SOP 108.05: Post-Secondary Education

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|
|Policy Number: 108.05|Effective Date: 08/01/2024|Page Number: 1 of 4|
|Authority:
Commissioner
|Originating Division:
Inmate Services Division
(Career Technical and Higher
Education)|Access Listing:
Level II: Required Offender
Access|

I. Introduction and Summary:

Post-secondary education may be available to offenders who qualify and who
voluntarily seek enrollment in approved courses.

II. Authority:

A. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 125-4-2-.04.

B. ACA Standards: 5-ACI-7B-01, 5-ACI-7B-09, and 5-ACI-7B-10; and

C. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990: 42 U.S.C. §12102, § 12131-34, and 28

C.F.R. §35.101 et seq.

III. Definitions:

As used in this SOP, these terms are defined as follows.

A. Correspondence Course - A course of study offered by an organization which the

offender initiates and completes independently with approval of the Georgia
Department of Corrections (GDC) facility.

B. Institution of Higher Learning - A college or university offering post-secondary

level academic instruction that leads to credit towards or completion of an
associate or higher degree.

C. Prison Education Program (PEP) - A post-secondary education program that

has been through the application process, and is approved by Georgia Department
of Correction, the Board of Education, and their accrediting body. Programming
is funded through federal Pell Grant funds.

D. The State Repository of Information System ( SCRIBE) - GDC’s official

offender records management system.

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|
|Policy Number: 108.05|Effective Date: 08/01/2024|Page Number: 2 of 4|
|Authority:
Commissioner
|Originating Division:
Inmate Services Division
(Career Technical and Higher
Education)|Access Listing:
Level II: Required Offender
Access|

IV. Statement of Policy and Applicable Procedures:

A. Correspondence Courses:

1. Prior to enrolling in a Post-Secondary, or any other, Correspondence Course,

the offender must have approval from the Deputy Warden of Care and
Treatment (DWCT), or designee. The approval, or disapproval, will be
documented in SCRIBE.

2. The offender wanting to take a post-secondary Correspondence Courses, or the

offender’s family on his or her behalf, must contact the post-secondary
Correspondence Course provider/institution, and make arrangements for
enrollment, payment, study, testing, and all other requirements.

3. An offender enrolled in a post-secondary Correspondence Course may request

assistance from facility staff to proctor and/or tutor – although facility staff are
not required to do so. The offender must obtain approval from the DWCT, or
designee, prior to beginning any Post-Secondary Correspondence Course, and
must notify the DWCT upon completion of any post-secondary
Correspondence Course so the completion may be documented in SCRIBE.

B. Approval of Post-Secondary Education Programs:

1. All Institutions of Higher Learning must be approved prior to beginning a post
secondary education program at any facility, regardless of PEP status.

2. Prison Education Programs (PEP) applications are available on the Georgia

Department of Corrections website, or by contacting the Director of Career,
Technical, and Higher Education (CTHE).

3. Upon PEP approval each Institution of Higher Learning will be required to

enter into a Services Agreement (MOU) with GDC.

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|
|Policy Number: 108.05|Effective Date: 08/01/2024|Page Number: 3 of 4|
|Authority:
Commissioner
|Originating Division:
Inmate Services Division
(Career Technical and Higher
Education)|Access Listing:
Level II: Required Offender
Access|

C. Management of Post-Secondary Education Programs:

1. GDC facility leadership will make reasonable accommodations to create a

positive and productive learning environment for post-secondary education
programs. This includes but is not limited to allowing offenders to have access
to educational materials during periods of lockdown.

2. Offenders must meet the specific program entry requirements as established

by the Institution of Higher Learning.

3. Priority for enrollment may be given according to sentence length, the number

and level/type of Disciplinary Reports, and prior academic/career technical
education performance.

4. Upon post-secondary enrollment, SCRIBE data entry related to the offender’s

program is required.

a. The appropriate program should be opened in SCRIBE to reflect program

enrollment.

b. The offender should be scheduled in SCRIBE correctly.

c. A scrolling alert note, which indicates that an offender should only be

transferred to other facilities with the same program or a Transition Center,
should be entered in SCRIBE.

d. Upon completion of the program or if a student withdrawal/is removed, the

program should be closed, the appropriate reason should be reflected, and
the SCRIBE alert note should be removed.

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|Policy Name:Post-Secondary Education|
|Policy Number: 108.05|Effective Date: 08/01/2024|Page Number: 4 of 4|
|Authority:
Commissioner
|Originating Division:
Inmate Services Division
(Career Technical and Higher
Education)|Access Listing:
Level II: Required Offender
Access|

D. Transfer Process:

1. Once it has been determined that an offender is a good candidate for a post
secondary education program located at another GDC facility and meets the
basic requirements for facility transfer, it is the referring facilities
responsibility to contact the Director of CTHE who will assist with
coordination with the Institution of Higher Learning to ensure the offender is
or will be enrolled in the post-secondary education program prior to transfer.

2. GDC will make a good faith effort to not transfer offenders while enrolled in

post-secondary education programs.

a. If a transfer is deemed necessary, the Director of CTHE shall be contacted

immediately, if making contact does not cause an immediate security
concern. For offenders enrolled in PEP, transfers during an enrollment
period will have a negative impact on the offenders Pell funding upon their
release. As such, GDC will make a good faith effort to transfer the offender
to another institution that offers the same program, or allow the offender to
complete the semester, or related coursework, if possible while maintaining
facility security.

b. Post-secondary education enrollment will not inhibit transfers to Transition

Centers, but, when possible, should occur at the end of a semester, or the
offender should be allowed to complete their coursework after transfer

V. Attachments:

Attachment 1: Prison Education Program Application

VI. Record Retention of Forms Relevant to this Policy:

Upon completion, Attachment 1 shall be maintained for three (3) years from PEP
approval, or as long as the PEP is active.