Program Example

Iowa: Distance Learning

Iowa Department of Corrections

The Iowa Department of Corrections offers inmates the option to enroll in online courses offered by community and private colleges.

Program Established: 1995

Description

Since the mid 1990s, the Iowa Department of Corrections, through the Iowa Communication Network (ICN), has provided incarcerated indi- viduals the opportunity to take courses online at the individual’s expense. Some 15 to 20 students per semester take 10 to 15 courses at community and private colleges and universities over the ICN, earning college degrees and certificates.

Contact

Director of Offender Education, Iowa Department of Corrections
Phone: (515) 242-5728
420 Watson Powell Jr. Way, Des Moines, IA 50309
http://www.doc.state.ia.us/

Our Publications

10/23/2008: New Toolkit on Law Enforcement Role in Prisoner Reentry: Four Agencies Selected as "Learning Sites" with Justice Department Grant

The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced today the release of the toolkit, Planning and Assessing a Law Enforcement Reentry Strategy. With support by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the kit has been designed as a guide and self-assessment tool for policing personnel and their partners to help reduce repeat crimes and facilitate successful reintegration by the more than 700,000 individuals who return to our communities from prisons each year and the more than 9 million from jails.