US Departments of Justice and Education: Kids in Juvenile Justice Settings Eligible for Pell Grants

Hello All,

On Monday the US Departments of Justice and Education issued a bold, comprehensive set of guidelines in which they make it clear that they expect juvenile justice agencies and their education partners to ensure that students in their care have access to high quality educational opportunities. 

Included in the guidelines was the clarification that students held in juvenile justice facilities who have their high school diploma or GED are, in fact, eligible for Pell Grants.  The Fact Sheet the Department of Education published along with its legal guidance, makes this very clear: “If you are committed to a juvenile justice facility and you otherwise meet eligibility criteria, you are eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant, regardless of whether the juvenile justice facility is administered by a federal, state, or local government or agency.”
 
The Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings (www.ceeas.org) has been following this issue closely.  Given how comprehensive the guidance package is (it also addresses special education and Civil Rights issues), CEEAS is planning to address additional specific aspects of the Guidance Package in upcoming newsletters.
 
This is truly fantastic and amazing news on Pell Grants.  Incarcerated students who have their high school diploma or GED deserve the chance to pursue their dream of attending college, and Monday’s guidance on Pell Grants is a critical piece of making that happen. 
 
 

Comments

Hi Heather,

Thanks for posting this interesting information.  Will you please explain more about Pell Grants?  What are the advantages of getting a Pell Grant?

Rochelle Kenyon, SME

 

I was remiss not to comment earlier on this post.  December 8th was a red letter day -- when Secretary Duncan and Attorney General Holder together visited a juvenile justice facility school to highlight the release of federal guidance on education for youth in confinement.  I'm not sure if the LINCS site will permit me to post this picture, but I'm going to try.  Isn't it cool to see these two leaders in a school hallway in a youth incarceration facility?  (If the picture does not appear in my post, you can view it at the link below.)

The guidance materials pertain to the provision of high quality education for confined youth.  Per Heather's original comment, it also included information that young people in juvenile justice facilities are not subject to the ban on Pell grants for prisoners.  This had been a point of confusion over many years.  Now we have a clear statement on the matter.  Hopefully, this can encourage the aspirations of justice involved youth to purse individual success goals through education.  Yes, a limited number of confined youth will be ready to undertake a post-secondary program -- but even if just a few can do so, this is certainly to be encouraged.  

The referenced guidance documents along with explanatory text and links to many related resources are easily accessible at:    http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/correctional-education/index.html  Check it out!