GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — For nearly a decade, the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) has helped reshape what it means to be incarcerated. Each year, 20 inmates are accepted into the CPI and given the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree through Calvin University.
As the CPI works to focus on rehabilitation rather than retribution, new research says there should be more involvement from the university to continue that rehabilitation after people are released.
In the fall of 2022, sociology Prof. Dr. Mark Mulder and recent Calvin alumni Emily Steen became one of three research pairs nationwide to be awarded The Hatfield Prize.
The prize is awarded annually to three Christian student-faculty pairs to conduct research on a "social policy that impacts the well-being of children, families and communities."
Their research, titled "From Incarceration to Integration: A Critical Analysis of Reentry Care in Prison Education Programs in West Michigan," was recently published by the Center for Public Justice.
Dr. Mulder says that throughout their research and his involvement with the CPI, there's been a "profound sense that we want to figure out how to do this better."
The CPI was created in 2015, specifically with lifers in mind, without the notion that they would return back to society. However, since then, there's been significant sentencing reform in Michigan causing some inmates to be released sooner.
"Nobody ever anticipated when the program was imaged that the students would be paroled," says Dr. Mulder; and it's because of these changes that Dr. Mulder and Steen wanted to take a closer look at the needs of returning citizens.
"Having a college degree and diploma as a returning citizen does not shield you from any kind of exclusion or discriminatory systems that are in place," says Steen. "They're not going to see a college degree; they're going to see your criminal record."
In their published research, they discuss the need for additional housing and transportation assistance, mental health help, job training, and social support.
Dr. Mulder teaches at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility with the CPI on Mondays, and says there are a number of current students who tell him they are "overwhelmed" by the prospect of navigating life beyond their time in prison.
He explains that being a returning citizen is "complicated" and because of this, their research concludes that it's the university's role to help them move forward.
They suggest a separate office solely dedicated to returning citizens.
"I use the analogy of a physician in my research," explains Steen, "and that's the role that I think universities should play in connecting returning citizens."
She says that office can become a hub of experts to help refer returning citizens to the right resources and find a path forward.
"To have a community that's intentionally embracing them and connecting them to those resources for them is going to keep them from a lot of harm. And not only keep them from harm, but also promote their flourishing," says Steen.
Moving forward, they hope their research can help other universities with similar programs like the CPI.
Calvin researchers have also created a Returning Citizens Map that already pinpoints these types of resources across the entire state of Michigan.
You can check out the map here and see FOX 17's previous coverage here.