MOORHEAD, Miss. — Mississippi Delta Community College has expanded its Prison Education Program this semester to four additional correctional facilities across the Delta, with its first cohort of incarcerated students expected to graduate later this fall.
Through new agreements with the Mississippi Department of Corrections, classes are now being offered at Delta Correctional Facility, Issaquena County Correctional Facility and Washington County Correctional Facility. Courses at Bolivar County Correctional Facility are scheduled to begin later this semester.
The expansion builds on five years of programming at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. The college has already secured accreditation approval to operate at Parchman and is awaiting federal approval that would make students eligible for Pell Grants.
“MDCC continues to fulfill its mission of enhancing our communities through its steadfast commitment to students who are incarcerated in the institutions located in our district,” said Dr. Ben Cloyd, the college’s vice president of enrollment management. “The growth of our PEP programs is due to the consistent achievement of our students, who are demonstrating every day that the power of education is an unstoppable force.”
The fall semester will mark a milestone as the first group of Parchman students is expected to graduate. Plans for a ceremony are underway.
Dr. Valarie Morgan, vice president of instruction and accreditation, said the expansion reflects MDCC’s long-term vision. “We are proud to expand our prison education program into four new sites this fall, deepening our commitment to providing transformative, high-quality education to incarcerated students,” she said.
Faculty and staff members said the program has already made a visible impact. Recruiter and Special Populations Navigator Ja’Coby Braboy said the expansion represents “new opportunities, second chances, and the belief that education can truly transform lives.”
Carrie Bennett, a history instructor who teaches in Washington and Issaquena facilities, described her students as “some of my most dedicated and hardest-working,” making her role “even more fulfilling.”
To sustain the program, MDCC is seeking grant funding to hire a coordinator and academic advisor dedicated to serving incarcerated students. The college hopes to expand degree and career pathway options in the future.
College officials said the success of the program underscores their belief that education can be transformative not only for individuals behind bars but also for their families and communities across the Delta.
