Two Lansing Correctional Facility residents recently completed associate of arts degrees through Donnelly College, a private university in the Kansas City, Kansas area. Donnelly has successfully operated college programs close to 20 years at Lansing.

Both individuals are first-generation college students in their families, and both plan to continue their education to pursue bachelor's degrees. The following are brief excerpts from their graduation speeches:

“As for myself I look back on my life and see how I used to be. It is the complete opposite of who I feel I have become. To see this change is only a recent realization for me, one that leaves me in awe of the capacity of humanity to grow out of the pain and suffering too many must endure and become something wonderful. Education for me has been a life-altering factor. It has given me the sense of purpose and motivation to become something more than my past would lead you to think I would become.”

"I want to start by saying lights do shine in dark rooms. College has been that light . . .  inside KDOC. Thank you for seeing the need to help inmates seek a brighter future with higher education. This education opens up doors to people who are forever labeled in society."

Education is an essential part of KDOC's Strategic Plan, Pathway for Success. The benefits of providing education opportunities for residents of KDOC facilities are far-reaching, not only for the individual but also for Kansas employers and the economy. KDOC releases approximately 6,000 individuals each year who return to their home communities, and 98 percent of the men and women in Kansas prisons today will return to live as neighbors and members of our society.

A successful return to life after incarceration is far from a sure thing for too many. Access to a good job and a livable wage, one of the cornerstones of successful reentry, is beyond the reach of many who have paid their debt to society and are ready to rebuild their lives. Research shows individuals who achieve a steady employment with a livable wage after incarceration are one-third less likely to return to prison. Jobs often require training or certification, and in many cases an associate's or bachelor's degree.