Mission

Education is a human right. College can be a sustaining and transformative force in the lives of incarcerated individuals, furnishing them with skills and resources to enable community reintegration.

As a Research I university with a mission of making the world Ever Better, the University of Rochester is an institution that embraces its commitments to the region around it. That region includes the nine state and federal correctional institutions located within a ninety-minute drive of the University's River Campus.

The Rochester Education Justice Initiative (REJI) works to ensure that the University does its fair share in educating individuals incarcerated in the Rochester area. REJI's mission in the community and on campus has three main components:

• Administer rigorous associate degree programs at Attica Correctional Facility and Groveland Correctional Facility in partnership with SUNY Genesee Community College.
• Create navigable pathways for returning citizens to continue higher education after release through our Justice Scholars program.
• Support the efforts of other groups and organizations at the University of Rochester that champion social, economic, and education justice.

We pursue these goals with an eye toward transformative social change, and we hope that our work can contribute toward the decarceration of our campuses, our city, and our region.