ABSTRACT
The California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) Prison BA Graduation Initiative at California State Prison—Los Angeles County (LAC) has graduated 37 men with bachelor's degrees in organizational communication since its inception in 2016. Today, 15 of these students are not only college graduates, but they are free men leading successful lives as graduate students, entrepreneurs, and social justice advocates. This chapter explores the contributing factors that make the Prison BA Graduation Initiative a success–not only as a pioneering educational program in the state of California–but also as a unique initiative that fosters rehabilitation and transformation. Among the key factors of success, the Progressive Programming Facility (PPF) at Lancaster State Prison rates highest among them. In this chapter, I unpack the work being done on both sides of the bars and the impact on individuals, families, and communities through my lived experience and related scholarly research.
