Prison University Project

Prison University Project provides free, on-site education to the inmates of San Quentin State Prison, California. After the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act resulted in the withdrawal of funding from more than 300 prison education programs nationwide, representatives of UC Davis and Patten College initiated a small-scale program of only two classes at San Quentin, which has since grown into a full-scale program with more than 100 volunteers and more than 300 currently enrolled students.

Prison University Project hopes to prepare prisoners for post-release employment and help them lead meaningful, productive lives, both in prison and in their communities. To date, more than 100 men have completed associate of arts degrees within the program, with even more students having continued their studies on the “outside” after parole.