Indiana is renewing its partnership with Ivy Tech Community College for another 10 years, expanding educational and workforce training opportunities for incarcerated people preparing to reenter society.
Gov. Mike Braun announced the agreement between the Indiana Department of Correction and Ivy Tech, saying the partnership is intended to reduce employment barriers for people leaving prison and improve public safety.
“Strengthening reentry programs is a priority for my administration because what happens inside our correctional facilities has a direct impact on public safety,” Braun said.
The partnership provides educational services to approximately 6,500 incarcerated students across 15 adult correctional facilities. About 140 Ivy Tech instructors teach career and technical programs, including welding, culinary arts and cosmetology. Students also can earn industry-recognized certifications and pursue high school equivalency diplomas through adult education programs.
Participation and program completions have increased significantly in recent years. Since 2021, enrollment in correctional education programs has grown by more than 3,000 students. Annual program completions more than doubled, increasing from 1,272 in 2021 to 2,833 in 2025.
Indiana Department of Correction Commissioner Lloyd Arnold said the programs help prepare incarcerated people for employment and life after prison.
“We don’t want them to be idle while serving time,” Arnold said. “We want them to take advantage of what’s available to them through partnerships like the one we have with Ivy Tech.”
Ivy Tech President Marty Pollio said education provides people preparing for a second chance with skills and credentials that can help them establish careers and successfully return to their communities.
The partnership also is expected to build on its existing programs over the next decade, said Amanda Harsin, chancellor of Ivy Tech’s Madison campus, which oversees the college’s correctional education programs.
At a recent ceremony at Plainfield Correctional Facility, graduates reflected on the impact of education during incarceration.
Antoine Bird, who also serves as a peer tutor for fellow inmates, said the experience has helped transform his life.
“I am not the man today that I was when I walked in here 22 years ago,” Bird said.
This article was written by John Herrick for WRTV-TV.
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