Cal State LA Expands Bachelor’s Degree Program to Women’s Prison, Marking Milestone in Incarcerated Education
CHINO, Calif. – California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is expanding its innovative Prison Graduation Initiative (PGI) – the state’s first in-person bachelor’s degree completion program for incarcerated students - to include women’s prisons. Twenty-three students recently received their diplomas at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino,marking the first PGI graduation at a women’s facility.
Founded in 2016 by Cal State LA professor Dr. Bidhan Roy, PGI aims to transform incarcerated individuals adn prepare them for successful reintegration into society. The program began with faculty offering individual classes at the california State Prison, Los Angeles County in Lancaster. “The question becomes, what happens to the person while they’re incarcerated. Who do you want returning to your communities? Someone who could be a good neighbor, has transformed, can contribute, can pay taxes?” said Dr. Roy, describing the initiative as his life’s work.
The October graduation at CIW featured a keynote address by Billie Jean King,a Cal State LA alumna and renowned tennis icon. Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes affirmed the university’s commitment, stating, “Cal State LA is in it for the long run, this is what we do.”
PGI’s expansion includes a new mobile classroom at the California Institution for Men in Chino, also offering the Cal State LA bachelor’s degree program. Looking ahead, the initiative is slated to launch at San Quentin State Prison, part of Governor gavin Newsom’s broader effort to “tear down walls to reimagine our prison system, incentivize true rehabilitation, and end cycles of violence and crime.” Construction is underway on a new educational complex at San Quentin, with PGI designated to operate the bachelor’s degree program there. Dr. Amy Bippus, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, highlighted the program’s growth from initial faculty-led classes.
