JCTC Prison Program

General Information

Jefferson Community and Technical College (a member of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System) offers degree programs to women and men incarcerated in Louisville-area correctional facilities:

• Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women (KCIW)

• Kentucky State Reformatory (KSR)

• Luther Luckett Correctional Complex (LLCC)

• Roederer Correctional Complex (RCC)

• Louisville Area Dismas Facilities
   

Educational Offerings in Area Prisons
JCTC offers a wide array of courses at each of its service facilities:

• Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes

• GED (General Education Diploma) classes

• Technical and Vocational classes and programs

• Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Degrees

Specific course offerings are designed to allow the inmate students to complete vocational and technical training or to obtain an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science Degree within a reasonable period of time. 
 

Program Highlights for Degree Programs: 
Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate in Applied Science-General Occupational and Technical Studies

• All courses taught in the prisons adhere to the same SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) and KCTCS Catalog requirements as those taught in the JCTC’s regular programming.
   

• Examples of classes that might be taught in a semester include: Writing I and II (freshman composition), Strategies for College Success, Introduction to Philosophy, Modern Social Problems, European History, Interpersonal Communications, Environmental Geology, Pre-Algebra, College Algebra.  Class offerings are varied each semester to allow steady progress toward a degree.
   

• Hiring practices for Prison Program faculty are the same as those employed with other faculty, and frequently regular, full-time faculty teach in the evening class program of the prison facilities.
   

• Academic advising is provided the inmate students individually and on a regular basis.
   

• Tuition assistance is provided the inmate students through each institution’s canteen fund and donations from inmate clubs.  No tax-payer money is spent for the degree programs.  Financial assistance is awarded in tandem with the inmate’s own financial commitment to education and training.
   

• Books are provided through the canteen fund and community organizations’ donations.  Additional assistance is provided through interested individuals, church, and community organizations.

Program Benefits

• A startling reduction in recidivism rates for those who receive an Associate's Degree during incarceration—a drop of 50 – 70% has been found in a variety of research studies.

• Increased employment opportunities upon release and development of a positive attitude by inmates toward their society and communities.

• An improved atmosphere within the prison setting when educational programs are available.

• A dramatic improvement among participants in self-esteem, inmate prestige, and positive role-modeling.

• Excellent support for inmates in overcoming personal obstacles, such as stress, poor work habits, repeated educational failure, inadequate basic reading and math skills, and the instant-gratification syndrome.

• Development of a goal-oriented attitude toward life.

• Development of cooperative rather than competitive relationships within the prison community.

• Improved relationships between inmates and other family members and their children.