Niagara County Community College is offering college courses to inmates at the Niagara County Jail as part of the SUNY Higher Education for the Justice-Involved initiative.
While the initiative has been offered by 13 SUNY campuses in 20 state prisons, NCCC is one of the first to offer the program in a county jail.
The classes are taught by an NCCC faculty member who has been trained on the challenges of teaching students in a jail setting. The program launched in the summer of 2023 with a five-week English 101 course. Nine students completed the course, gaining eligibility to take English 102.
“I have often said that individuals that commit crime need to be held accountable. While being incarcerated, I want to offer educational opportunities that can truly make a difference in their futures. An existing partnership with Orleans Niagara BOCES and now a new college program with NCCC help us to fulfill that commitment,” said Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti. “This programming is funded by inmate profit funds that are realized from commissary purchases and not taxpayer dollars. This makes sense to put that funding to good use and hopefully turn the tide for some of our incarcerated population.”
Niagara County BOCES teaches GED preparation courses to incarcerated students at the jail and has been instrumental in screening students for the NCCC program to ensure that they are prepared to take college credit-bearing courses.
“We are committed to expanding access to college for all, including those who are incarcerated,” said NCCC Vice President of Academic Affairs Lydia Ulatowski. “We believe that education is the key to reducing recidivism and helping inmates become productive members of society.”
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