UHCL’s Transforming Lives by Degrees celebrates 50 years

Impact of the Program

To date, almost 700 students have graduated from TLD, including more than 300 who have earned a master's degree. Many have found employment in sites such as the Texas Railroad Commission, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, community corrections centers, substance abuse treatment facilities, and even at UHCL. Others have furthered their education and started small businesses, but the benefits of the program transcend gainful employment. The recidivism rate, financial impact on the community, and psychological transformation of the graduates also play a role in the program's impact.

"Across the board, studies of correctional education have demonstrated a remarkably consistent reduction in recidivism by as much as 50%, and in some cases to an untraceable amount at the master's level," explained Dr. William Powers, the program director.

Keeping people out of prison saves tax dollars, he added. The number of individuals in Texas prisons has a direct impact on the amount of money in correctional budget savings, according to RAND Corporation. In addition, correctional education programs help improve the prison environment.

"One of the clearest and most immediate benefits of correctional education is that in many cases, students who are also offenders take leadership roles in mentoring and tutoring programs in the prison," said Powers. "The prison is a safer unit because of the presence of these academic programs."

Pareshkumar Patel, a graduate of TLD, took on a leadership role while incarcerated. He said he encountered many men who lacked math skills, so he began teaching math for GED classes at the Ramsey Unit. After his tutoring proved successful, he was transferred to the education department at the unit.

From a psychological standpoint, the program makes a positive impact on the minds of the graduates as well. After completing the program, graduates do not leave prison the same way them came. Dr. Pillai has witnessed this change firsthand; she began teaching for TLD in 2007.

"They're coming back to society as deeply reformed, deeply thoughtful, introspective, and kind people, people who have literally found their sense of themselves," she said.