Hello All,
The U.S. Dept of Education has been examining the idea of reinstitution Pell Grants for incarcerated students. The idea has generated controversy in the past, but seems to have good support -- and indeed appears to be moving forward -- from both legislators and the public. The excerpt below is from a May article written by Paul Fain for Inside Higher Education's online magazine.
"The U.S. Department of Education is poised to announce a limited exemption to the federal ban on prisoners receiving Pell Grants to attend college while they are incarcerated.
Correctional education experts and other sources said they expect the department to issue a waiver under the experimental sites program, which allows the feds to lift certain rules that govern aid programs in the spirit of experimentation. If the project is successful, it would add to momentum for the U.S. Congress to consider overturning the ban it passed on the use of Pell for prisoners in 1994.
“The idea is under consideration,” a department spokesperson said.
Sources said the Obama administration backs the experiment, and that it would be unveiled this summer....." Read more here
Steve Steurer, Executive Director of the Correctional Education Association, organized a symposium on the benefits of reinstating Pell Grants last week at the CEA Annual Conference, in Arlington, VA. The event was attended by Brenda Dann-Messier, former OCTAE Assistant Secretary. Many other prominent advocates for Pell's reintroduction, including Glenn Martin, Founder of JustLeadershipUSA, Vivian Nixon, Director of College and Community Fellowship, Baz Dreisinger, Academic Director of John Jay College’s Prison-to-College Pipeline program, and Jody Lewen, Director of California's Prison University Project out of San Quentin, populated panels for discussion. The discussion revolved around the benefits that providing access to education at the post secondary level can have for incarcerated learners not only for the term of their incarceration, but most importantly for their return to their communities, which benefits everyone.
Comments
Heather, the move to encourage further education for incarcerated students is well supported by lots of research dating back to the 60's showing the when prisoners learn to read, and presumably, further their education, they don't come back. The practice is a promising solution to reduce recidivism. I would hope, of course, that the rules applied for prisoners to qualify would be the same as, and not easier than those applied to students in regular programs outside of prisons. Actually, I wish the whole process were easier for everyone! Leecy
Leecy Wise
leecy@reconnectioncompany.com
Hi Leecy,
You are so absolutely right! There is so much research and information -- dating back to the 60s, as you say -- that supports access to educational programming as a major recidivism reducer. And we must remember that 95% of the people that are currently incarcerated WILL be coming back out into their (read our) communities. That means living in your neighborhoods, shopping with you at the grocery store, pumping gas at the Casey's. Isn't it so much better that our formerly incarcerated community members are given every opportunity to expand their way of thinking, to gain the confidence that comes with access to educational opportunities and encouraged to succeed when they return home? Pell is just one small way to create at least the potential for positive change and the chance for success upon community reentry, and this whole initiative is talking about such a small percentage of incarcerated people. It's a big, important step that needs to be taken. And then we need to work to continue expanding access.
-- Heather Erwin
There you go, Heather: " And then we need to work to continue expanding access." Leecy
Leecy Wise
leecy@reconnectioncompany.com
Hi Heather:
Thank you for sharing this announcement. As I was looking through the RAND report and the program websites, I found the "Holiday Card" -- a thank you card from incarcerated learners to their volunteer Biology teachers at the Prison University Program at San Quentin. It describes the process for bringing materials into the prison (approval letters, etc) and then the inmates write about what it means to see this kind of interest and dedication from their teachers. It helped me understand why correctional education is so powerful and why it changes lives. As inmate Pat Mims says in the video, "Freedom comes in steps." After dropping out in 9th grade and circulating for 20 years in the California prison system, going to school in prison was the start of those steps.
Cynthia
Indeed, Cynthia, "Freedom comes in steps." Not only is it true of those who are incarcerated, but for all of us!!! :) Leecy
Leecy Wise
leecy@reconnectioncompany.com
The National Skills Coalition recently published a position paper titled, Making Pell Work: How America's 30 Billion Investment in Need-based College Aid Can Be More Job Driven. While the report doesn't specifically mention persons in correctional facilities, the recommendations on page nine are all ones that would benefit those individuals as part of their re-entry to society.
Mike Cruse