Located in:
- Program-specific Requirements for Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Programs
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a description of the following as it pertains to adult education and literacy programs and activities under title II of WIOA, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA).
c. Corrections Education and other Education of Institutionalized Individuals
Describe how the State will establish and operate programs under section 225 of WIOA for corrections education and education of other institutionalized individuals, including how it will fund, in accordance with the requirements of title II subtitle C, any of the following academic programs for:
- Adult education and literacy activities;
- Special education, as determined by the eligible agency;
- Secondary school credit;
- Integrated education and training;
- Career pathways;
- Concurrent enrollment;
- Peer tutoring; and
- Transition to re-entry initiatives and other post release services with the goal of reducing recidivism.
Each eligible agency using funds provided under Programs for Corrections Education and Other Institutionalized Individuals to carry out a program for criminal offenders within a correctional institution must give priority to serving individuals who are likely to leave the correctional institution within 5 years of participation in the program.
Current Narrative:
Correctional Institution Programs
The WIOA expands the use of funds for adult education programs in correctional institutions. This includes the teaching of basic literacy skills including reading, writing, speaking, and math; special education programs; secondary education credit and high school diploma or equivalency programs, and career–integrated education and training. Correctional institutions must describe and define the academic program areas in their grant application, and describe how the agency will deliver any of these programs.
Section 225 funds are available to local education agencies that have contracts with local jails or local–law enforcement departments responsible for managing the jail programs. Section 225 funds are also available to state correctional education programs. Applications submitted by local school districts, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and other state and local correctional education programs, must outline how the agency ensures participants’ access to the program if they are within five years of release.
As part of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)’s Division of Rehabilitative Programs, the Office of Correctional Education (OCE) offers various academic and education programs at each of California’s adult state prisons. These programs are monitored by CDE through the compliance monitoring system, and CDCR is required to outline what components are delivered in these activities in the application for the WIOA grant funding.
Correctional Education programs within institutions demonstrate the operation of the various academic and career technical education programs addressing the requirements of the WIOA grant. The CDE partners with correctional education providers to develop a new integrated education training model that addresses the academic and career programming needs designed to support students’ completion of a high school diploma or equivalency degree. The transitional plan for students’ access to post–secondary education and career pathways is in development for correctional education to ensure students will have the 21st Century skills necessary to succeed once released.
The CDE works in partnership with correctional education providers by offering continued technical assistance in understanding and implementing the grant requirements. To ensure compliance with the law, the CDE continues to monitor the academic and career technical programming, and reviews the financial records to ensure correctional education providers are allocating the grant funding to correctional education programs as required by law.
The CDE also ensures compliance with federal and state law as a member of the Corrections Rehabilitation Oversight Board (C–ROB). CDE monitors the academic rehabilitation process, and contributes to the annual report on academic programs in conjunction with other agencies in the annual report to the California Legislature.
There are 35 state prisons, 4 developmental centers, and 5 state hospitals providing adult education programs to institutionalized adults and inmates. All 58 California counties provide education programs in county jail facilities. Other facilities such as state hospitals, developmental centers, and limited retention facilities provide literacy services to inmates. These institutions often collaborate with adult schools, public libraries, and community based organizations.