At the start of her “Transformations: Reading, Thinking, and Communicating in the Liberal Arts” class, Professor Charlotte Matthews asks each student to read aloud their reflection to the assigned reading. It’s a familiar practice in Matthews' classes at UVA, but one that she’s adapted for a new situation; in-person instruction inside the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, a level-three security state prison. One by one, sixteen students of diverse age and background share glimpses into their daily experiences and innermost thoughts.
These women form the first cohort in the UVA School of Continuing and Professional Studies’ Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies expansion into the facility - the first bachelor’s degree completion program offered in a Virginia prison by a public university.
When asked about their two-month journey through the class, most students express their initial nervousness; many had been unsure if they would meet the academic rigor demanded of UVA students.
“But Professor Matthews has created a safe space,” one student shared, adding, “I feel valued and heard.” Many students point to their increased confidence – not only from skill building, but also from the pride they feel as UVA students.
Taken as a whole, Matthews’ class has fostered, as one student noted, a “therapeutic” environment. “We have become a family.”
Matthews explains, “These students have no access to the internet, no cell phones, no social media, no generative AI. Everything comes directly from their minds and hearts.”
Learning takes place two days a week inside a facility classroom. Facing security-related safety and technology restrictions, the UVA professors have been well served by patience, flexibility and creativity. They celebrate small victories like access to JSTOR in the facility library and approval to bring Scrabble into the classroom, while mindful of the many challenges education programs face in prisons.
Each student in UVA’s cohort has completed their associate degree through Piedmont Virginia Community College, which has been working with Fluvanna since 2006. The bachelor’s degree completion program is an exciting addition to the Virginia Department of Corrections’ broader ecosystem that is aimed at reducing recidivism rates and improving outcomes for both individuals and communities.
In addition to earning education credentials, women in the correctional facility can build workplace-relevant skills and certifications through vocational enterprises in HVAC, fabrication, business and technology services, electricity, cosmetology, food and beverage, and eye care industries.
Perhaps one of the more moving responsibilities Fluvanna women can earn is to become a handler in their canine rehabilitation program. In partnership with FETCH a Cure, homeless dogs are placed in the care of the facility, and handlers prepare them for adoption through daily, individualized obedience and socialization practices. The dogs are a bright spot of life in the facility, fostering responsibility and inspiring compassion and empathy.
Although some vocational enterprises are sustained by state funds, education in correctional facilities like Fluvanna is made entirely possible by grants and Pell funds. Outcome-focused offerings like these have helped Virginia lower its recidivism rate to 17.5% – the lowest in the nation, and the lowest Virginia has seen in 20 years*.
For incarcerated individuals, education is transformational, offering greater post-release employment opportunities, higher earning potential, upward mobility, and lower rates of returning to prison. Recidivism rates plummet as education levels increase: 43% lower with some college, 85% lower with an associate degree, and 95% lower with a bachelor’s degree.
Currently, only six percent of the nation’s two million incarcerated individuals have access to college courses. While UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies hopes to grow its offerings through additional cohorts and by expanding into a limited number of additional facilities, the School’s ultimate goal is to do the challenging work of building the model to share with other colleges and universities, making higher education more broadly available.
“This work is hard by design. But by meeting those challenges and building a model that works, we’re doing more than serving our own students—we’re showing how higher education can have a greater impact and reach more incarcerated throughout the Commonwealth.”
Amanda Lloyd, director of UVA’s Virginia Prison Education Program
Please learn more about UVA's work inside Fluvanna Women's Correctional Center, and how you can support expanding access to education.
Sources:
*Guerra, 2025: "Virginia cuts recidivism rate to lowest in nation"