RJD sees 15 earn Bachelor of Arts from UCI

June 18, 2025

Today, 15 incarcerated students at RJ Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD) in San Diego graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology through the University of California, Irvine (UCI). This bachelor’s program is the second round of graduates to earn a degree through the historic collaboration between CDCR and the University of California.

“Education proves to be a positive step toward a life of change that improves the chance of successfully reentering California communities. More than 90 percent of those incarcerated return home. Education is one of the tools that can help someone succeed outside the walls and improve public safety for all.”
Jeff Macomber, CDCR Secretary

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CDCR is leader in education

CDCR leads the nation in higher education. Each year thousands of incarcerated people are enrolled in programs that meet their educational needs – and prepare them with skills for reentry into their communities.

The state continues to move toward a positive shift in correctional policy, focusing on proper support for staff and survivors, but also fostering rehabilitative environments, including educational opportunities, for the incarcerated population, leading to safer communities overall.

Studies show that incarcerated individuals who participate in correctional education are 48 percent less likely to return to prison within three years than those who did not have access to these opportunities.

“LIFTED graduations celebrate both the accomplishments of our fantastic students — nearly half graduated with Latin honors — and of our state institutions. University of California, Irvine, is the first top 10 public university in the United States to admit, matriculate, and graduate students with a bachelor’s degree from within prison,” said Keramet Reiter, UCI Lifted Director. “And our university does this in collaboration with CDCR, who supports us in creating spaces where incarcerated people can experience new identities as students and college graduates.”

Collaboration between CDCR and UCI

This collaboration between CDCR and the University of California is made possible by a formal agreement through a program known as Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees (LIFTED). LIFTED enables incarcerated students to apply to transfer into UCI as juniors and earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the university while serving their sentence. The program’s first cohort consisted of 23 graduates who began taking faculty-led courses in Fall 2022 and graduated with their degrees in June 2024. In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom and the State Legislature allocated $1.8 million over five years for the program’s support and expansion.

CDCR partners with California’s public higher education system to offer associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees through California community colleges, California State University, and University of California. More than 13.5 percent of the entire incarcerated population are enrolled in college courses.

“It’s the culmination of six years of education, despite being incarcerated. To know the impact that my crime had on society, and this is a way to give back, it’s very influential, not just for me but also for my family,” said Erik Pearson, UCI Lifted graduate.