Incarcerated Student Becomes First to Start Law School Journey at Rutgers

Patrick Pantusco was released a month after he took his first classes at Rutgers Law School 

Patrick Pantusco began his college career behind bars and, earlier this year, started Rutgers Law School while he was still serving his sentence. 

When he stepped into his first class in May, Pantusco became the first student from the New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons (NJ-STEP) program to enter law school. NJ-STEP, a consortium led by Rutgers-Newark, offers incarcerated individuals access to college education and degree pathways. 

“When Rutgers brought college into the prison system, I would fantasize, ‘Oh, maybe one day I could go to law school. One day, I could become a lawyer,’” Pantusco said. “I didn’t know if I really believed in it.” 

Pantusco is not the first incarcerated person to attend law school, but he may be the first to attend under constructive custody, meaning he was legally incarcerated though he lived in transitional housing. He was officially released on June 17.

Pantusco first earned his associate degree through NJ-STEP, graduating with honors from Mercer Community College. After entering the Kintock Residential Community Reintegration Program, he enrolled in Rutgers-Newark and eventually earned his bachelor’s degree in justice studies, again graduating with honors. 

It took him 12 years to earn his bachelor’s and now Pantusco, 51, is working toward his law and master’s degrees simultaneously under a dual degree program.

Rutgers Law Dean Johanna Bond said the school is committed to strengthening educational pipelines and expanding access to legal education. 

“Patrick's journey reflects the transformative power of education and the values at the heart of Rutgers Law School,” Bond said. “Patrick's success embodies Rutgers Law's strategic vision of opening doors, fostering belonging, and preparing the next generation of lawyers to make a meaningful impact in their communities."

In 1996 when Pantusco was 21, he was sentenced to 50 years with a mandatory minimum of 30 years for his role in a fatal car crash.

Through partnerships with the New Jersey Department of Corrections and higher education institutions statewide, NJ-STEP opens the door to a life-changing education. The program began in 2012, and Pantusco was part of the first group of students to participate.

“I realized that I loved learning,” he said. “I would take five, sometimes six, classes a semester, not only to keep myself busy while I was incarcerated, but I was absorbing everything I could. I was able to fill my time with something productive rather than sitting around playing cards or basketball.”

He had to scramble to find the money to attend law school. He secured a couple of scholarships, but they are not nearly enough to cover the cost of his law school education. Tuition alone is about $35,000 a year, and with no savings to his name, Pantusco had to take out hefty student loans. Even if he finishes law school and earns his degree, he still may not be able to practice law due to his conviction. He is required—as would anyone who seeks admission to New Jersey’s bar—to appear before the state Supreme Court Committee on Character to determine if he’s fit to serve in the profession.

“I am under no delusions. I realize that it’s going to be an uphill battle,” he said. “I have to demonstrate that I am of good moral character in order to be able to practice law. The only thing I can do is to demonstrate that I’m taking a proactive approach to my rehabilitation. I fully acknowledge and accept responsibility for everything I’ve done… I don’t ever want the fact that an innocent woman lost her life to go unnoticed.”

Pantusco hopes to someday practice law as a criminal or constitutional attorney. If he can’t practice law, he plans to get involved in criminal justice reform. 

“There are ways to reach people before they end up the way I was,” he said.

During his childhood, he experienced significant childhood traumas. He turned to drugs, which led to addiction in his teen years, and ultimately a series of bad choices with devastating consequences. 

He accepted responsibility for those bad decisions, but it wasn’t until his mother Carol’s unexpected death in 2017 when he fully grasped the impact of his actions. 

“That was a moment in my life that opened my eyes to the harm that I was responsible for inflicting on a lot of people,” he said. “And that’s when I decided that I wanted to make some type of positive contribution. I wanted to give back in some way. It doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of making amends for what I’ve done, but I did everything I could do in my circumstance to be a positive influence on my surroundings and the people around me.”

Pantusco became a tutor and served as a teacher’s aide. He continued taking his classes until he earned his bachelor’s in May, 2025 and went on to complete a competitive internship at Princeton University. He is currently working as a research assistant for Diane Hill at the School of Public Affairs and Administration.

“The people here at Rutgers, my fellow students and professors, have welcomed me with open arms,” Pantusco said during a recent orientation program. “They’re generous. They’re helping me. They’re very empathetic to my situation and understand that a single mistake or early mistakes in life don’t necessarily define the person.”

Pantusco hopes his journey will inspire others to pursue education and opportunity despite significant challenges. 

“I’m hoping that if other people who are incarcerated can see me achieve any type of success that they’ll realize that they can do it as well,” he said. “I want to be able to give back to the community and make a positive impact on the world.”