What We Do
We’re strengthening communities, one graduate at a time.
Chaminade’s Prison Education Program expands access to rigorous, credit-bearing higher education for justice-impacted students in Hawai’i’s correctional system. Guided by our Marianist commitment to justice, community, and service, we align high-quality instruction with relationship centered support to increase student success. Through our educational program, we aim to inspire hope, highlight potential, and open pathways to meaningful career opportunities through degree attainment.
About the Program
Chaminade’s Prison Education Program launched in 2021 as Hawaiʻi’s first site in the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative, bringing accredited, credit-bearing university courses leading to a degree into a correctional setting, utilizing the same academic standards as on our main campus. From the outset, we committed to person first teaching, cohort based learning, and consistent advising and co-curricular support so that justice-impacted students could progress meaningful toward a degree.
That commitment has yielded historic milestones. To date, 17 incarcerated students have earned an AA in Business Administration—the first associate’s degrees offered and conferred inside a Hawaiʻi correctional facility. Building on that successful foundation, we are now moving to provide pathways to the B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, enabling students to continue their academic journeys with support.
Instruction is delivered in person by Chaminade University faculty at the Halawa Correctional Facility, with a cohort model that emphasizes feedback, community, and academic integrity. Students are supported by a dedicated program manager and an academic navigator who coordinate advising, materials, and logistical support in collaboration with facility partners.
At a Glance
“Growing up, I was pretty good in school, but I just started following the wrong crowd. This was a chance for me to redeem myself, show the world what I’m capable of, and be able to provide for myself and my family. This proves that I’m capable of doing things that I never thought I could.”
Tyrone Molina ’25
AA Business Administration
Prison Education Program
Opportunities to Get Involved
Workshop Volunteers Wanted!
With support from the Mellon Foundation, we offer arts and humanities workshops that enrich the academic curriculum and invite create expression, critical inquiry, and personal reflection. We believe that educating the whole person must include a grounding in liberal arts. To ensure we can further this mission to our students inside, we welcome artists, cultural practitioners, scholars, and professionals to facilitate meaningful sessions. We provide orientation and coordination with facility partners and session design support is available. Sample topics include:
- Arts: painting, printmaking, creative writing, artistic expression
- Culture: Hawaiian cultural activities and place-based practice
- Professional Development: resume writing, interviewing, career storytelling
If you have any questions or would like more information about our Prison Education Program, please contact Program Manager Rylie Hager at [email protected] or (808) 739-4636.
Education Prison Program News
University News
Chaminade Hosts ‘Meaningful Work’ Summit
The summit focused on pathways for those impacted by the justice system.
Prison Education Grads Celebrate Commencement
“This is a second chance to achieve something,” one of the graduates said.
Higher Education in Prison
Thanks to $1.5 million in congressionally directed spending, also known as earmarks, Chaminade will be able to expand its Higher Education in Prison program.
