Cal State LA celebrates resilience and second chances as Prison Graduation Initiative graduates fourth Lancaster cohort

Cal State LA celebrated the fourth cohort of the university's transformative Prison Graduation Initiative (PGI) program at California State Prison, Los Angeles County (LAC), in Lancaster with a Commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 28.

The 20 members of the Class of 2026 received their Bachelor of Arts in Communication, with family and friends cheering them on from the audience.

"I admire these men in cohort four deeply and have never been so proud to celebrate the graduation of a cohort of PGI students," said PGI Director Bidhan Roy. "We hope that one day this Class of 2026 will be afforded a second chance at life to join us on campus to further enrich our community. We know college education works as the most cost-effective, evidence-based solution to mass incarceration in California, and Cal State LA is committed to expanding opportunities for as many students as we can possibly serve."

Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes told the graduates, "You persevered and you earned something. That is an investment in yourself."

The 20 resolute members of LAC's Class of 2026 faced additional challenges in completing their academic journey. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation redesignated LAC from a Progressive Programming Facility Honor Yard (PPF), Level III General Population, to a Level II Non-Designated facility. The change in yard status brought unrest and violence as a wider range of offenders-seen by some as targets of violence within the prison gang culture-were integrated into the yard.

As a result, 12 members of the original 32-member cohort left the program to preserve their general population status and ensure their personal safety. The 20 members who remained signed contracts with prison administrators to uphold the values of the PPF yard and the Cal State LA program.

"This graduation, therefore, marks so much more than the academic success of our graduates. It marks their commitment to preparing themselves for a successful life after prison rather than an easier life within prison," Roy said. "This distinction is an important one as it provides tangible evidence of this cohort's thinking and journey of rehabilitation. While it is common for many incarcerated persons to say they are committed to a rehabilitative path, it is much rarer for a person to show this commitment through their actions in these ways."

Graduates Saahdi Coleman, Carlos Martinez, and Laurence Perry addressed the Commencement attendees and reflected on the impact of the program on their lives.

"I'm proud to say my classmates and I made the choice to embrace change and live lives of amends. That's what today is about," Martinez said. "Something extraordinary is happening. We were able to earn our education. That was the first step for many of us-away from addiction and the negative values that once defined us. For the first time, we could see ourselves as more than just prisoners. They gave us back our humanity."

Said Coleman: "That's why education in prison matters. It taught us the true meaning of living amends. We realized we couldn't wait for a gate to open and start living as citizens. We had to start living as citizens while these gates still surrounded us."

Other speakers included Cal State LA Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Lattimer, College of Arts and Letters Dean Stephen Trzaskoma, and California State University Trustee Wenda Fong. The keynote address was delivered by Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition.

LAC's Class of 2026 brings the total number of PGI graduates to 93, including 25 who were paroled and completed their studies at Cal State LA. To date, the recidivism rate of PGI graduates who have been paroled stands at 0%.

The university founded PGI at LAC 10 years ago as California's first in-person bachelor's degree program for incarcerated students. It has since successfully expanded to the California Institution for Women and the California Institution for Men, both in Chino.

In August, the first cohort at a fourth institution, the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in Northern California, will begin its classwork.

PGI will be serving 177 students at the four prisons this year.

"Hope is for all people at all times," said Perry. "Hope is my brothers and me being officially accepted into the Cal State LA family. Hope is cohort four, all of us."

California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 22,000 students and has more than 260,000 distinguished alumni.