Inmates Fund Scholarship for Students

What can a nickel and a few pennies buy? To many individuals, such loose change does not go very far. It doesn’t even cover the cost of a small package of gum. For the Creative Corrections Education Foundation and UWM’s Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, however, change can make all the difference.

Giving as little as eight cents and as much as $25 dollars, inmates at the Milwaukee County House of Corrections have gathered $921.20 to go toward a scholarship for students with a parent or guardian who is currently incarcerated or on parole.

Announced in December of 2013, the scholarship is an effort to stop second-generation crime and to provide educational opportunities for those who are disadvantaged.

“Anyone interested in a college education should have access to an education,” Dean of the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare Stan Stojkovic said.

While there are scholarships for academic achievement, sports and particular majors, the need to provide for this population of students became evident to scholarship founder Percy Pitzer, who also is a retired warden.

About a year ago, Pitzer reached out to Stojkovic about the foundation’s mission and encouraged him to join the foundation’s board. He also reached out to inmates at the Milwaukee County House of Corrections often telling them that for the cost of a candy bar, students can go to college.

Since October of 2013, 267 inmates have donated to the foundation’s efforts.

“…The stories that you’ll hear. ‘I can only give you 17 cents,’ are pretty heart wrenching,” Stojkovic said when speaking about the inmates.

With a background in criminal justice, Stojkovic is familiar with the effects of incarceration and the potential such a scholarship can have for students who have indirect experiences with incarceration.

“[The] incarceration strategy [in] the state of Wisconsin and all other states have had an impact in disenfranchising a large population of people,” Stojkovic added.

According to the American Correctional Association, 50 percent of incarcerated juveniles have a parent who has been incarcerated. This combined with a recent study by UWM’s Employment and Research Institute, which found that incarceration in Wisconsin is nearly double the national average, particularly among African American men, highlights the need to stop second-generation crime.

“Many of these kids are completely in destitute. They don’t have anything. And going to college is like, you might as well go to the moon,” Stojkovic said.

Although the scholarship is rather new, Stojkovic says that greater efforts are being made to inform UWM students of the scholarship opportunities. A few students have already shown interest.

“Students may be embarrassed. They may be hurt. They may be, ‘Do I really want my name out there?’ Somebody knows my mom or my dad are/or were in prison. We have to respect that confidentiality,” Stojkovic said.

Nevertheless, Stojkovic encourages UWM students to apply. The application includes an essay and an interview.

“We can’t give you everything, but we can give you something,” he added.

The foundation has awarded 31 scholarships this year to individuals from 17 different states. Three of the awarded scholarships went to students Wisconsin.