Plans State Corrections Commissioner Sheryl Ramstad Hvass today said that higher education programming in state prisons will continue, but will not be funded with state tax dollars. Speaking during an inmate graduation ceremony at the Oak Park Heights correctional facility, Commissioner Ramstad Hvass said the programs initially will be funded with receipts generated from prison telephone systems used by inmates.
Inmates pay for using the monitored phone system.
Higher education programming will be offered at the Oak Park Heights, Stillwater and Shakopee institutions and one medium-security facility. Long-term funding plans call for the formation of a partnership with a private sector entity to establish an endowment that would fund higher education. This effort would seek partnerships with private foundations that have an interest in lowering the rate at which offenders return to prison and making communities safer. The group, which included a local mayor, former FBI agent, community college director, and an insurance defense lawyer, strongly supports offering higher education for inmates and recognizes the benefits of positive programming that can lower recidivism. I have been very impressed with the higher education programming offered in our institutions.