Underground

Scholars, UCSC
From Prison Pipeline to College
Pathways
with Donnie, Kayla, and Zulema
 School to Prison
Pipeline
Our goal is to disrupt the school to prison pipeline
by creating a prison to school pipeline and
increasing access to higher education for those
that are formerly incarcerated or system impacted.

● The school-to-prison pipeline causes a

disproportionate number of students of color to
drop out of school and enter the criminal justice
system, which can have life-changing negative
effects. For instance, students who fail to
complete high school are more likely to be
imprisoned.

● By focusing on the wellness of our students we

are able to give them the resources they need to
be successful in their pursuit of higher
education.
 Structural Racism Within the
Criminal Justice System
Who is impacted the most?

Incarceration Rates

● Making up 6% of the CA population, Black people make up 29% of the

CA prison population

● 3,045 Black males out of 100,000 compared to 465 per 100,000 white
males are incarcerated

● Some states report 80-90% of all drug convictions are Black

● Latinos make up the next highest incarceration rates in CA and the

U.S.
 Impact of the Structural Racism in The Criminal Justice
System

47%
Of wrongful convictions
Although Black people
make up 13.4% of the U.S.
22%
Of all fatal shootings
population, they make up:

35%
of individuals executed by
the death penalty
 Who We Are 2019 Sacramento

2013 Berkeley
Underground
Scholars
In 2013 Berkeley Founded the Underground
Scholars Chapter
2020 through a series of one time funding
UCSC student led the efforts in found the Santa
Cruz Underground Scholars
2022 Through statewide advocacy effort we
were able to secure 4 million from the state to
2020 Santa Cruz establish an Underground Scholars program at
every campus. 2022 Statewide Funding
 About Underground
Scholars Program
Model
Underground Scholars Program at UC Santa Cruz
supports formerly incarcerated and system
impacted students in the transition experience.
We focus on:

● Recruitment
● Retention
● Advocacy
● Policy

We aim to bridge the popular academic

theoretical discourse of mass incarceration with
one that is grounded in the lived experiences of
UCSC students and students from surrounding
communities.
 Why We ARE
Important
Underground Scholars are designed to ensure that such
people, like every other citizen, can find employment,
access stable housing, support their kids and families,
and become active contributors to their communities.

We are designed to encourage that such people, like every

other citizen, can find employment, access stable housing,
support their kids and families, and become active contributors
to their communities. We care about the wellness of our
students.

Enhancing transitions from prison to society will focus on

increasing independence, reducing racial and ethnic
disparities, and achieving public safety.
 What we have
accomplished
We have been able to provide students with
a holistic set of services so that each
prospective and current students has the
essential resources needed to thrive during
their UCSC experience. Some of these
include:

● Facilitating Cross-Campus Triage

Support

● Emergency Summer Housing

● Peer/Mentor Advisor Program

● Partnering with Learning Support

Services (LSS)
Community
Coalition
Building
 Value-Centered
Events
PILLARS OF WELLNESS

1. Mental/Physical

2. Academic/Professional

3. Relational/Community
Activity
Get in touch with us!