Colorado has among the worst recidivism rates in the country, with over 50% of people released from prison ending up back behind bars within three years. Lawmakers want to change that with House Bill 1037.

If passed into law, the bill would deduct one year from an inmate’s prison sentence for every associate, bachelor’s or graduate degree they earn while incarcerated, and six months for every certificate or other credential earned. The program would only apply to non-violent offenders.

Prisoners who pursue higher education while incarcerated have been found to be less likely to return to crime after they’re released. Recidivism rates drop to 13.7% for prisoners who earned associates degrees, 5.6% for those who earned bachelor’s degrees and 0% for those who earned master’s degrees, according to a 2006 national analysis by Emory University.

“When you get them connected to education, they don’t reoffend, they become productive members of society,” said bill sponsor Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista, who worked at the Adams State University Prison Education Program before being elected. “It really gets their lives back on track.”

Bikram Mishra said he was incarcerated in Colorado for 12 years, during which time he participated in numerous college courses and earned certificates. Now, Mishra said he works with outgoing prisoners to help them prepare to reenter society. 

Mishra said having access to education was “rehabilitative” for him, providing him with the hope and motivation needed to turn his life around.

“If I were to not have that, I definitely would have joined the ranks of the revolving door of prisoners,” Mishra said. “I understand there might be many in our community that feel that that’s what we get for breaking the law. But we are still in society, and we really want to be good members of society.”

Lauren Reed, interim director of the Adams State University Prison Education Program, described the initiative as “transformation through education,” pointing out that prison is often the first time in their lives that these offenders have access to higher education.

Under the bill, the money saved by shortening sentences of qualifying inmates would be split evenly between the Department of Corrections and the Department of Higher Education to continue facilitating higher education programs in prisons. The bill also allows prisoners released prior to completing their degree the option to finish in order to earn time off of parole.

This effort comes as, beginning in the 2023-24 school year, people in prison will be eligible to receive federal Pell Grants up to nearly $7,000 per year, thanks to recent changes from the U.S. Department of Education.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill in an 11-2 vote on Tuesday, advancing it to the full House for consideration. Only Republican Reps. Stephanie Luck of Penrose and Matt Soper of Delta voted against the bill.

“I strongly support this policy, the idea of enabling people to access the kind of information that opens all sorts of doors,” Luck said. “I do have issues with some of the technical pieces of it.”

Luck raised concerns about the portion of the bill that would earmark the funds saved by the bill to be reinvested in prison education programs. The Department of Corrections similarly criticized this element of the bill, saying it would be infeasible to calculate the funding saved.

Martinez said he is collaborating with the Department of Corrections to work this out, adding that he is confident they will be able to find a solution. Proponents of the bill were equally confident in the bill’s future, championing the bill’s support from education, criminal justice and religious institutions alike.

“This is laying out a more hopeful path,” said Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora.