Sen. Casey visits Muhlenberg to support inmate education program

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, was in Allentown Monday to promote a program at Muhlenberg College aimed at helping former prison inmates get back into the workforce. 

The school is receiving funding for its Inside/Out Prison Exchange Program which is a partnership between Muhlenberg College and the Lehigh County Department of Corrections that seeks to improve access to postsecondary education for incarcerated individuals. The program enrolls Muhlenberg College students alongside incarcerated adults in a semester-long academic course.   

“For the first time in a decade, Congress is sending federal dollars directly to community projects across the Nation. I was proud to secure $231,000 for the Muhlenberg College and Lehigh County Department of Corrections Inside/Out Prison Exchange Program, which gives incarcerated individuals a pathway to secondary education—a pathway that would improve their chances to fully participate in the workforce, pursue further higher education and find safe and affordable housing after their incarceration. The United States is a Nation of second chances, and that is exemplified in Inside/Out’s core mission: to help people get their lives back on track and strengthen communities.” 

This program is expected to allow incarcerated students to gain college credits and create a pathway to postsecondary education. The funding will help support Inside/Out’s goals of reducing rates of recidivism and increasing the likelihood that incarcerated participants will be able to find and keep employment after incarceration.