{"id":47643,"date":"2019-04-23T11:23:14","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T18:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=47643"},"modified":"2019-04-23T11:23:14","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T18:23:14","slug":"why-federal-student-aid-should-be-restored-for-people-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-federal-student-aid-should-be-restored-for-people-in-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Why federal student aid should be restored for people in prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nCongress is thinking of lifting a longstanding\u00a0ban<\/a>\u00a0on federal student aid for those serving time in prison.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0\u201cRestoring Education And Learning Act of 2019,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0or the \u201cREAL Act of 2019,\u201d seeks to reinstate federal Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals.\u00a0Pell Grants<\/a>\u00a0are federal grants meant to help students who need money to go to college.<\/p>\n

If Pell Grants were reinstated for those serving time, about\u00a0463,000 people in prison<\/a>\u00a0would become eligible for the grants.<\/p>\n

As director of the University of Baltimore\u2019s\u00a0Second Chance College Program<\/a>, I can attest to how such an investment will yield benefits not only for individuals behind prison walls, but for society as a whole.<\/p>\n

Here are four reasons to support the reinstatement of the Pell Grant for incarcerated people.<\/p>\n

1. Saves taxpayers money<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Investing in prison education programs will save states money in the long run.<\/p>\n

Research has found that when people get education in prison, they are\u00a0less likely to be incarcerated again<\/a>. This means that overall, less money would be spent on their time in prison.<\/p>\n

Although the amount varies by state, incarcerating one person costs taxpayers\u00a0US$15,000 to $70,000 per year<\/a>. In the federal system the cost for each prisoner is around\u00a0$35,000 a year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One study found that, over a three-year period, correctional education can save taxpayers\u00a0$5 for every $1 spent<\/a>. An argument could also be made that prison education makes communities safer, since people who participate in post-secondary education in prison are\u00a043% less likely<\/a>\u00a0to commit another crime.<\/p>\n

2. Improves employment opportunities<\/strong><\/h4>\n

People who participate in academic or vocational programs while in prison are\u00a0more likely to find work<\/a>\u00a0when released. They are also\u00a0more likely to earn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Second Chance Pell programs are required to help prepare participants for the jobs for which they are eligible. For instance, there are thousands of\u00a0employment barriers and licensing restrictions<\/a>\u00a0for people with criminal records.<\/p>\n

Prison education programs offered through the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s\u00a0Second Chance Pell pilot program<\/a>\u00a0help prepare participants for high-demand fields. These include certificates or degrees in substance abuse counseling, business administration, horticulture, carpentry, heating and air conditioning, and other fields.<\/p>\n

Some programs offer entrepreneurship certificates or degrees to prepare students to create their own business. Others, such as the\u00a0Bard Prison Initiative<\/a>, offer associate and bachelor degrees in liberal arts education.<\/p>\n

A liberal education can build<\/a>\u00a0skills often desired by employers such as critical thinking, ability to work in teams, ethical judgment, self-motivation and strong writing skills.<\/p>\n

3. Strengthens families<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Children of the incarcerated suffer greatly while their parents are behind bars. They experience a range of issues such as emotional and behavioral problems, do poorly in school, and are\u00a0six times more likely to end up in prison themselves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One way to less the potential for these negative effects is to increase the opportunities for their parents once they return home.<\/p>\n

Ensuring that parents are successful and can maintain strong social bonds with their children could potentially disrupt the\u00a0generational cycle of crime and incarceration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Educating parents in prison also increases the chances that their children will attain higher levels of education. Research has found that children are\u00a0more likely to enroll and complete college<\/a>\u00a0when their parents are college-educated.<\/p>\n

During the first year and a half of the\u00a0Second Chance Pell pilot program<\/a>,\u00a0954 credentials<\/a>\u00a0have been awarded.<\/p>\n

4. Won\u2019t take away money for other students<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Despite the many benefits of removing the ban on Pell Grants, there are critics who believe\u00a0\u201ccriminals\u201d should not get a \u201cfree education\u201d at the expense of taxpayers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As I argue in the book \u201cEducation for Liberation: The Politics of Promise and Reform Inside and Beyond America\u2019s Prisons<\/a>,\u201d awarding Pell to incarcerated students does not take away funds from low-income students in the community.<\/p>\n

Students get Pell Grants based on their income. So no one will be denied a Pell Grant simply because someone in prison got one. Restoring Pell Grants for people in prison simply means more federal money being spent on the Pell Grant program.<\/p>\n

In 2017-18, the Pell Grant supported\u00a07 million students with $28.2 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If Pell Grants are restored to people in prison, those numbers would rise to about 7.5 million students and $30.9 billion, respectively.<\/p>\n

This extra $2.7 billion is a worthy investment for a safer community where everyone has a chance to make a living.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Andrea Cantora is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Baltimore<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Congress is thinking of lifting a longstanding\u00a0ban\u00a0on federal student aid for those serving time in prison. The\u00a0\u201cRestoring Education And Learning Act of 2019,\u201d\u00a0or the \u201cREAL Act of 2019,\u201d seeks to reinstate federal Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals.\u00a0Pell Grants\u00a0are federal grants meant to help students who need money to go to college. If Pell Grants […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":47644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15645],"tags":[295219],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-47643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-prisoner-students"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy federal student aid should be restored for people in prison - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-federal-student-aid-should-be-restored-for-people-in-prison\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why federal student aid should be restored for people in prison - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Congress is thinking of lifting a longstanding\u00a0ban\u00a0on federal student aid for those serving time in prison. 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