that incarcerated individuals who participate in correctional education are 48% less likely to return to prison within three years than those who did not have access to these opportunities.

“LIFTED graduations celebrate both the accomplishments of our fantastic students — nearly half graduated with Latin honors — and of our state institutions. University of California, Irvine, is the first top-ten public university in the United States to admit, matriculate, and graduate students with a bachelor’s degree from within prison. And our university does this in collaboration with CDCR, who supports us in creating spaces where incarcerated people can experience new identities as students and college graduates!”

– Keramet Reiter, UCI Lifted Director

This collaboration between CDCR and the University of California is made possible by a formal agreement through a program known as Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees (LIFTED). LIFTED enables incarcerated students to apply to transfer into UCI as juniors and earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the university while serving their sentence.The program’s first cohort consisted of 23 graduates who began taking faculty-led courses in Fall 2022 and graduated with their degrees in June 2024. In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom and the State Legislature allocated $1.8 million over five years for the program’s support and expansion.

CDCR partners with California’s public higher education system to offer associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the California community colleges, the California State University, and the University of California. More than 13.5% of the entire incarcerated population are enrolled in college courses.

“It’s the culmination of six years of education, despite being incarcerated. To know the impact that my crime had on society, and this is a way to give back, it’s very influential, not just for me but also for my family.”

– Erik Pearson, UCI Lifted graduate

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