SAN QUENTIN; Governor welcomed the inaugural cohort of 34 students pursuing bachelor’s degrees through California State University, Los Angeles at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, the governor’s office said.
The program is a 21-month Liberal Studies degree delivered inside San Quentin’s new Learning Center; the governor’s office said the course brings university instruction into the facility as part of a statewide effort to expand higher education in prisons.
The Learning Center opened earlier this year and provides classroom space, a technology and media hub, outdoor gathering areas and an open-stack library; the governor’s office said weekly book checkouts have increased 400% since the new space opened in May.
Through the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the release said community college courses are offered in person, by distance learning or correspondence and that bachelor’s degree programs operate at 12 institutions through partnerships with the California State University and University of California systems.
The release said associate and bachelor’s degree programs are provided at no cost to students and that, as of 2026, CDCR’s higher education system reported 9,966 associate degrees, 451 bachelor’s degrees and 48 master’s degrees.
The governor’s office tied the education expansion to public safety; the release said statewide crime data for 2025 showed declines across every major category, including homicide down 18.6%, robbery down 19.9%, property crime down 14.3%, motor vehicle theft down 25.8% and violent crime down 10.2%.
The release also cited CDCR data on reentry outcomes; it said 81.5% of people who earned Rehabilitation Achievement Credits remained conviction-free three years after release, 76.7% of people who earned Educational Merit Credits remained conviction-free and 66.7% of people who participated in general rehabilitative programming remained conviction-free, and it said a recent report found people who took college courses were 31% more likely to have jobs after release.
Those figures are from CDCR data cited in the release; the release did not present a randomized study proving causation between participation in education and reduced reoffending, though it presented the data to support the administration’s argument that education aids reentry and public safety outcomes, the release said. Governor Gavin Newsom said, "The majority of people who enter prison eventually go back once they’ve served their time, so it is deeply important that those individuals leave being better prepared to positively contribute to their community." "The continued growth of higher education programs across our institutions reflects CDCR’s deep commitment to transforming prison culture and prioritizing rehabilitation," CDCR Secretary said in the release.
State
Gavin Newsom
Governor · Democrat
Named 3 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Jeff Macomber
Secretary, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Named once in this story.
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