All teachers at Gordon Bernell agreed student discipline was the least of their problems. The school has a zero-tolerance policy, so no drugs, no violence and no gangs, or they're out of the program.

When inmates are released, they can continue at the school's downtown campus, Roskom said.

Though charter school laws differ by state, Hennessey said California's education secretary and several communities around the state have expressed interest in replicating Five Keys Charter School. Roskom said New Mexico's charter school has attracted the attention of national correctional educators.

These charter schools are helping more than just the students; they also benefit the community, proponents say.

Studies show that a prisoner who receives a high school education has a drop in their recidivism rate of about 20 percent, Hennessey said.

"These prisoners all get out and they all come back into our communities. We all would like in the strongest way possible that they not commit more crimes and that we not become their victims," he said.

David Gutierrez, 26, is attending school along with his 43-year-old father while serving time for stealing a vehicle. The father of two young children said he hopes to obtain his diploma and open his own business someday.

"It makes you think about really doing good on the outside," Gutierrez said. "It gives you hope."