This year’s college graduates include the first incarcerated students to be awarded bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin System in over 50 years, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
“I would say education is the best rehabilitation there is,” said student Christobal Guerrero-Kresovich, according to the department’s press release. “It trumps anything that anyone could do inside the prison system.”
Guerrero-Kresovich lives at the Thompson Correctional Center and works a job in the community, according to the department.
“I’m looking forward to turning in my blue collar for a white collar,” Guerrero-Kresovich said, according to the department. “When I go to the job board and it says ‘bachelor’s degree required,’ I know in 60 days I’ll be able to apply for those positions.”
Graduation ceremonies this week at Oakhill and Stanley Correctional Institutions recognize the first bachelor’s degrees any UW has awarded to incarcerated people since 1975, the agency said.
Fifteen current or former Oakhill residents were awarded bachelor’s degrees Monday from UW-Green Bay; eight other students are earning associate’s degrees. At Stanley, eight students will received bachelor’s degrees Wednesday from UW-Eau Claire and six will receive bachelor’s degrees from UW-Stout.
UW programs for incarcerated students are offered primarily face-to-face inside the prisons, the department said. They focus on developing skills in communication, management and leadership.
Guerrero-Kresovich is one of the first incarcerated people to earn a UW bachelor’s degree through the Prison Education Initiative, a UW-Madison project that builds partnerships between the UW system and the Department of Corrections. The UW offers courses at 11 Department of Corrections facilities across the state, according to the department.
The initiative launched in 2022 with a $5.7 million Workforce Innovation Grant, one of a group of grants that “support innovative solutions to the state’s workforce needs,” the corrections agency said.
“Wisconsin believes in second chances,” Gov. Tony Evers said in the press release. He said that investing in education in correctional facilities is a “common-sense strategy” to meet the economy’s need for skilled workers and help people gain the skills they need to succeed.
The initiative has aided more than 200 students who have earned associate’s degrees or other UW credentials designed to increase their employment opportunities after release, reduce the number of people committing new crimes and “build stronger communities across Wisconsin.”
“They are learning how to contribute positively to society,” Department of Corrections Secretary Jared Hoy said. “The average incarceration in Wisconsin is less than three years. These individuals will quickly have the opportunity to put their education to work and help move Wisconsin forward.”
