Our Impact
Hear from students and tutors how the Petey Greene Program has impacted their lives.
Since its founding, the PGP has tutored roughly 16,000 students in over 50 correctional facilities and reentry programs, with more than 3,200 volunteer tutors recruited from 30 universities in eight states and the District of Columbia.
Formerly incarcerated people who have access to education have greater opportunities to pursue their personal and professional goals and support their children’s education. A meta-analysis by the RAND Corporation found incarcerated people who participated in an educational program, such as PGP’s, had 43% lower odds of returning to prison, and a study of PGP’s program showed incarcerated students tutored by PGP advanced one to two full grade levels more than non-tutored students over the course of just one semester.
“You know, you can’t tell [your child] to go to school and do what he’s supposed to do when mommy’s fallen off the map, so it would be for me to be a role model for him.”
“[My tutor’s] confidence in me gave me hope, drive and the realization that I could do this. ”
For tutors, volunteering with the PGP often has a life-changing impact. Volunteers consistently report their tutoring experience is among the most meaningful of their college careers, with many shifting academic and professional focus to social justice as a result.
“I think that the Petey Greene Program is absolutely responsible for planting that seed in me [to pursue a career in public policy and criminal justice reform] and pushed me to seek out ways to engage in work around criminal justice issues.”
“[Volunteering with the PGP] was easily the most impactful thing that I was able to do, while an undergrad. ”