A groundbreaking pilot program between the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office and the city’s community college to trade prison time for a college education is the first of its kind in North America. It’s also a stroke of genius.
This partnership between the D.A.’s office and Philadelphia Community College, called the Future Forward program, is a pre-trail felony initiative designed to divert more people from the path of incarceration, increase access to education and reduce recidivism. The brainchild of District Attorney R. Seth Williams, it is among a wave of initiatives locally and even nationally to divert people from entering the prison system in the first place.
This spring semester will be the first phase of the pilot program. While excellent existing programs, such as the Reentry Support Project, have focused on educational opportunities for those still incarcerated but with an upcoming release date—or those who have recently left the prison system—this new initiative will focus on opportunities to divert people from entering the prison system in the first place.
