Technology Leader Invests
in Scholarships to Support Children of Incarcerated
Individuals by Removing Financial Barriers that Limit Pursuit of
Secondary Education
DALLAS, July 19,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Securus Technologies
(Securus), an Aventiv Technologies company and the leading provider
of connections between incarcerated individuals and their loved
ones, is proudly joining forces with ScholarCHIPS, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit committed to
inspiring the children of incarcerated parents to complete a
college education. Each year, ScholarCHIPS awards scholarships to
graduating high school seniors with the drive to attend and
graduate from college but who, without the financial support, are
at risk of falling short academically because of limited financial
resources or support networks due to parental
incarceration.
![ScholarCHIPS, Inc. is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that provides college scholarships, mentoring, and peer support to children of incarcerated parents, inspiring them to complete their college education. ScholarCHIPS, Inc. is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that provides college scholarships, mentoring, and peer support to children of incarcerated parents, inspiring them to complete their college education.](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2464885/Securus_Technologies_x_scholarCHIPS.jpg)
In the U.S., 2.7 million children – roughly the population of
Mississippi – have an incarcerated
parent, which creates significant barriers to their academic
success and chances of college attainment. Research
indicates that children of incarcerated parents are more
likely to be placed in special education, held back in school,
receive poor evaluations from teachers, demonstrate increased
delinquency, or drop out of school altogether.
"All too often, the children of incarcerated individuals face
significant challenges in pursuing their academic dreams, reducing
their chance to create change within themselves, their family, and
their communities," said Yasmine
Arrington, Executive Director and Founder, ScholarCHIPS.
"Growing up as a justice-impacted individual, I looked for
ways to bridge the financial gap so I could complete my higher
education, only to find there were no scholarships to serve
people like me."
"I founded ScholarCHIPS to give justice-impacted individuals the
opportunity to break barriers and change the world," Arrington
continued.
Founded by Arrington in October
2010, ScholarCHIPS has awarded over $500,000 in support via 88 individual
scholarship awards and has contributed more than 2,500 hours of
mentorship for youth whose parents are incarcerated. Of the youth
served, 90 percent of its scholars have graduated or are on track
to graduate in the next five years.
This year, Securus Technologies, a technology provider serving
1,800 public safety, law enforcement, and corrections agencies as
well as over 1,000,000 incarcerated individuals across North America, collaborated with ScholarCHIPS
to expand the reach of the program. Over five years, Securus has
invested $600 million in
infrastructure to distribute 600,000 tablets across corrections
facilities nationwide, connecting incarcerated individuals to their
loved ones and resources that improve reentry outcomes. Securus
made the ScholarCHIPS application and award process available via
these tablets, resulting in a 900 percent increase in scholarship
applications across 27 states.
"We are incredibly proud to work with ScholarCHIPS to make
a tangible difference in the lives of these deserving students,"
said Shamia Lodge, Director of
Community Engagement, Aventiv Technologies. "We know families are
impacted by the separation and economic strain created when a
parent is incarcerated and believe that by investing in the futures
of these youth, we can help families overcome the barriers that
make it difficult to achieve their potential."
This year marks ScholarCHIPS' largest scholarship cohort to
date. Of the 24 deserving recipients, a third of them learned about
the scholarship through their incarcerated parents via a Securus
tablet. Beyond its efforts to communicate the ScholarCHIPS
application process through tablets, Securus is also funding
$25,000 in ScholarCHIPS awards to
this year's recipients who will be honored at the organization's
13th annual award ceremony on July
20th in Washington,
D.C.
For more information on Securus Technologies community
investments, visit
https://www.aventiv.com/securus-technologies/ or LinkedIn,
YouTube, and Facebook.
About ScholarCHIPS
ScholarCHIPS, Inc. is a
Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit
organization that provides college scholarships, mentoring, and
peer support to children of incarcerated parents, inspiring them to
complete their college education. To learn more, visit the website,
and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
About Securus Technologies
Headquartered in
Plano, Texas, Securus
Technologies® (Securus) is an Aventiv Technologies company that
serves more than 1,800 public safety, law enforcement, and
corrections agencies as well as over 1,000,000 incarcerated
individuals across North America.
Founded in 1986, Securus offers innovative solutions like phone and
video connections and e-messaging, which connect family and friends
to their incarcerated loved ones. Their secure monitoring and
investigative solutions aid law enforcement and correctional
facility staff in their operations and efforts to maintain public
safety in communities nationwide. As the pioneers of tablet
technology, Securus introduced the first corrections-grade tablet
in 2011, revolutionizing how communication, entertainment, reentry,
and educational resources are deployed in complex corrections
environments, elevating efficiency in operations and stronger
reentry outcomes. For more information, please visit
https://www.aventiv.com/securus-technologies/ or follow us on
social media on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook.
![Securus Technologies Logo (PRNewsfoto/Securus Technologies) Securus Technologies Logo (PRNewsfoto/Securus Technologies)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2418295/Securus_Logo_Logo.jpg)
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/securus-technologies-joins-scholarchips-to-reduce-the-impact-of-parental-incarceration-on-youth-education-302201259.html
SOURCE Securus Technologies