The Evergreen State College (Evergreen) has been approved to expand access to college in prisons through the Evergreen Prison Education Program (EPEP) at Stafford Creek Corrections Center (Stafford Creek). Program expansion is made possible thanks to the U.S. Department of Education’s approval of Evergreen’s application for federal financial aid received in May. Students at Stafford Creek are now eligible to apply for aid to support enrollment in EPEP’s BA degree pathway. The College will admit a new cohort of up to 25 incarcerated students in the Fall quarter of 2025.
With approvals from the Washington State Department of Corrections, the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities, and Evergreen’s Board of Trustees, EPEP began offering bachelor’s degree courses to students at Stafford Creek, in the Winter quarter of 2024. Courses continued with a single cohort of dedicated students throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. Stafford Creek staff and leadership have been supportive partners throughout the development of Evergreen’s new degree program. Building on excellent education services delivered by community college partners, EPEP supports students completing the final two years of their four-year BA degree.
EPEP “clears away obstacles to learning” by making Evergreen’s interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree available to incarcerated scholars. The theme-based, inquiry-driven, cohort model of experiential learning is anchored in a rigorous and responsive curriculum. Education is a widely recognized strategy that can help people improve their lives while benefiting communities. Expanding access to education in prison is also one of the most effective ways to reduce recidivism. In their cost-benefit analysis, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy has determined that for every $1 invested in college behind bars, the public stands to accrue $19.74 in benefits. In their resolution approving the establishment of EPEP, Evergreen’s Board of Trustees declared “college behind bars is the best documented, most ethical, and highest value systemic preventer of recidivism because we educate to liberate, not to ‘de-recidivate.’"
This milestone reflects Evergreen’s ongoing commitment to inclusive education. Noah Coburn, Provost and Vice President for Academics, emphasized the significance of the expansion and the collaborative spirit that EPEP embodies, saying, “This expansion is a wonderful recognition of Evergreen's transformative model of teaching and learning. At Evergreen we have long insisted that we must be expansive when we ask not only what should a college education be, but who should it be for. We are deeply grateful for this collaboration between Evergreen faculty and staff, and the Department of Corrections, and particularly to the incarcerated students who are willing to challenge themselves with this opportunity.”
Evergreen staff and faculty have decades of experience supporting education and providing holistic support services for currently incarcerated and legally liberated people. In 2023, Evergreen organizations formed the Evergreen Liberation Education Network. Members include EPEP, Gateways for Incarcerated Youth, Sustainability in Prisons Project, and Liberation Scholars. Through the Network, these organizations exchange ideas, share resources, and collaborate to improve education and reentry services.
Evergreen Marketing & Communications Office Contact:
mediarelations@evergreen.edu
Evergreen Prison Education Program Contacts:
Eirik Steinhoff, Program Co-Director
steinhoff@evergreen.edu
Kelli Bush, Program Co-Director
bushk@evergreen.edu