O’Neal, Principal at the Edgecombe Youth Development Center, said two students at her center plan to continue their college education upon release.

“This partnership allows them to leave with college credits as well as understanding the academic expectations without the distractions and pressures of a larger university setting and social experience,” O’Neal said.

Students also participate in career assessments to help identify potential careers that align with their interests, skills, and values. Then staff provide guidance on how to meet their individual career goals.

“Students have opportunities to obtain employable skills, college credit and/or credentials so they can return to their community with the confidence to continue their education and/or obtain gainful employment,” Johnson said.

The Department of Public Safety offsets costs associated with this program with state-allocated funds earmarked for providing post-secondary educational and training opportunities for students at juvenile justice centers.

“This pilot program is the start of a great collaborative effort between DPS and the Community College System. If the students take advantage of this opportunity afforded to them this will be a very solid foundation for their college career,” Thompson said.

Johnson said he wants to see this project serve as a model to provide and/or expand post-secondary education opportunities in other secured environments as well.

The pilot has proven successful and future plans include expanding the program to include eligible students at all juvenile facilities, including detention centers.

“Our System customizes education based on each student’s career and academic goals,” Davis said. “We are committed to a mission of educating North Carolina citizens, preparing them for the modern workforce, and expanding their quality of life.”