PACE Institute/Safer Foundation

PACE, or Programmed Activities for Correctional Education, is a school located within the Cook County Jail into which detainees can voluntarily enroll upon entry with the goal of earning their GED.

The Safer Foundation, the umbrella non-profit organization under which PACE operates, maintains an unprecedented partnership with both the Cook County Department of Corrections and Illinois Department of Corrections in order to confront and reduce detainee and inmate recidivism. The organization does so by providing a range of services to individuals who find themselves entering, re-entering, or leaving jails and prisons.

The importance of PACE and its mission to educate the detainee population cannot be overstated. Studies confirm the positive correlation between education and reduced rates of recidivism. To put it simply, individuals who earn their GED and/or undergo job and life-skill training are more likely to find employment. In turn, employment significantly reduces the likelihood that these individuals will become repeat offenders. The stability brought by employment becomes evident within these individuals’ homes. More stable homes mean more stable neighborhoods and more stable neighborhoods mean more stable communities.

In other words, education is seen as a key foundation upon which the betterment of society rests. The Safer Foundation and PACE recognize this and strive to continue their mission to reduce recidivism. However, we at PACE cannot do this by ourselves. In addition to our core staff of instructors and facilitators, we rely upon the generous assistance of volunteers and interns.