About the HOPE Institute

The Helping Oklahoma through Prison Education (HOPE) Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves as a resource for colleges and universities to offer accredited academic programs to penal institutions initially in Oklahoma and then in other states across the nation.

The HOPE model includes both face-to-face instruction and online coursework to offer the incarcerated student not only a sense of accomplishment but also the hope of a better future once their period of confinement is over.

Early Success

The HOPE Institute's first iteration of work began in the fall of 2021 at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center (MBCC), the only medium / maximum security facility for women in the state of Oklahoma. At the time of the program's launch, Oklahoma had the highest rate of female incarceration per capita in both the nation and the world.

The program's initial cohort included 22 incarcerated students, despite taking place at the height of the COVID-19 epidemic. Because many of the students expressed a desire to own their own business upon graduation, it was determined that an associate’s degree in business would be the best fit for this initial cohort. Plans are for the 60-hour associate degree to be completed in about three years, as the program continues to ramp up.

Recent Developments

In 2023, an application was filed with the Secretary of State for the HOPE Institute to become a legally-recognized not-for-profit. Additionally, a self-study was initiated with the Higher Learning Commission, the regional accrediting body for Oklahoma Christian to certify MBCC as a branch campus worthy of receiving Pell Grants for its students.

Currently, the program boasts a retention rate of 90%, with a second cohort of 18 students starting in the fall of 2023.

A New Day for Incarceration

Prison Education: A Proven Formula for Success

Research shows that completion of higher education courses while in prison is the best indicator of a lifetime of success upon exiting. Significantly, the rate of success increases exponentially with the amount of higher education received.

The successful completion of even a handful of college courses while in prison cuts the recidivism rate in half.
By the time that amount grows to an associates degree, fewer than 8% of all former inmates with that degree go back to prison.
Those earning a bachelor’s degree have a recidivism rate of less than 2%.

These figures exceed any other prison-based program, including faith-based initiatives and vocational training. And, even though those programs are admirable and needed, higher education opens more horizons and opportunities for the inmate once they re-enter society.

About the HOPE Institute

Early Success

Recent Developments

A New Day for Incarceration

Prison Education: A Proven Formula for Success

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