Community colleges will use ‘second-chance Pell grants’ to create opportunities for incarcerated individuals


Two NH Community Colleges, NHTI and White Mountains Community College, have been chosen as experimental sites to utilize Pell grants to support educating incarcerated individuals. The program, which will be conducted in partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Corrections, aims to reduce recidivism, support individuals transitioning out of prison, and address the state’s workforce challenges. 

“Creating opportunities for people to develop their talents and abilities and enabling them to contribute to their community and this state is central to the work that we do at NHTI, WMCC and across the entire Community College System of New Hampshire,” Mark Rubinstein, Chancellor of CCSNH, said in a statement. “This is an essential part of fulfilling our own mission to the communities that we serve.”

Beginning in the fall, NHTI will offer programs in advanced manufacturing, medical coding, hospitality, and tourism to incarcerated men and women at the NH State Prison for Men in Concord and the New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women in Concord.  WMCC will offer programs in business administration and liberal arts for incarcerated individuals at the Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility in Berlin. 

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