By Arti Finn
This article was originally published in the COABE Journal (Volume 14, Issue 2, Fall 2025) titled Policy In Action: State Initiatives for Adult Education Success. You can access the full COABE Journal here.
As the cofounder of a company that has spent more than a decade going inside America’s prisons, jails, juvenile, reentry, and community corrections facilities to deploy learning technology, I have seen many factories of reincarceration, not rehabilitation. This may not come as a surprise, but things are changing in corrections. I see both conservative and progressive governors creating pathways to sustainable employment and leveraging learningfirst technology for good, replacing a net spend with a net gain.
Let’s start with the facts: Approximately one-third of adults in the United States possess a record of incarceration, conviction, or arrest. This is a direct outcome of prolonged periods of widespread incarceration and excessive criminalization (Vallas & Dietrich, 2014). And, I would add, a result of underinvesting in education and rehabilitation. We limit correctional education to classroom access and to the number of available educators in a geographic area, both scarce resources in carceral settings. This is borne by research demonstrating that 57% of people in state prisons report having no access to education (Wang, 2022).
But things are changing, because governors are taking the lead. We have seen leadership in both red states and blue states. Visionary governors are investing in corrections reform. They understand that they are wasting money by simply warehousing people and that real opportunity lies in educating and rehabilitating incarcerated individuals. After all, 95% of those who are in custody will be released back into their communities. Our experience shows >firsthand that with true leadership, investment, and the right partnerships, we can change the system. The momentum behind governor-led reform is accelerating: As of 2025, governors across the nation have emphasized criminal justice and behavioral health initiatives in their state-of-the-state addresses, highlighting significant progress in reducing crime rates and expanding educational services (CSG Justice Center, 2025).
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee understands that the best public safety investment starts with pathways to sustainable employment, rooted in education. Governor Lee stated,
We must significantly improve public safety in our state, and I believe that starts with our criminal justice system. We will focus on helping individuals to ensure there is a pathway to a productive life beyond crime and ultimately make our state a safer place. (Tennessee Office of the Governor, 2019)
Governor Lee has taken a comprehensive approach, starting with addressing structural issues (for example, parole and probation reform) as well as education. In 2021, Governor Lee championed a bill focused on improving reentry outcomes. The Reentry Success Act focused on increasing the chances of successful community reintegration after an individual’s release (Right on Crime, 2021).
When it comes to education, the governor chose to focus on the areas that are usually forgotten—jails, where most people who are incarcerated cycle in and out of custody, and where education is not prioritized. To start, Governor Lee created the nation’s first reentry division inside his Department of Labor, tasking the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Deniece Thomas and her team with creating pathways to sustainable employment. They first addressed a foundational challenge: At least 30% of the people incarcerated in Tennessee lack a high school diploma or equivalent (Tennessee Office of the Governor, 2019). The governor also removed the barrier to postsecondary education. Anyone in Tennessee is allowed to participate in 2 years of postsecondary education paid for by the state, regardless of their criminal record. This approach has been comprehensive, sustained, and beneficial: 91 out of 95 county jails in Tennessee provide pathways to sustainable employment, and early results show that in locales like Blount County, recidivism rates are dropping by as much as 50%.
How is this possible? A powerful combination of learning-first technology and dedicated staff. Learning technology can deliver individualized support at scale, while correctional staff are able to monitor and intervene, so that learning gains are sustained. Results show that this combination is working: A recent cohort of individuals in Tennessee who were released from custody sustained employment 6 months postincarceration.
Blue state governors are also making smart investments and seeing results. Look at Massachusetts, which is often considered the state to watch for corrections reform. In 2018, Governor Charlie Baker and the Massachusetts Legislature began an overhaul of the criminal justice system. As Governor Baker highlighted,
We must focus on addressing recidivism by providing opportunities for certain prisoners who are willing to help themselves and participate in programs like workforce skills training opportunities that put them on the path to being productive members of society once their sentence is served. (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2017)
Massachusetts acted on that promise by leveraging learning-first technology and staff, and the state is seeing progress. In 2022, under the leadership of Governor Baker and then Department of Correction (MADOC) Commissioner Carol Mici, Massachusetts became the first state in the country to offer education and workforce development programming to everyone incarcerated in its prison system. By way of contrast, nationally only 17% of individuals in prisons report participation in programming (Wang, 2022).
And action is paying off for Massachusetts: “From 2010 through 2023, particularly during the reform period of 2019 through 2024, Massachusetts halved its incarcerated population. Every year, as the state incarcerated fewer and fewer people, Massachusetts diverted monies that would have gone to incarcerating offenders” (Criminon of Maine, 2024). And, in a Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Security (2025) press release, MADOC Commissioner Shawn Jenkins said, “These statistics show the [Orijin] tablets are increasing avenues toward reducing recidivism. Our DOC educators and staff find innovative and transformative ways to increase online offerings, which demonstrates our commitment to the overarching goal of safety and successful reentry.”
The scope of governor-led reform extends far beyond Tennessee and Massachusetts. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued a historic executive order in 2024 directing whole-ofgovernment coordination to improve reentry for formerly incarcerated people, specifically focusing on increasing work release, apprenticeship, and employment opportunities in state government (NC Governor, 2024). Maryland Governor Wes Moore established the Prison Education Delivery Reform Commission in 2024 to develop a statewide framework of policies for education in the criminal justice system, demonstrating the growing recognition among governors that education reform requires systematic, coordinated approaches (Maryland GOCPP, 2024).
Legislative momentum driven by gubernatorial leadership is also producing concrete results. In 2024 alone, more than 100 bills in 33 states were introduced related to education access for incarcerated individuals, with 21 enacted into law (Education Commission of the States, 2025). Utah’s comprehensive HB 248 exemplifies this trend, requiring degree-granting providers in correctional facilities to provide academic and career advising similar to services for nonincarcerated students, while Connecticut’s HB 5523 mandates comprehensive needs assessments to deliver postsecondary education programs in all correctional facilities. Oklahoma removed barriers to tuition aid for incarcerated individuals within 5 years of their scheduled release, while Maryland’s REAP Act requires state assistance for incarcerated students accessing Pell Grants and establishes specific participation goals for higher education programs in carceral settings (Education Commission of the States, 2025).
Across the country, there are also many examples of change led by reform-minded sheriffs who see it as their duty to stop the revolving door of individuals in and out of their jails. In Hancock County, Indiana, Sheriff Brad Burkhardt saved his county more than $4 million by investing in learning-first technology and people (Deer, 2025). Sheriff Noah Robinson in Vanderburg, Indiana, is following a similar pattern. These sheriffs deserve recognition for their achievements and willingness to challenge the status quo. These pockets of transformational change exist throughout the 18 states in which we work.
Our experience shows that sustained and systemic change works best when it is led by governors who have the vision to work collaboratively and comprehensively across the system, and who put leaders in place to implement change and invest in sustainable reforms. After more than a decade working with committed leaders across the country, we know that criminal justice reform works. When learning-first technology and staff are coupled with strong leadership and a commitment to change, we transform the system from warehousing to true rehabilitation and, ultimately, help justice-impacted individuals change their lives for good, forever.
REFERENCES
CSG Justice Center. (2025). State of the states: Criminal justice and behavioral health priorities in 2025. https://csgjusticecenter.org/2025/03/03/state-of-the-states-criminal-justice-and-behavioral-health-priorities-in-2025/
Criminon of Maine. (2024). The pros and cons of Massachusetts criminal justice reform. https://www.criminon.org/who-we-are/groups/criminon-international/the-pros-and-cons-of-massachusetts-criminal-justice-reform/
Deer, K. (2025, February 22). Educational options: Tablet program continues to grow at county jail. The Greenfield Reporter.
Education Commission of the States. (2025). Three ways states expanded prison education opportunities in 2024. https://www.ecs.org/3-ways-states-expanded-prison-education-opportunities-in-2024/
Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy. (2024). Prison education delivery reform commission. https://gocpp.maryland.gov/councils-commissions-and-workgroups/prison-education-delivery-reform-commission/
Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Security. (2025). Massachusetts Department of Correction tablet program expands learning opportunities for incarcerated individuals [Press release]. https://www.mass.gov/news/massachusetts-department-of-correction-tablet-program-expands-learning-opportunities-for-incarcerated-individuals
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. (2017, February 21). State leaders release report on criminal justice reform measures [Press release]. https://www.mass.gov/news/state-leaders-release-report-on-criminal-justice-reform-measures
North Carolina Governor. (2024). Governor Cooper issues historic executive order directing whole-of-government coordination to improve reentry for formerly incarcerated people in North Carolina. https://governor.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2024/01/29/governor-cooper-issues-historic-executive-order-directing-whole-government-coordination-improve
Right on Crime. (2021, May 21). Tennessee leaders define conservative criminal justice reform. https://rightoncrime.com/tennessee-leaders-define-conservative-criminal-justice-reform/
Tennessee Office of the Governor. (2019, February 28). Gov. Bill Lee announces strategies to improve criminal justice system [Press release]. https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2019/2/28/gov–bill-lee-announces-strategies-to-improve-criminal-justice-system.html
Vallas, R., & Dietrich, S. (2014). One strike and you’re out: Removing barriers to economic security for people with criminal records. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/one-strike-and-youre-out/ Wang, L. (2022). The state prison experience: Too much drudgery, not enough opportunity. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/09/02/prison_opportunities/
