Laptop Initiative

At ACSP, we believe in the power of knowledge. Our experiences and survivorship alone make us subject-matter experts, and we can strengthen that expertise with education and professional training. We also know that learning cohorts, classrooms, and academia at large are better off when we engage.

Our community's quest for knowledge, in all forms, is something ACSP supports at our core. We believe anyone who's been criminalized should have the opportunity to pursue learning options that are vital to them, no matter what that person was convicted of, what is or is not being offered, or what's affordable. So, as a way of standing in solidarity, and hopefully eliminating at least one financial/tech hurdle for those who seek to forge their own paths to attaining knowledge, ACSP began its Laptop Initiative in January 2025. Through the Initiative, we invite directly-impacted people in Georgia who wish to enroll in college, vocational school, or professional development training and programs to apply for a laptop. Funding permitting, ACSP aims to provide three people a laptop per year, chosen from a rolling pool of applicants.

To apply to ACSP's Laptop Initiative, you must be:

1.  a Georgia resident who is either currently in a Georgia TC or was released from GDC custody within the past year; and
2.  enrolled in or currently applying for enrollment in a public or nonprofit college or vocational school, or professional certification program.*

*ACSP does not condone the exploitative practices of private, for-profit companies masquerading as colleges (i.e. Strayer, Walden University, University of Phoenix, etc.), and we will not donate laptops in furtherance of those businesses. These companies have been criticized for patterned, predatory practices, such as deceptive marketing and out-right exploitation. While some institutions in this category may genuinely aim to provide quality education, most have come under scrutiny for racial profiling and prioritizing profits over students, many have been investigated or sued for these practices (including by Congress), and some have rebranded as a result. Red flags that you may be dealing with one of these companies: aggressive recruitment that targets low-income and marginalized communities; inflated claims about job placement rates and graduate salaries; high student loan default rates; credits that don't transfer to other schools; reliance on federal student aid for a majority of their revenue. We understand that some people enroll with these companies under the guise of receiving a 'free' laptop (which is anything but free!), so we hope to change the scope of options for those folks through the Laptop Initiative. If you have previously been enrolled in one of these programs, but have since switched to a public or nonprofit college, you are eligible to apply for a laptop.

Please note: we will not respond to AI-generated applications.