In partnership with the Michigan Department of Corrections, MCC offers students at the Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer an opportunity to earn college credits toward an Associate of Arts with a concentration in Business Management or an Associate of Arts with a concentration in Social Work. Students pursuing the AA in Social Work can also complete the Substance Abuse Services Certificate of Achievement, which fulfills the educational portion of the requirements for Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) credential through the Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals (MCBAP).
While some students may be paroled while pursuing their degree, students can complete their degrees as returning citizens, either through Mott or by transferring their credits to another college.
Classes are taught face-to-face or remotely through the use of laptops and video lectures. Our SCP students have traditionally excelled in their course work. Many earn a place on the Dean’s List and graduate with honors based on their academic success.
63 students earn a total of 78 degrees & certificates
Academic success: 98.7% of the graduates have earned Honors and higher:
Our mission is to provide a pathway to rehabilitation through education, mentorship and personal growth. Our goal is to encourage better outcomes for returning citizens upon their reentry to society by fostering a culture of compassion and lifelong learning, thereby reducing the rate of recidivism and improving their quality of life.
This program was initially started as the Second Chance Pell Program, but as of July 2023 the federal government has restored the ability for all incarcerated students to apply for Pell grants. The U.S. Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell (SCP) Experimental Site Initiative was created in 2015 and expanded further in 2020, allowing incarcerated students to use Federal Pell Grants at 130 colleges in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Mott Community College was approved to partner with the Thumb Correctional Facility in 2016, and began classes in spring of 2017.
In order to be eligible for the MCC-HEP program, prospective students must meet the following requirements:
Interested recruits should contact the school office at their facility and request a College Recruitment Form. Once completed, the form should be returned to the school office. Recruits will be screened by the MDOC and placed on a waitlist to be considered for the next possible cohort.
Support the MCC-HEP program with your generous donation! While Pell grants cover tuition and fees most of the time, there are circumstances when students need additional funding, such as:
Please be sure to designate your gift to the “Prison Education Program Gap Fund”
Donate Online to the Prison Education Program Gap Fund