Olympic College is committed to supporting the success of ALL students. We recognize that students with conviction and incarceration records face multiple barriers that can impede their postsecondary access and attainment. We offer the resources below to assist them in achieving their educational goals.
“America now houses roughly the same number of people with criminal records as it does four-year college graduates” (Brennan Center for Justice, NYU Law School)
Resources
The Law
- Second Substitute House Bill 1044 - Signed into law in April of 2021, creating prison to postsecondary education pathways.
- Substitute Senate Bill 5069 - Signed into law in July of 2017, SSB 5069 lifted the 1995 ban on using state funding for college courses in prisons. In the interest of reducing recidivism and enhancing employment rates in a cost-effective manner, the law authorizes the Department of Corrections to allocate state funding for community colleges to provide associate degree programs to incarcerated individuals.
- Executive Order 16-05: Building Safe and Strong Communities Through Successful Reentry- Issued by Governor Jay Inslee on April 26,2016, EO 16-05 outlines steps state agencies should take to lower Washington’s recidivism rate, by improving reentry outcomes. They include instructions to establish mandatory reentry-orientation programs for every individual entering and exiting a correctional facility, reduce barriers to state employment for those with criminal records, identify mechanisms for providing an create a statewide correctional post-secondary education and apprenticeship pathway for youth and adults in collaboration with DOC, JR, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
- House Bill 1553: Certificate of Restoration of Opportunity (CROP) – Taking effect in June of 2016, HB 1553 provides a process for individuals previously sentenced by a Washington court and who have successfully changed their lives to seek a court document confirming their changed circumstances. A CROP is available to individuals convicted of a misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, or less-serious felony (or adjudicated in juvenile court for equivalent offenses) so long as certain eligibility requirements are met. To be eligible, a person must be “in compliance with or have completed all sentencing requirements imposed by a court,” must have no pending charges, and must not have been arrested for or convicted of a new crime.
- House Bill 1298: Fair Chance Act – Effective June 7, 2018, The Fair Chance Act delays criminal background checks and inquiries about an applicant’s arrest and conviction records, until after they have been determined to be otherwise qualified for the job. The law covers both public- and private-sector employers
- Senate Bill 6582: The Washington Fair Chance to Education Act – Similar to HB 1298, which extends “ban the box” protections for job seekers, SB 6582, which also became effective June 7, 2018, prohibits institutions of higher education from requesting criminal history upon initial application, unless a third-party application is used. After an applicant has been deemed qualified for admission, an institution of higher education may inquire into or obtain information about an applicant's criminal conviction history for the purpose of:
- accepting or denying admission or restricting access to campus residency; or
- offering supportive counseling or services to help rehabilitate and educate the student on barriers a criminal record may present. The institution cannot deny admission or restrict residency without evaluating the relationship between the applicant’s criminal history and the program or residency context under consideration.
Paying for College
Campus Resources
External Resources
Second Chance Employers
