New York, NY – The Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice is proud to announce it has received a $1.5 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the expansion of PRI’s educational and reentry initiatives for current and formerly incarcerated students.

PRI is committed to providing opportunities for people to live successfully in the community after involvement with the justice system. Given its position in the City University of New York (CUNY), PRI recognizes that higher education is transformational for people with justice system involvement and provides students with the framework for personal and social growth, as well as the means to a sustainable and fulfilling life.

“I am honored that the Mellon Foundation continues to believe in our mission and support this work,” said PRI Executive Director Ann Jacobs. “This grant will enable PRI to expand its college-in-prison program, the Prison-to-College Pipeline (P2CP); work within CUNY on a university-wide strategy for supporting students after justice involvement; and contribute toward a coordinated, statewide approach for providing higher education in correctional facilities.”

The Prisoner Reentry Institute is one of twelve institutes that collectively comprise the Research Consortium of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) is an international leader in educating for justice and a Hispanic-Serving Institution and Minority-Serving Institution, offering a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations.