The State of New Jersey's inmate population totals almost 22,000 men and women. Nearly 53% of released inmates are re-arrested while 31.1% return to prison within 3 years. The stigma of being an ex-convict has multiple effects for former prisoners who seek to fully participate in society, and inmates re-entering society find their convictions can make obtaining employment nearly impossible. The New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons (NJ STEP) is a consortium of colleges that teach courses in seven prisons across New Jersey. Earning a college degree has significant socioeconomic advantages. The central focus of this study was to examine the influences of the college-in-prison education NJ STEP program at New Jersey's East Jersey State Prison to help mitigate the challenges of being labeled and stigmatized following release into communities. The study examined if college educated ex-inmates have higher rates of employment, lower recidivism rates, and what impact the college-in-prison experience, if any, has on their families. Using a qualitative research design, 12 student inmates were interviewed. From the qualitative interviews, five common themes emerged as to the impact of NJ STEP among the 12 inmates interviewed: reducing stigma; increasing social capital; enhanced critical thinking and communication skills; civic engagement; and, increased sense of self-worth and confidence. The college-in-prison program at East Jersey State Prison--NJ STEP--is a life changing experience for students. The researcher concluded that public and private resources should be utilized to expand college-in-prison programs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]