The Higher Education program would like to congratulate Anthony Carlos, the latest in a growing list of students from the Salt River Department of Corrections to obtain a higher education certificate from the Rio Salado College Incarcerated Re-Entry program
The program is a partnership between Rio Salado, SRDOC, and the Salt River Higher Education program. On Nov. 6, staff from Rio Salado, Higher Ed, and SRDOC celebrated Carlos' success alongside his fellow classmates.
Carlos received his Workforce Development Certificate. He is one of six inmates to receive a certificate from the Re-Entry program since 2016. Although the program began enrolling students at SRDOC nearly 20 years ago, a more concerted effort to both empower and support students while reducing recidivism began in 2016.
About 20 inmates are currently enrolled in the program; while most will also earn a certificate of some kind, five of those students are currently pursuing an associate’s degree in various programs of study, and three program participants who were released are now full-time college students.
“Truly effective rehabilitation comes down to choice, said SRDOC Director William Daly. “We can help those incarcerated to make choices not to re-offend. That may include, but is not limited to, teaching them to read, and encouraging them to receive their GED or take college-level courses. It is clear the way we incarcerate in this country is not working. However, we have an opportunity to break that vicious cycle with what we are doing at SRDOC.”
For more information about the Rio Salado College Incarcerated Re-Entry program, call Salt River Higher Education at 480-362-2547.
