Incarceration to College

The first step is always at the bottom…

STUDENTS

You are capable of graduating college. We want to help you get you through college because we need your help. Students apply below.

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Program Overview

Incarceration to College is our newest recruitment program developed to create sustainable youth justice and is led by one of our current alumna leaders, Shani Shay. Incarceration to College (ITC) is an A-G verified Career Training Education college readiness course designed to be taught inside juvenile facilities and alllow students to earn CTE credits towrds graduation. ITC usess multicultural material, culturally relevant instructors, Black Feminist Pedagogies, socio-critical disccussion, and increased access to college readiness to effectively enhance the educational aspirations of incarcerated youth.

Stage 1: We offer weekly course to all incarcerated youth in the facility regardless of age or status in language, gender, sentencing, housing, or education. The course covers nine areas in sequential order: Assessment and Degree Programs; College Explorations; Organizations, Clubs and Sports programs; Application and Personal Statements; Scholarships and Grants; Financial Aid Protocols; Resources Guide; Student Go-Home Plan; and Graduation.

Stage 2: Completion of the course

Students who complete the course receive a ‘College Readiness’ certificate, up to eight CTE credits, and are encouraged to become incorpaorated into ITC.

Stage 3: Incorporate the student

Students can choose to be incorporated into the program and receive support and resources until the student is successfully admitted into college. We will then connect the student with appropriate faculty and resources to optimize educational success.

Stage 4: ITC Leaders

Graduates return to Incarceration to College as Alumni and help students understand the structures and behavoirs for becoming academically successful (Stages 1-3).

“As institutions with the power to hold minors in detention, it is within the scope of responsibility to prepare them for collegiate establishments.”

-Shani Shay

ITC Impact Report

Contra Costa County- Martinez Juvenile Hall

Years in Service: 4

Year to Date Unduplicated students served: 401

Students served for 2024-2025 School Year: 124

Programs offered: Incarceration to College, Writers Room Literacy Project, and Coding Gang

Students Enrolled in college Academic Year 2024: 23

Students earning CTE credits through ITC curriculum: 103

Students admitted to UC System: 2

Students Admitted to Cal State System: 2

SecureTrac Students served: 12

Martinez juvenile hall is the site where ITC was piloted. The program has flourished and since

ITC was piloted there has been a 50% increase in college enrollment. Students at Martinez

juvenile hall will begin their second cohort of the Coding Gang in January 2023 with outside

partnership with Stanford University, Pipe Dreamers, and Reddit. Student will also begin their

second cohort of the Writers Room Literacy project in January with the partnership of the San

Francisco Poet Laureate, Tongo Eisin-Martin and novelist Shaka Senghoir ITC works in

partnership with The Contra Costa Office of Education to provide college readiness credit

bearing classes through the ITC Program.

Alameda Juvenile Hall

Years in Service: 3

Year to Date Unduplicated students served: 494

Students served for 2024-2025 School Year: 211

Programs offered: Incarceration to College, Ethnic Studies “Abolition Pedagogies”

Students Enrolled in college Academic Year 2023: 27

Students earning CTE credits through ITC program: 180

Students Admitted to UC System: 1

Students Admitted to Cal State System: 3

SecureTrac Students served: 32

Alameda Juvenile Hall incorporated ITC in January 2021 in the SEEP unit to support high

school graduates. In January 2022 ITC was implemented in the Secure Tract Unit. ITC works in

partnership with Laney’s Restoring Our Communities to support community college students

with in person and online classes and The Alameda County Office of Education to provide college

readiness credit bearing classes through the ITC Program.

San Francisco Juvenile Hall

Years in Service: 3

Year to Date Unduplicated students served: 205

Students served for 2024-2025 School Year: 107

Programs offered: Incarceration to College

Students Enrolled in college Academic Year: 15

Students earning CTE credits through ITC curriculum: 91

Students admitted to UC system: 1

Students admitted to Cal State System: 1

SecureTrac Students served: 12

San Francisco Juvenile Hall incorporated ITC in June 2022 in the high school classroom and as a

one-on-one support for high school graduates. ITC works in partnership with SF City Colleges

New Directions and the San Francisco Office of Education to support previously incarcerated students.

Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Ethnic Studies “Abolition Pedagogy”

In a powerful collaboration between Alameda County and Incarceration to College, we proudly launched the first-ever UC Berkeley–taught Ethnic Studies course inside Unit 5 of Juvenile Hall — Abolition Pedagogies, led by the brilliant Dr. Victoria Robinson. 🙌🏾📚

This groundbreaking pilot brought together over 30 system-impacted youth, with 14 earning official UC Berkeley certificates for their participation and academic achievement. The course explored themes of abolition and ethnic studies through the writings of revolutionary thinkers such as Assata Shakur, Malcolm X, and others, empowering youth to develop their own critical questions, reflections, and visions for change.

What made this class truly transformative was its structure: students inside the hall were co-learning with UC Berkeley students on campus — engaging in shared readings, discussions, and activities. Five UC Berkeley student teaching teams participated in this collaborative model, gaining hands-on experience and building meaningful academic and personal connections across walls. 💥🖤📖

The course culminated in a powerful and creative project: an abolition-themed crossword puzzle, built from the collective wisdom and insights of the class. 🧩✨
👉🏽 [Click here to check it out!]

This is just the beginning. In Fall 2025, we plan to expand this pilot by bringing it to the female unit and pairing it with cross-enrollment opportunities. The future of abolitionist education is here — and growing.

Stay tuned. More to come. 🌱🕊️

12 Week ITC Curriculums

Coding Gang

Coding Gang: Tech as a Tool for Liberation

In partnership with Pipe Dreamers and Stanford University’s Code in Place, the Coding Gang program brings Stanford’s introductory computer science curriculum (CS 106A) into juvenile detention facilities using the Code in Place instructional model. The course introduces youth to the fundamentals of Python programming and design, while also serving as a powerful intervention that offers alternative pathways to criminalized poverty. The curriculum has been thoughtfully adapted by formerly incarcerated educators and tech professionals to be culturally relevant, trauma-informed, and responsive to the needs and lived experiences of system-impacted youth. By merging skill-building with post-release planning and mentorship, Coding Gang aims to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and ignite long-term interest in tech careers.

In February through April 2022, we launched our first Coding Gang course at Contra Costa Juvenile Hall. The course was led by Shani Shay, founder of Incarceration to College, and taught by an inspiring team including Reuben Buckley (Stanford Code in Place alum and formerly incarcerated tech professional), Michael Buckley (ethical hacker and coding educator), Patricia Wei (Stanford Code in Place Head Teaching Assistant and CS section leader), and Jodi Anderson Jr. (Stanford MA/BA graduate and formerly incarcerated tech entrepreneur). Before the course began, Shani Shay and Patricia Wei worked closely to ensure that the Stanford-based curriculum was adapted to be relevant, meaningful, and applicable to the youth’s lives.

The results were inspiring. After completing the 10-week course, 85% of the youth reported wanting to work in tech and could envision a future for themselves in the industry — a 55% increase from when the course began. Several students are now enrolled in computer science courses at community colleges while still in custody, and many expressed strong interest in continuing to pursue tech-related programs and opportunities. Due to this high demand and success, the Coding Gang program is expanding to Alameda County, San Francisco County, and continuing at Contra Costa Juvenile Hall.

Following the completion of the course, and in collaboration with Pipe Dreamers, students were connected to mentorship opportunities with professionals from companies like Reddit, Meta, Quora, Google, and Stanford. These industry mentors have continued to support the youth through a series of in-person events, tech meetups, and mentorship sessions throughout the summer.

Coding Gang is not just a coding course — it is a powerful, justice-rooted program that equips youth with tangible skills, real opportunities, and a belief in their own futures.

Tech Day

Tech Day brings mentors from the tech industry to speak to youth about educational and career pathways into tech.

Survey Results

After the Coding Gang course, 85% of students said they were interested in learning more about coding and/or pursuing a career in tech.

Screen Shot 2022-12-30 at 1.55.15 AM.png

Cultural Relevant Curriculum

Coding Gang teaches Python and computer science basic principles informed by Black Feminist Pedagogies to connect with our youth.

Coding Gang 2022

Instructors from Coding Gang’s first cohort at Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall

Continued Support

Students from the first Coding Gang cohort received computer science & design books to continue their learning.

Writers Room Literacy Project

In Partnership with the United Black Family Scholarship Foundation

The United Black Family Scholarship Foundation has partnered with the Incarceration to College program—an in-custody, college readiness initiative developed by Black women—to launch the Writers' Room Literacy Project for Youth inside Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall.

There is a critical need for rehabilitative, culturally rooted educational programs in our juvenile institutions. We believe that combining a creative writing curriculum with scholarship opportunities for incarcerated youth can make a meaningful impact on mental health, facility culture, and literacy development.

Education has long been proven to reduce recidivism and enhance the long-term safety of our communities. Through this literacy program, we aim to strengthen the writing and communication skills of incarcerated youth so that, upon release, they are equipped with real tools to navigate a world that often stacks the odds against them. Giving young people the opportunity to express their voices and experiences through writing not only builds practical skills, but also fosters self-awareness, confidence, and connection to a wider community of writers.

More than just a skills-based program, the Writers' Room also serves as a space for healing and reflection. Through storytelling, critical thinking, and creative or autobiographical writing, youth are given the chance to make sense of their lived experiences and process the trauma of incarceration. In doing so, they begin to reclaim their narratives and share their truths—often for the first time.

This partnership between the United Black Family Scholarship Foundation and Incarceration to College represents a commitment to justice, healing, and educational opportunity for youth who are too often left behind.

ITC Class guide

DONORS

As ITC becomes the model program for building college readiness for juvenile detainees, the program will require adequate funding and resources. A list of basic funding needs follows.

Internet Access-Web address dedicated to ITC to provide internet access for juvenile youth; Kindle accounts; Khan Academy account
Chromebooks (Dedicated to ITC)
Program Coordination- Coordinator, Instructor, Mentors
Classroom Materials - Writing supplies (paper, pencils, highlighters, pens); reading materials (pocket portfolio folders, post-its); calculators
Publication/Marketing/Production costs- Photocopy/printing account; (or printing ink, paper, and collating budget); Mailing expenses
Graduation/Culminating Activities- Certificates, Printed programs; Mortar Boards, Photographs
COVID19 Supplies-masks, disinfectants, and thermometer
Payments/Stipends- Students, Instructors, Guest Speakers
Professional Development -Training, Consultation
Travel Stipend- Mileage payable at state rate
Acknowledge Community Support-Letters, Advertisement in Culminating Document
Underground Scholars Outreach and Recruitment Events