Job searches are tricky for justice-impacted individuals — but what about going back to school? A Howard University research team is trying to find out exactly what hurdles formerly incarcerated people face when pursuing education online. Their work addresses a gap in the research that matters enormously for reentry policy.
Research Spotlight — Howard University Online Learning Study
Second Chances and Digital Classes
Howard University — Active Recruitment
Lead Researchers
Ingrid Sturgis & Robert Palmer
Institution
Howard University
Who They Need
Individuals with incarceration experience pursuing online education or post-high school training
Focus
Pathways and barriers to online learning for formerly incarcerated students
To participate or learn more, contact the study team at isturgis@howard.edu or robert.palmer@howard.edu.
Why This Research Matters
We have significant data on employment barriers for formerly incarcerated people. We have far less on education barriers — particularly for online learning, which has become the dominant pathway for working adults trying to complete degrees or credentials. The digital divide inside prisons and the reentry period is real, under-studied, and directly connected to every outcome we care about: employment, recidivism, family stability, community health.
43%
Of incarcerated people lack a high school diploma or GED — a baseline requirement for most postsecondary programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics
43%
Reduction in recidivism among people who participate in correctional education programs
RAND Corporation
$5:$1
Return on every dollar invested in correctional education, through reduced reincarceration costs
RAND Corporation
The RAND data is the policy argument in a sentence: correctional education is one of the most cost-effective public investments available. And yet access to it — particularly digital access — remains deeply uneven, poorly documented, and structurally deprioritized.
The Barriers to Online Learning After Incarceration
No Device, No Access
Online learning requires a functioning computer or tablet and reliable internet access. Many people release with nothing, making digital coursework immediately inaccessible regardless of motivation or eligibility.
Digital Literacy Gap
Incarceration, particularly over multiple years, creates a digital literacy gap. Platforms, software, and basic computer navigation skills evolve rapidly. People returning from long sentences may have no experience with modern learning management systems.
Financial Aid Complexity
While Second Chance Pell has expanded eligibility, navigating FAFSA, financial aid timelines, and enrollment deadlines requires administrative skills and support that many returning citizens do not have access to in the early weeks after release.
Competing Survival Needs
Housing, employment, supervision requirements, family reconnection — the immediate demands of reentry compete directly with the time, energy, and cognitive bandwidth that sustained online learning requires. Education often loses to survival.
Second Chance Pell — What Changed in 2024
The FAFSA Simplification Act, effective for the 2024–2025 award year, significantly expanded Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students enrolled in approved prison education programs. This is a meaningful shift — historically, people with drug convictions and people currently incarcerated faced blanket Pell restrictions that made college financing nearly impossible. The expansion does not cover all facilities or all programs, and navigating eligibility still requires institutional support. But it removes a structural barrier that kept higher education out of reach for decades.
Federal Student Aid — FAFSA Simplification ?
Why Online Learning Is a Particularly Important Gap to Study
Online learning has become the dominant modality for working adults pursuing credentials, but it assumes baseline digital access and literacy. Research on what works for formerly incarcerated students in online environments is sparse compared to research on traditional in-person correctional education. Sturgis and Palmer’s study at Howard addresses that gap directly — producing data that can inform program design, institutional policy, and resource allocation for one of the most underserved student populations in higher education.
Related Coverage — Education, Reentry, and Second Chances
How to cite: Williams, R. [Rita]. (2024, November 12). Second Chances and Digital Classes: Study Examines Educational Opportunities for Formerly Incarcerated. Clutch Justice. https://clutchjustice.com/2024/11/12/second-chances-and-digital-classes-study-examines-educational-opportunities-for-formerly-incarcerated/
