System-Impacted Students

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Henry D. Shannon, Ph.D., Superintendent/
President: In my career, I've attended more than 100

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Henry D. Shannon, Ph.D., Superintendent/ President: In my career, I've attended more than 100 graduation ceremonies. Some are the same. Others are a bit unique. All are emotional and beautiful. If I had to tell you the most beautiful commencement ceremony I have seen, I would say it would have to be one of our Turning Point graduations. Since its inception, more than 3,000 courses have been taken by men and women who are spending time in prison, learning and improving themselves for the day when they are able to return to our communities and work for us again. At Chaffey College, we have awarded approximately 170 degrees and certificates to Turning Point students.

[MUSIC PLAYING] MICHELLE PAYNE: My name is Michelle Payne. I'm 42 years old, and I'm a single mother. I attended college at UC Riverside from 1995 till 1998. My first year at UCR went pretty strong. My grades were OK. My second year, I got in kind of a party life. I wasn't attending class on a regular. I thought I was above it, and I let that overconfidence really destroy me. After I got dismissed from the university in 1998, I went back home, and I started making bad choices. I was partying more, and it was kind of depressing for me. I made choices, and somebody lost their life due to the choices that I made, so I felt like a failure. I felt ashamed. I felt guilt. I knew somewhere in me that there was good and that I was capable of doing so. Chaffey College gave me that platform inside the prison setting, and it really helped me change my mindset. It might not seem like much, but just getting a A back on a essay, the small accomplishments is what helped me build my confidence back up. If it wasn't from the Turning Point program at Chaffey College, I wouldn't have known how much of an impact that I could make for myself and other people. I paroled July 27, 2015, and at that point, I came back to Chaffey College. I received my AS in accounting, and I was able to transfer to Cal State San Bernardino. I just graduated with a bachelor's in administration concentration in accounting, and I'm also in my master's program for accounting. I got offered a position as a associate auditor in a local CPA firm, and I've accepted that position. Turning Point is that catalyst that can help a person see the good in themselves, to see that they're capable of accomplishing things. People are coming out from incarceration with degrees because of the Turning Point program. So I would say please, keep investing in the program. Keep investing in mothers and husbands and fathers and sisters and brothers. People can change, and the support that the EOPS counselors show, the Turning Point program, the Chaffey College on-campus students sending planners in to the women, those little planners meant the world to a participant in the Turning Point program. I couldn't wait to get my day planner to fill it with my little stickers in the back. I could put it on my calendar knowing I have an exam. I felt like a student. I felt like I was a Panther. I felt like I was a Panther.

Our primary goal is to provide support for formerly or currently incarcerated students through our Rising Scholars program. We understand that system-impacted can also be a person who has been legally, economically, or familiarly affected by the criminal justice system. Students with close relatives that have been incarcerated, or students that have been arrested and/or convicted without incarceration are eligible to receive support.

Mission

We are committed to empowering Panthers who are formerly or currently incarcerated or have been impacted by the criminal justice system by providing key resources to support them on their educational journey. We aim to maintain a supportive campus community dedicated to their educational and personal goals.

Our History

Chaffey College was one of the leading colleges in Southern California to begin a program within a prison-setting in 2004 at the California Institute for Women (CIW). In 2016, Chaffey expanded its program and began enrolling students at the California Institute for Men (CIM). By 2019, Chaffey had awarded students at CIW and CIM with more than 150 degrees and certificates, and these students have had a recidivism rate of nearly zero percent.

Rising Scholars Network

Chaffey College is a part of the California Community Colleges “Rising Scholars Network”, which is a group of community colleges dedicated to providing access to opportunity and academic achievement for students who have experienced the criminal justice system. Students who have experienced the criminal justice system can face significant barriers to academic and career success, and we aim to provide the support necessary for these students to accomplish their academic and career goals.